thy free flight into the wordless,
Away from books, away from art,
the day erased, the lesson done,
Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing,
pondering the themes thou lovest best.
Night, sleep, and the stars.
Walt Whitman
4/11/09
A Clear Midnight
THIS is thy hour O Soul,
thy free flight into the wordless,
Away from books, away from art,
the day erased, the lesson done,
Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing,
pondering the themes thou lovest best.
Night, sleep, and the stars.
thy free flight into the wordless,
Away from books, away from art,
the day erased, the lesson done,
Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing,
pondering the themes thou lovest best.
Night, sleep, and the stars.
4/5/09
Confabulate
Am, am not, tick and tock, do and don’t, will and won’t, I invent, moment after moment, the I in me. What about what you see? I wonder, if you know, if you see, that I fabricated me, the will to be, a distinct entity, or just a con, the strawman’s son, willing to do, confabulate to construe, the urge to will, the will to do!
2/27/09
As Is
There is nothing magical here
Only occasional temporary traces
Of tango-like steps
Left on the snow white ground
Near the place where I
Occasionally lay down to
An intimate moment
And a soft music
Filling the air
with some particular magic;
Ah, Ah, facts, general, specific
do not make a big fuss about!
Sometime it’s sweet
Sometime it’s bloody
Sometime it makes sounds
Sometime it stares and smiles!
And then the next song
And then the next voice
And the breath-ins and the breath-outs
And the turn-lefts and the turn-rights ...
And then I try to follow
Those traces that intersect
And diverge before our time
Comes up, and I say:
I think it’s snowing again,
And I need to figure out
what color it is this time!
And you whisper “was that cum-
your emotional brain
or was that cum-
your logical brain?”
And then we both laugh!
2/8/09
An impulse (by firstcomet)!
She came late,
stayed over,
and left around the noon.
A few ectopic beats,
liberation from homeostasis,
and a red dress
leaning against my guitar-stand,
all that is left from that impulse.
stayed over,
and left around the noon.
A few ectopic beats,
liberation from homeostasis,
and a red dress
leaning against my guitar-stand,
all that is left from that impulse.
1/21/09
Anjou Pear
Red Anjous now can be found on grocery produce counters from late September or early October through the spring months.The best indication of ripeness for any pear is the thumb test: gentle thumb pressure near the stem will yield slightly when the pear is ripe.
Depending on their level of ripeness when purchased, it may take several days before they are ready to eat. The results, however, are well worth the wait. Red Anjous develop a mild, sweet flavor with very smooth texture and abundant juices when ripe.
1/20/09
La Petite Mort
Having been surrounded, I thought it was going be a real problem … spending the night in a hotel room, queen size bed, windows wide open to the anticipation of a warm sunny day, and two travelers having come hundreds of miles … just to come:
“the pleasures in this world,
soft breeze, soft
thighs, a bit of music,
words that make
a good sound …”
It might cause us to experience some real discomfort, a little death or La Petite Mort!
“the pleasures in this world,
soft breeze, soft
thighs, a bit of music,
words that make
a good sound …”
It might cause us to experience some real discomfort, a little death or La Petite Mort!
Signals
So many signals around Fortunate those who decode
Plenty points to be found Where does the secret abode
--Hafez
Plenty points to be found Where does the secret abode
--Hafez
1/10/09
How do you really know?
I knew it, I knew it! Behind those gazing eyes there was something deeper; an anxious excitement, trying to play it safe while exploring, discovering, and prevailing.
Dancing to the winds
Of the heaven’s dreams,
Your hair of silky willow
You toss and turn
till your neck, finally
finely settles on the pillow
But, how do you really know?
12/21/08
"Like an outdated map my borders are changing"
What does it mean to be finite?
To live in a lake, and hide
From waves, sharks, ocean’s wide
To travel down the same creeks
To abide by the same rocks
Take a leap beyond the rim
In the ocean you shall swim
Going beyond everyday whim
Just to find yourself scream
Rejoicing your infinite dream!
12/18/08
12/11/08
for or against
“If you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be 'for' or 'against'. The struggle between ‘for’ and ‘against’ is the mind’s worst disease.” - Sent-ts’an, 700 C.E. China
12/10/08
the master
"You may be keeping accounts, and presently you shall walk out of the door
that for so long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals, and shall
find yourself before an audience, the pen still behind your ear, the ink
stains on your fingers, . and after a time the master shall say, 'I have
nothing more to teach you.' And now you have become the master ..
that for so long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals, and shall
find yourself before an audience, the pen still behind your ear, the ink
stains on your fingers, . and after a time the master shall say, 'I have
nothing more to teach you.' And now you have become the master ..
--Stanton Kirkham Dave
12/7/08
being a cynics
I recently set up a donation box in the main lobby of my dormitory to collect warm winter clothes for a local shelter. Today I saw my roommate donating a bag full of sweaters and shirt. The first think came to my mind was he’s getting rid of his old clothing. This thought was further reinforced with a piece of memory I had from his early Fall shopping spree. But, soon I realized I was labeling his actions as less than a noble act by attaching alternative motives to his maybe “wholly generous action”. Yes, I have become a cynic and I can’t find a way to escape from it! Why do I question people’s motive, and why do I give a higher weight to the less noble one? From a pragmatic point of view what difference it makes what the person’s motive is; all I’m doing is finding a match between a public need and individual’s desire to give away or to donate their belongings. There is no value judgment involved here!
12/6/08
Today
Yesterday is Already a Dream and Tomorrow But a Vision, But Today Well Lived Makes Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness and Every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope!
11/23/08
How's it your fault?
But, how is it your fault,
When you're blind by default?
Or the wind that blows
And it makes you wipe your nose
Since it's cold out there
And a shelter is nowhere near!
When you're blind by default?
Or the wind that blows
And it makes you wipe your nose
Since it's cold out there
And a shelter is nowhere near!
11/19/08
My Heart (by firstcomet)
My heart,
I see time
finding it's way,
through my veins,
my hands, my face,
And alas, my soul!
My heart, remember?
Taste of bygone seasons;
Apple ciders,
Hot Chocolates,
Mango lassies,
And Milky-way punches?
My heart,
I hear you,
Ticking, embracing,
The weight of time,
The senility of future,
And the amnesia of now!
Will you be there
Next midsummer night?
To share the scent of delight,
To wake a quiescent star,
To sing a song on your guitar?
I see time
finding it's way,
through my veins,
my hands, my face,
And alas, my soul!
My heart, remember?
Taste of bygone seasons;
Apple ciders,
Hot Chocolates,
Mango lassies,
And Milky-way punches?
My heart,
I hear you,
Ticking, embracing,
The weight of time,
The senility of future,
And the amnesia of now!
Will you be there
Next midsummer night?
To share the scent of delight,
To wake a quiescent star,
To sing a song on your guitar?
A Philosophy of Learning and Doing:
We can't learn everything at once. We can't do everything at once. We can neither learn nor do effectively without thinking about what we've done. So pick a goal that presents itself and try to meet it. When you have, stop and rest. Think about what you have done and see what you've learned from it. Then, after your mind is calm and thoughtful, go after another goal. And again. And again. And again
11/12/08
To pass another day (by firstcomet)
Bear with me, until tomorrow,
Or sometime near,
Meanwhile, do something
Shave your beard,
Raise those eyebrows,
Put a nostrum on those wrinkles,
The snake oil, the dead-sea spa,
clean the wax your ears
Then just relax ...
To fool another self,
To pass another day!
11/9/08
Conflicts
This is a new topic that touches a very deep behavioral trait of those grew up under rigid educational or parenting systems. In particular, the more of a conformist an individual in such systems is the more stress he/she will face.
One definition of stress is the amount of energy one spends staying in an uncomfortable situation. In this sense the pain caused by physical exercise is a stressor, and the heavier your bench-press weights are the higher the stress.
The problem with growing up in rigid systems is that the individual has to constantly flight against his/her natural impulses. Ironically, the smarter you are and thus the better your performance record within the system, the more expectations are placed on you to conform to the norms. Therefore, the more constrained and stressful your life becomes. Eventually, you become your own worst critic and in a constant state of worry about how others might react to your actions.
How much you’ll miss out by not exploring the boundaries of your perception of properness?
Stanley Milgram
"My only pleasure is to sit on a curbstone and watch the sky for an occasional bird flying south for the winter. I am not used to being so very much alone, and I can think of a few sweet faces with whom I wouldn't mind sharing my pillow when the hour for sleep comes around.... I'm listless, uneasy, dissatisfied, bored and fed up. I suffer from status insecurity, incipient mononucleosis, and sexual privation. I'm the little man looking around for some totalitarian movement I can join." –Stanley Milgram
10/25/08
Maturation
The rain drops dissolving the ice cubes of longing
And the orange colored mangos dropping
In a sudden season of maturation!
10/19/08
Imagine!
… that the brain needs to categorize. And yet, imagination stems from the ability to break this categorization, to see things not for what one thinks they are, but for what they might be!
1) Perception->Categories->bombard with new experience
2) Fear response->stress, group-think, reframing events
3) Social intelligence-> familiarity and reputation, iconoclasts need connectors, butterflies do not change the ecosystem of the jungle ... trees do.
9/28/08
Ego (by firstcomet)
Just as my toast popped out
out of mind, my ego unwittingly dropped out
I bended over to pick up the junk
Just to put it back where it belonged
But then I saw two mice
Pulling it on opposite sides
So, I reached to my plate
And picked the only slice of bread
Split into half; one for Tom the other to Ed
Then, they both fled
And so I was left,
With the insipid ego instead!
foliage
The oaks, maples, birches, and black gums are all on full blaze and the squalling firemen are close by. Soon the foliage will be gone and the acetone adulterated fall rain will wash away all these dazzle of the scenic roads of this great state.
9/18/08
The force field (by firstcomet)
I thought, beyond this point
The road is barricaded, barred
No other eureka, no ecstasy
My share the stillness of a stale yore
Inculcated in the essence of now!
Captured in a force fields
Pushed to the left, then right
Prone and then Supine
Between us an empty space
Empty as the expression on my face
It’s your move I say
It’s your reaction, you may
It’s our interaction, you weigh
I nod, then wonder
Which force caused this, I ponder
Reflecting upon your face
And the certitude of your faith
And the strength in your voice
I wonder if I had any choice …
Hands to the left, hands to the right,
You wave at me good night!
Out in the open I see
The twinkling starts to be
Pulled to the left, then to right
via an incredible cosmic might
Austere but urged is the world
And thus it’s constantly twirled
Days after days,
Years after years,
Or so it appears!
9/16/08
9/14/08
The Fog
The western rationale has stripped us from our value system and has not yet provided us with a substitute that runs or can potentially grow as deep within our psych; the only exception being science which provided us with a slow and tortuous road towards our fundamental quests (unfortunate is our dependence on our only source of inspiration to pay for our grocery bills). Materialism and sensualism has been offered as alternatives, but fall short in the grand meaning-ometer scale, in addition to being a game biased to the advantage of the westerners. There still remains those moments of emotional outbursts to fill the vacuum receptacle of our souls. So, we remain nostalgic and unsatisfied with the knowledge that the roads to past is not retraceable and the road ahead is covered by an impenetrable fog.
9/7/08
9/6/08
A tribute to the ignored:
You ignored me in the elevator because I wasn't your destination floor.
You ignored me in the corridor because you didn't have to pass me to get to your office.
You ignored me in the supermarket because i wasn't your favorite brand.
You ignored me while riding the bus, because I wasn't your destination station.
You ignored me in your poetry, because I didn't rhyme with the rest of your lines.
You ignored me while looking out the window, because i was below your field of vision.
You'll always ignore me since I'm always available, I'm always reachable, and always there.
You ignored me just because you're never content with where you are, what you want, and that which is at your presence.
Will you stop by someday? Will you touch me sometime? Will you glimpse at me just for a moment?
I am the flower in a corner of your resident's backyard.
I'm a butterfly in larva.
I am the painting on the other side of the wall.
I am the candy ready to be unwrapped.
I am the hour that just passed you by.
I am the music of the silence,
The flavor of the tasteless,
The fragrance of the pure air,
The essential ingredient of nothingness,
The quintessential essence of the ignored!
You ignored me in the corridor because you didn't have to pass me to get to your office.
You ignored me in the supermarket because i wasn't your favorite brand.
You ignored me while riding the bus, because I wasn't your destination station.
You ignored me in your poetry, because I didn't rhyme with the rest of your lines.
You ignored me while looking out the window, because i was below your field of vision.
You'll always ignore me since I'm always available, I'm always reachable, and always there.
You ignored me just because you're never content with where you are, what you want, and that which is at your presence.
Will you stop by someday? Will you touch me sometime? Will you glimpse at me just for a moment?
I am the flower in a corner of your resident's backyard.
I'm a butterfly in larva.
I am the painting on the other side of the wall.
I am the candy ready to be unwrapped.
I am the hour that just passed you by.
I am the music of the silence,
The flavor of the tasteless,
The fragrance of the pure air,
The essential ingredient of nothingness,
The quintessential essence of the ignored!
The Dreamland (by firstcomet)!
Looking at the clock, going tick and toc … I want to start a new poem. Then I’m reminded of the absurdity of lines, verses, and rhymes. Somehow we collectively managed to reduce the complexity of human life into a series of economical and political equations wherein poetry has no place. In reality, we have become obsessed with utility and the commercial relationship of "me" with "them", and I’m no outsider to this world. Flowing smoothly in the background is the music of a forgotten yore. It’s a nostalgic theme, though. It seems like art, in general, can eternally leech off sadness and despair. The crashing of the symbols and the march of the battle filed goes contrary to the state of the modern man’s mind; depressed and sinking ever deeper into slothfulness. The curse of the modern man is repetition:
The feather pillow on the bed
Head on the pillow,
Bird in the head,
Flying to the dreamland!
The clock is ticking,
A distance light is blinking,
And I’m thinking …
Another day has gone!
And the breathe-ins
And the breathe-outs
And the roll-lefts
And the roll-rights
And before I know,
The ticking clock
and the blinking light
Are all gone!
The catamaran standing tall,
The Great Wall,
And the Niagara Fall,
I hear them call!
The caul is torn
The baby is born!
It’s Time to sail
To the land of whales!
And then the ticking clock,
And the bright light,
And the apples jam delight;
A new day has begun!
The feather pillow on the bed
Head on the pillow,
Bird in the head,
Flying to the dreamland!
The clock is ticking,
A distance light is blinking,
And I’m thinking …
Another day has gone!
And the breathe-ins
And the breathe-outs
And the roll-lefts
And the roll-rights
And before I know,
The ticking clock
and the blinking light
Are all gone!
The catamaran standing tall,
The Great Wall,
And the Niagara Fall,
I hear them call!
The caul is torn
The baby is born!
It’s Time to sail
To the land of whales!
And then the ticking clock,
And the bright light,
And the apples jam delight;
A new day has begun!
9/4/08
The conversationalist:
Do we ask questions to extract meaningful information from others? Not necessarily, sometimes we ask questions to smooth out social contacts by eliminating those awkward moments of silence. To what category the question “Where are you from” belongs to? What kind of information does a person’s nationality covey about him/her? What are the characteristics of a lazy conversationalist? How about the question “Tell me about your background”? It sounds more intimate and an answer to this question tends to be more informative.
8/30/08
Reflections on expectations
Our natural desire to fit in is at it's climax in college parties. You step
into an space with people engaged in various acts of socializing. You take a
few steps forward and then to the sides ... Your mind being in an
anticipatory state waiting impatietnly to come ... a familiar face, an
smile, an invite. Hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching
you ...
into an space with people engaged in various acts of socializing. You take a
few steps forward and then to the sides ... Your mind being in an
anticipatory state waiting impatietnly to come ... a familiar face, an
smile, an invite. Hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching
you ...
8/24/08
underappreciated
The image in the mirror looked me in the eye,
Then she said you're underappreciated,
Do you know why?
Then she said you're underappreciated,
Do you know why?
Incredibly cute and unsung,
I muttered, while taking a sigh!
8/22/08
A unifying theme
We all have our own unique personal histories, cultural heritage, and aspirations. But, when the sun sets and all the classrooms and businesses close down, its 12:01am and you're thinking just one more day has passed and it doesn't necessarily mean you're one more day closer to graduation. Pretty soon (for a typical graduate student it means in 2-3 hours) you have to go
to sleep and put the alpha man in you to rest for the next 6:00 hours (if you're lucky). In those honest and pure hours what is that one thing that can bring us all together? The plunger at your building's front-desk!
I think this says something about our essential humanity.
to sleep and put the alpha man in you to rest for the next 6:00 hours (if you're lucky). In those honest and pure hours what is that one thing that can bring us all together? The plunger at your building's front-desk!
I think this says something about our essential humanity.
8/14/08
8/9/08
Breaking away (by firstcomet)
All will is the essence of this mass,
Austere but urged, like lavas,
beneath sober mountains.
impressioned persistently,
years-after-years,
Relieved in a coming encounter,
a place of respite, far a way!
Austere but urged, like lavas,
beneath sober mountains.
impressioned persistently,
years-after-years,
Relieved in a coming encounter,
a place of respite, far a way!
8/6/08
Missing
I came across this poem on some website by a person calling him/herself the emogirl and I thought it was a lovely piece! One of those poems that fills us up with a sense of solidarity, stemming from an affirmation of our very humanity, and simultaneously empties us from within ... ready to be filled up again ... or as poet Robert Hass would probably have it framed
"merely companionable".
"merely companionable".
I MISS U
as the SUN
misses sunflower during winter time........
as an icy Road
misses the warmth of summer time..........
as a Grown up
misses the time when he started singing his very first nursery rhyme.........
as a dark Night
misses the twinkling moon light...........
as a Lover
misses sleep during his long restless night........
as a wounded Knight
misses the will to win during his fight.........
as a Blind
misses the chance of seeing a dim light.............
as a Prisoner
misses the precious moments of being free...........
as a Fish
misses it's resting place in the quiet big sea..........
as an Orphan
misses the face of his affectionate mom........
as a Widow
misses the warmth of her husband's arms.......
as a lonely sick Man
misses the good company who used to ease his painful endless harms....
8/5/08
Splitting a moment (by firstcomet)
Thin is the glass window of my emotion
these days, I go about moments,
split into halves, the ego in full sail,
The heart, battered and frail,
The faltering wind blows,
Taking us where? who knows!
these days, I go about moments,
split into halves, the ego in full sail,
The heart, battered and frail,
The faltering wind blows,
Taking us where? who knows!
8/2/08
Fragments of time (by first comet)
Can you break a moment into halves?
A half to break down,
another to laugh?
A half to break down,
another to laugh?
Or am I doomed to only one;
the one that I'd like to shun?
I guess I will nerver know ...
Such is moments' flow!
7/31/08
The weight of time (by firstcomet)
Why is it that hours make my shoulders tense?
Why is that dealines make my schedule condense?
It think that time is heavy and it makes sense!
Why is that dealines make my schedule condense?
It think that time is heavy and it makes sense!
7/27/08
It ain't gonna rain (by firstcomet)!
The weather man said it will rain
And it added to my pain!
He didn't tell us when
Just suggested indoor we remain.
And it added to my pain!
He didn't tell us when
Just suggested indoor we remain.
I took a deep breath and said amen!
And then I canceled the date
And yielded to my uncompromising fate .
And even though,
Getting shot by a sudden tunder strike,
In the middle of the Charles,
With her by my side,
Was something I very much liked,
In the interest of her safety
By the rules of nature, I had to abide!
One rainy day (by firstcomet)!
Hello You!
The Postcard I mailed,
I wonder if you've got!
You might have thought .
I Forgot!
But, two cards I sent,
To fool my fate up to 75 percent!
The Postcard I mailed,
I wonder if you've got!
You might have thought .
I Forgot!
But, two cards I sent,
To fool my fate up to 75 percent!
I hope all is well!
And if one rainy day,
You hear the bell, or a yell,
By the residence you dwell,
It's gonna be me,
Yes, I've got your address baby!
And maybe, only maybe,
You'll drop your key,
After my extended plea!
And have me over
For a cup of tea!
I might be rather wet
But do not fret!
Just don't forget
To have your key handy
And I know, Your window,
Will be ajar,
Since You Don't own
That machine that blows
So You don't keep your windows close!
And that's why your room, always
Smells like a bouquet of rose!
...
In progress!
7/16/08
7/15/08
Framework (by firstcomet)
Synthesize a box,
to sojourn dynamically;
ears and eyes wide open!
And break away,
before the end of the day!
7/14/08
Hyperion's Song of Destiny
A place to rest isn't given to us.
Suffering humans
decline and blindly fall
from one hour to the next,
like water thrown
from cliff to cliff,
year after year,
down into the Unknown.
--Excertps from Hyperion's Song of Destiny, Poems of Friedrich Hölderlin
Suffering humans
decline and blindly fall
from one hour to the next,
like water thrown
from cliff to cliff,
year after year,
down into the Unknown.
--Excertps from Hyperion's Song of Destiny, Poems of Friedrich Hölderlin
7/10/08
Californication (TV series) - Wikiquote
Californication (TV series) - Wikiquote: "Here we are, she thought, at the edge of the world - the very edge of western civilization and all of us are so desperate to feel something... anything... that we keep falling into each other and fucking our way toward the end of days."
6/13/08
6/11/08
On limits of knowing
The idea that a first-person narrative story being biased by the narrator's limitted awareness of the whole picture.
6/8/08
Romeo and Juliet (by firstcomet)
It was twenty of us or maybe more.
When we arrived at the shore,
the beach was like a seamless décor.
But soon as the frisbees began to soar,
impressionist forms began to born!
There were pearls to unfold
There were scenes to behold
There were stories to be told
But then I felt something cold;
A nostalgic existential breeze!
Tears were falling
and I was on my knees!
Where the island met the sea,
in a moment of ecstasy,
too short lived an encounter
left a trace on the shore
that no traveler can ignore!
When we arrived at the shore,
the beach was like a seamless décor.
But soon as the frisbees began to soar,
impressionist forms began to born!
There were pearls to unfold
There were scenes to behold
There were stories to be told
But then I felt something cold;
A nostalgic existential breeze!
Tears were falling
and I was on my knees!
Where the island met the sea,
in a moment of ecstasy,
too short lived an encounter
left a trace on the shore
that no traveler can ignore!
6/2/08
Fly away (by firstcomet)!
A self without a wall;
like a balcony with no railing,
encourages a free fall.
Don't be afraid of failing,
the man without a wall!
Take a deep breath,
when the breath is caught,
between the lines of your thought.
Keep going till you have forgot
what all along you had sought:
A familiar face, an invite,
sharing a smile,
ending this fight,
catching a glimpse of that light,
escaping the everyday trite!
The conquest of a dream,
Good night!
like a balcony with no railing,
encourages a free fall.
Don't be afraid of failing,
the man without a wall!
Take a deep breath,
when the breath is caught,
between the lines of your thought.
Keep going till you have forgot
what all along you had sought:
A familiar face, an invite,
sharing a smile,
ending this fight,
catching a glimpse of that light,
escaping the everyday trite!
The conquest of a dream,
Good night!
5/22/08
I lost you!
Who am I?
A new definition to be defined,
To be associated with a word,
To be used in a sentence,
That will be uttered only once;
My life!
A new definition to be defined,
To be associated with a word,
To be used in a sentence,
That will be uttered only once;
My life!
5/10/08
Union (by firstcomet)
Now, still but fresh is my nostalgia
With cold hands I stand
Gazing at a hot cup of tea near me.
And the steamy swirling dervishes;
An ancient practice of rising to sublimity.
If I was that single thread of hair
That sets us apart, the cause of my despair
Although closer, still couldn’t bear
To engage in this clandestine affair
Hidden from me, hidden from my heart.
Sentimental I might, my expressions trite
Maybe I’m just the remnants of that aged tea
Sojourned still, my pals joined the sea!
With cold hands I stand
Gazing at a hot cup of tea near me.
And the steamy swirling dervishes;
An ancient practice of rising to sublimity.
If I was that single thread of hair
That sets us apart, the cause of my despair
Although closer, still couldn’t bear
To engage in this clandestine affair
Hidden from me, hidden from my heart.
Sentimental I might, my expressions trite
Maybe I’m just the remnants of that aged tea
Sojourned still, my pals joined the sea!
4/22/08
The Path
Perseverance, Rebellion, Depression, Resilience, Realization, Confrontation, Liberation ....
4/17/08
4/12/08
A discrete life! (by firstcomet)
That fragile muted mass
Dragged out of slumber
Lumbered to the point of exit
His reward: so fresh a breeze!
The long alley of Sunny Diners
His prize: scrambled eggs and cheese!
Flower trees in a perpetual dance,
Dandelions set free by a sudden sneeze!
In this minutely discretized interval
Abound were the rewards and
Numerous were the tease!
Dragged out of slumber
Lumbered to the point of exit
His reward: so fresh a breeze!
The long alley of Sunny Diners
His prize: scrambled eggs and cheese!
Flower trees in a perpetual dance,
Dandelions set free by a sudden sneeze!
In this minutely discretized interval
Abound were the rewards and
Numerous were the tease!
...
3/27/08
Sharing (by firstcomet)
What does it mean to be finite?
To live in a pond, and hide
From waves, sharks, ocean’s wide
To travel down the same creeks,
To abide by the same rocks …
The cold long winter left me weary
The alpha men’s ideals has made me leery
I want to hatch this shell and be exposed
To break the sphere I’ve been enclosed
To experience the old familiar afresh
To redefine my coordinates on this mesh
To travel down many creeks like a fish
Or like a flying kite that makes a swish
To take a leap beyond the rim
In the ocean I shall swim
Going beyond the everyday whim
Just to find myself scream
Rejoicing an infinite dream!
With you I want to share a tear my dear
I want this life o’vanity to disappear
I want to have this foggy head all clear
I can no longer run this show on fear …
To live in a pond, and hide
From waves, sharks, ocean’s wide
To travel down the same creeks,
To abide by the same rocks …
The cold long winter left me weary
The alpha men’s ideals has made me leery
I want to hatch this shell and be exposed
To break the sphere I’ve been enclosed
To experience the old familiar afresh
To redefine my coordinates on this mesh
To travel down many creeks like a fish
Or like a flying kite that makes a swish
To take a leap beyond the rim
In the ocean I shall swim
Going beyond the everyday whim
Just to find myself scream
Rejoicing an infinite dream!
With you I want to share a tear my dear
I want this life o’vanity to disappear
I want to have this foggy head all clear
I can no longer run this show on fear …
Gryzb and Chandler's 10-step guide to getting tough
1. Don't smile
Smiling gives someone permission to think you don't really mean what you say as you have this big grin on your face
2. Stand your ground
Backing off is wishy-washy. Standing your ground gives weight to your intention. This means both physically and verbally
3. Tell the truth
Let the other person know what you are feeling. Let them know you aren't comfortable with what they are doing
4. Agree when it's unexpected
If someone tells you you're being silly, agree. They have no place to go after that. "You're a bit touchy." "You're right, I am." It takes the wind out of their sails
5. Don't point fingers
If you intend to tell someone you don't like their behaviour, start sentences with how you feel, not what's wrong with them. Pointing an accusatory finger will only make them more defensive
6. Make up a list of handy excuses
This will get you out of situations long enough to see clearly what's going on before you put yourself back in the fray
7. Change your mind whenever you want to
You have the right to change your mind, whether it's two minutes, two hours or two months after the fact. There will be times when you don't want to honour your commitments
8. Keep things short and sweet
Gabbling won't help, it just gives the other person rope to hang you with
9. Don't engage
Never apologise or explain. Don't supply fuel for someone to use against you
10. Get your 'no' in quickly
Set your marker right at the beginning of the discussion. You can always change your mind later, but if you say it fast, it's out on the table and can't be ignored
Smiling gives someone permission to think you don't really mean what you say as you have this big grin on your face
2. Stand your ground
Backing off is wishy-washy. Standing your ground gives weight to your intention. This means both physically and verbally
3. Tell the truth
Let the other person know what you are feeling. Let them know you aren't comfortable with what they are doing
4. Agree when it's unexpected
If someone tells you you're being silly, agree. They have no place to go after that. "You're a bit touchy." "You're right, I am." It takes the wind out of their sails
5. Don't point fingers
If you intend to tell someone you don't like their behaviour, start sentences with how you feel, not what's wrong with them. Pointing an accusatory finger will only make them more defensive
6. Make up a list of handy excuses
This will get you out of situations long enough to see clearly what's going on before you put yourself back in the fray
7. Change your mind whenever you want to
You have the right to change your mind, whether it's two minutes, two hours or two months after the fact. There will be times when you don't want to honour your commitments
8. Keep things short and sweet
Gabbling won't help, it just gives the other person rope to hang you with
9. Don't engage
Never apologise or explain. Don't supply fuel for someone to use against you
10. Get your 'no' in quickly
Set your marker right at the beginning of the discussion. You can always change your mind later, but if you say it fast, it's out on the table and can't be ignored
3/9/08
Oh Boston!
Seeing you in your new dress,
Is taking away my breath!
Is taking away my breath!
Your amber adorned blue hat,
Beckons the end of old season's chat!
2/24/08
What is love?
Love is when the boy plays his flute after she departs
The essence of love is its self-sufficiency, being
Elementary and fundamental, where reason
Need not rule, where overwhelm are the senses!
In friendship we seek utility, in love we desire union
So is love so useless, so meaningless, and so pure.
The essence of love is its self-sufficiency, being
Elementary and fundamental, where reason
Need not rule, where overwhelm are the senses!
In friendship we seek utility, in love we desire union
So is love so useless, so meaningless, and so pure.
2/19/08
Missing out ...
I noticed I react to multiplicity and complexity of a situation by simplifying it, by the mean of cutting down on the number of involving characters or processes.
Such an attitude, while simplifying the situation, drains the set of possible outcomes from its richness.
Thus we see the trade-off between simplicity and richness.
2/17/08
Elsepath (A poem by firstcomet)
She was trapped in a dilemma;
life, so called, her share of the eerie
the repetition of a self, weary!
life, so called, her share of the eerie
the repetition of a self, weary!
The moment her back pain was back
the shared hurt of living, intact
the truth was what she lacked
In retrospect, these were the facts:
The back pain was to evade,
the rest was attention overpaid!
The boisterous everyday parade
to sense the real with reason
was to construct a new prison!
Or the search for the prose that rhymed
was nothing more than a waste of time;
a mortal's search for the sublime!
1/26/08
My grandfather's voice
"Searching for my grandfather's voice" is a book describing the journey of an Iranian expatriate to his birth-land after 25 years in search for a tape containing his grandfather's voice. The tape was seized from his family's private collection during a raid by the revolutionary guards years earlier. The book touches a variety of topics including the nature of truth, identity, sacrifice, simplicity, and happiness.
1/10/08
1/5/08
1/2/08
12/22/07
A Birthday Card for You!
What is life? A journey through a series of seemingly random events,
and formation of mental images aimed at making sense of them?
Maybe, fulfillment of a vision delineated meticulously down to its most subtle nuances.
Or perhaps, something in between!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
12/21/07
Communicaton Bridge
The following is a passage from an e-book distributed by the IEEE, titled "Engineering a Communication Bridge":
"In the end, the bridge over the communication gap will not be built through crafty legislation. The bridge will not be engineered through advanced communication technologies.... The bridge can only be constructed of one material: humans. Anyone can serve as the bridge by taking action, by ensuring a diverse education. Get involved. And get talking!"
Although, the e-book was concerned primarily with the communication gap between engineers and policy makers the overall message is widely applicable to many other areas of human endeavor: boys meet girls and there is often a communication gap that can only be bridged by developing a diverse set of interests (sport, dance, music, food, cinema, ...), emphasizing on humanity (respecting each others wants, ignoring occasional human follies), and getting involved and talking (spending time).
12/12/07
Time (by firstcomet)
In a fight to make right
One wrong, a million wrong
I found self distressed
I felt heart weary
I grieved bygone youth
I glimpsed a dimmed horizon
Time, the greatest exposé
In the battle of self-indulgence
Comforting convictions posed
The hubris of man shows
The voyeurism of time satisfied
That's the end of most fights!
One wrong, a million wrong
I found self distressed
I felt heart weary
I grieved bygone youth
I glimpsed a dimmed horizon
Time, the greatest exposé
In the battle of self-indulgence
Comforting convictions posed
The hubris of man shows
The voyeurism of time satisfied
That's the end of most fights!
12/3/07
Lost (a poem by firstcomet)
It was a flower, perished
It was a desire, demised
It was a chance, missed
It was a take, lost
It was a desire, demised
It was a chance, missed
It was a take, lost
If the moment was cherished
If the words were spoken
If he had his ego accost
If she had her passion gust
Maybe their path could have crossed!
12/2/07
Rachmaninoff Piano concerto No.3
The more I think about it the more I'm convinced that Game theory should be the natural language of Contradictionism and that people should be more educated about game theory:
It's very simple; contradictions are the cause of all the conflicts in the world. But, people don't realize it. I can think of two reasons for this:
1) Euphemism: we try to resolve contradictions in the linguistic stage by adopting euphemism.
2) Evolutionary psychology: we are so much conditioned by our extended histories that do not realize our inherent biases.
To be more concrete, let's take an example of Euphemism: "Patriotism is a virtue." Here, Patriotism is a euphemism for acting in accordance with the unilateral interest of your country. However, if every country follows the same maxim then conflict is inevitable.
Here is an example of how evolution biases our point of view and results in contradiction: "One has to be truthful unconditionally." However, the following dynamics results in contradiction:
i) Factuality: A necessary condition to stay truthful is to keep track of facts and stay faithful to them.
ii) Fallibility: human beings make mistakes. Furthermore, they often find it more convenient to hide their fallibility from others, or rationalize their mistakes, or to blame others for their own wrong doings.
iii) Friendliness: social life requires collaborating with others to achieve common goals or to compromise over incompatible objectives. Friendship by definition requires being biased with respect to certain individuals, thus, manipulating facts to their advantage.
Thus, there is a fundamental contradiction between Factuality and Friendliness as a byproduct of Fallibility. Looking at the state of affairs, it seems like Friendliness takes precedence over Factuality. This quality (friendliness) equipped our ancestors to cope with the complications of living in groups.
Another closely related example: "Rationality commands that our primary moral and social concerns must not be directed towards those with whom we are bound by the common ties of kinship, rather to those who strive to improve the condition of their lives through conscious decisions and ceaseless struggles."
Above is an example of a principle one might arrive at via sensible reasoning, but is not supported by our common sentiments. In particular, we fail to realize the above due to our emotional engagement with the members of our kinship group.
It is proposed that educating individuals about the principles of "proof by contradiction", might be a viable mean to help them see the contradiction of life and to deal with its complications. However, I remain skeptical! Since, resolving many contradictions of life demands a "disconnect" from our very natural dispositions that are not psychologically viable or otherwise painful. At the very least, it requires a great deal of courage and intellectual honesty.
Life is the peace of contraries,
And Death is the proof of this war. --Rumi
It's very simple; contradictions are the cause of all the conflicts in the world. But, people don't realize it. I can think of two reasons for this:
1) Euphemism: we try to resolve contradictions in the linguistic stage by adopting euphemism.
2) Evolutionary psychology: we are so much conditioned by our extended histories that do not realize our inherent biases.
To be more concrete, let's take an example of Euphemism: "Patriotism is a virtue." Here, Patriotism is a euphemism for acting in accordance with the unilateral interest of your country. However, if every country follows the same maxim then conflict is inevitable.
Here is an example of how evolution biases our point of view and results in contradiction: "One has to be truthful unconditionally." However, the following dynamics results in contradiction:
i) Factuality: A necessary condition to stay truthful is to keep track of facts and stay faithful to them.
ii) Fallibility: human beings make mistakes. Furthermore, they often find it more convenient to hide their fallibility from others, or rationalize their mistakes, or to blame others for their own wrong doings.
iii) Friendliness: social life requires collaborating with others to achieve common goals or to compromise over incompatible objectives. Friendship by definition requires being biased with respect to certain individuals, thus, manipulating facts to their advantage.
Thus, there is a fundamental contradiction between Factuality and Friendliness as a byproduct of Fallibility. Looking at the state of affairs, it seems like Friendliness takes precedence over Factuality. This quality (friendliness) equipped our ancestors to cope with the complications of living in groups.
Another closely related example: "Rationality commands that our primary moral and social concerns must not be directed towards those with whom we are bound by the common ties of kinship, rather to those who strive to improve the condition of their lives through conscious decisions and ceaseless struggles."
Above is an example of a principle one might arrive at via sensible reasoning, but is not supported by our common sentiments. In particular, we fail to realize the above due to our emotional engagement with the members of our kinship group.
It is proposed that educating individuals about the principles of "proof by contradiction", might be a viable mean to help them see the contradiction of life and to deal with its complications. However, I remain skeptical! Since, resolving many contradictions of life demands a "disconnect" from our very natural dispositions that are not psychologically viable or otherwise painful. At the very least, it requires a great deal of courage and intellectual honesty.
Life is the peace of contraries,
And Death is the proof of this war. --Rumi
The Gap
I wonder how it feels to grow up in a middle-class family in US.
I wonder how it feels like to be Peter; the son of an engineer (or was his dad a businessman) who has been making a six figure income for the past 20 years, while Peter was going through different stages of his life.
I wonder how it feels like to be Peter; the son of an engineer (or was his dad a businessman) who has been making a six figure income for the past 20 years, while Peter was going through different stages of his life.
What did Peter do while he was 5 years old?
How did his pre-school years look?
How were his middle school days?
What does Peter think about life?
Peter's dreams?
Peter's ideals?
What does it take to make Peter?
What does it take to break Peter?
11/28/07
The Walnut Creek Theater
Today the Walnut Creek Theater showcased one of the masterpieces of French existentialism; namely "the hackneyed butterfly ascent" (or was it a descent?). The only creative component of the play was the overwhelming dramatization of the scene by spectators, who interpreted the extreme apathy of the antihero as a butterfly ascend (or was it a descent?). It turns out a more thru interpretation of the play may result in a butterfly effect that was not the original intent of the screenwriter.
11/26/07
Games of social life
Observations pertaining to an anthropological case-study:
This game is called "who looks better". This particular game turns out to be a dangerous game; since in the real life it actually matters "who looks better". Here is a typical strategy people use:
1) Players A and B start by standing face-to-face, and telling each other anything they can think-of that can make the other person look bad. This can happen in a park or over a kitchen table.
2) Then they depart from each other and start advertising to others that they "look better" than their opponent. As such, the objective is to convince as many spectators as possible that your opponent is uglier than what they think he or she is:
3) Player A proceed by coming-up with fictitious stories (may originate from reality, but is sufficiently distorted to qualify as fiction) and propagates them among his acquaintances.
4) Player B replies by trying to discredit player A calling him crazy. The idea is that if player A is discredited then all of his statements will be interpreted by others as false.
A funny consequence of this move by player B is that for her to win the game, it has to become a self-fulfilling prophesy, i.e., player A has to become crazy.
5) Once in a while, one of the spectators decides to believe player B over player A. In such cases, player B seizes the opportunity by calling player A and bringing that to his attention. She also calls the acquaintances of Player A at 2:00am in their local time to win their votes. And there are those spectators who mediate the game through public media, the worse of them being smart aleck theorist and e-mailers!
You might wonder why spectators bother to take a side. It's because any spectator automatically becomes part of the game "who looks better". Among the many ways a spectator can look better is by making right judgments. After all, if you can call-out the guilty party you're smarter than both player A and B, and consequently, you look better than both of them. Furthermore, certain spectators seize the opportunity to compensate for their “old losses” on the game of "who looks better". After all, this game can go on for lifetimes! As you might have guessed, spectators are an essential part of this game. Without them the game is simply absurd!
6) Rules regarding types of money accepted by the dealer (the devil) for purchasing your chips are very flexible:
Your respect, your honor, your honesty, your genuine concerns, your quiet evening times, your emotions, your tears, your health, your sanity, your rationality, your family ties ... you name it.
7) There is no shame in changing strategy or using the same strategy as that of your opponent. Even though, from time to time you might find certain strategies of your opponents very hurtful, reducing the pain is not one of the objectives of the game. The only objective is "who looks better" at the end of the day.
8) Players and spectators can take breaks from the game and return back as many times as they wish; the only requirement being that the game must go on. In fact, certain players get sick of the game and decide to quite.
As such, the game of "who looks better" can be a very painful experience. But, the sweet taste of wining, au contraire, makes the game worthy of eternal recurrence. In practice, the overall number of the players and spectators remains steady throughout the game, and there are always plenty of exchangeable goods to purchase your chips with.
9) It turns out you do not need to make time for playing this game. You don’t even need to learn the rules of the game. It comes naturally to almost everybody. And you’re most likely so good at this game that you don’t even notice you’re playing it.
Happy playing kids!
This game is called "who looks better". This particular game turns out to be a dangerous game; since in the real life it actually matters "who looks better". Here is a typical strategy people use:
1) Players A and B start by standing face-to-face, and telling each other anything they can think-of that can make the other person look bad. This can happen in a park or over a kitchen table.
2) Then they depart from each other and start advertising to others that they "look better" than their opponent. As such, the objective is to convince as many spectators as possible that your opponent is uglier than what they think he or she is:
3) Player A proceed by coming-up with fictitious stories (may originate from reality, but is sufficiently distorted to qualify as fiction) and propagates them among his acquaintances.
4) Player B replies by trying to discredit player A calling him crazy. The idea is that if player A is discredited then all of his statements will be interpreted by others as false.
A funny consequence of this move by player B is that for her to win the game, it has to become a self-fulfilling prophesy, i.e., player A has to become crazy.
5) Once in a while, one of the spectators decides to believe player B over player A. In such cases, player B seizes the opportunity by calling player A and bringing that to his attention. She also calls the acquaintances of Player A at 2:00am in their local time to win their votes. And there are those spectators who mediate the game through public media, the worse of them being smart aleck theorist and e-mailers!
You might wonder why spectators bother to take a side. It's because any spectator automatically becomes part of the game "who looks better". Among the many ways a spectator can look better is by making right judgments. After all, if you can call-out the guilty party you're smarter than both player A and B, and consequently, you look better than both of them. Furthermore, certain spectators seize the opportunity to compensate for their “old losses” on the game of "who looks better". After all, this game can go on for lifetimes! As you might have guessed, spectators are an essential part of this game. Without them the game is simply absurd!
6) Rules regarding types of money accepted by the dealer (the devil) for purchasing your chips are very flexible:
Your respect, your honor, your honesty, your genuine concerns, your quiet evening times, your emotions, your tears, your health, your sanity, your rationality, your family ties ... you name it.
7) There is no shame in changing strategy or using the same strategy as that of your opponent. Even though, from time to time you might find certain strategies of your opponents very hurtful, reducing the pain is not one of the objectives of the game. The only objective is "who looks better" at the end of the day.
8) Players and spectators can take breaks from the game and return back as many times as they wish; the only requirement being that the game must go on. In fact, certain players get sick of the game and decide to quite.
As such, the game of "who looks better" can be a very painful experience. But, the sweet taste of wining, au contraire, makes the game worthy of eternal recurrence. In practice, the overall number of the players and spectators remains steady throughout the game, and there are always plenty of exchangeable goods to purchase your chips with.
9) It turns out you do not need to make time for playing this game. You don’t even need to learn the rules of the game. It comes naturally to almost everybody. And you’re most likely so good at this game that you don’t even notice you’re playing it.
Happy playing kids!
11/24/07
Pandora!
He placed all his memories in a box, sealed it tightly, and buried it in the most unreachable recesses of his mind. The Pandora radio reached deep into his psych and astounded him by the Golden autumn (Fariborz Lachini) and Instrumental imagery (Mehdi).
11/23/07
East, East, East
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Star_in_the_East
Sounds familiar!
William James -> Annie Besant-> Krishnamurti -> David Bohm -> Karl Pribram:
"You may remember the story of how the devil and a friend of his were walking down the street, when they saw ahead of them a man stoop down and pick up something from the ground, look at it, and put it away in his pocket. The friend said to the devil, 'What did that man pick up?' 'He picked up a piece of the truth,' said the devil. 'That is a very bad business for you, then,' said his friend. 'Oh, not at all,' the devil replied, 'I am going to help him organize it.' I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path."
11/20/07
You (by firstcomet)
You are just like
that orange blossom-scented breath
I so ravenously want to hold on to,
while I know ...
Soon, I'll have to let go of!
Being with you is just like indulging in chocolate; you just can't have enough of it. Even though chocolates are not the most nutritional food items, they are undoubtedly some of the sweetest and most addictive ones. The rest is like spending time at a salad bar and having to have lots of asparagus and broccolis. So is being with you; it might distract me from enriching my mind with all that society and history cares for. And I also care for them in the same logical basis that I consume asparagus and broccolis. But chocolate ... I ravenously desire chocolate!
that orange blossom-scented breath
I so ravenously want to hold on to,
while I know ...
Soon, I'll have to let go of!
Being with you is just like indulging in chocolate; you just can't have enough of it. Even though chocolates are not the most nutritional food items, they are undoubtedly some of the sweetest and most addictive ones. The rest is like spending time at a salad bar and having to have lots of asparagus and broccolis. So is being with you; it might distract me from enriching my mind with all that society and history cares for. And I also care for them in the same logical basis that I consume asparagus and broccolis. But chocolate ... I ravenously desire chocolate!
11/19/07
Privilege of Being
Robert Hass
Many are making love. Up above, the angels in the unshaken ether and crystal of human longing are braiding one another's hair, which is strawberry blond and the texture of cold rivers. They glance down from time to time at the awkward ecstasy--it must look to them like featherless birds splashing in the spring puddle of a bed--and then one woman, she is about to come, peelsback the man's shut eyelids and says, look at me, and he does. Or is it the man tugging the curtain rope in that dark theater? Anyway, they do, they look at each other; two beings with evolved eyes, rapacious, startled, connected at the belly in an unbelievably sweet lubricious glue, stare at each other, and the angels are desolate. They hate it. They shudder pathetically like lithographs of Victorian beggars with perfect features and alabaster skin hawking rags in the lewd alleys of the novel.All of creation is offended by this distress. It is like the keening sound the moon makes sometimes, rising. The lovers especially cannot bear it, it fills them with unspeakable sadness, so that they close their eyes again and hold each other, each feeling the mortal singularity of the body they have enchanted out of death for an hour so, and one day, running at sunset, the woman says to the man, I woke up feeling so sad this morning because I realized that you could not, as much as I love you, dear heart, cure my loneliness, wherewith she touched his cheek to reassure him that she did not mean to hurt him with this truth. And the man is not hurt exactly,he understands that life has limits, that people die young, fail at love, fail of their ambitions. He runs beside her, he thinks of the sadness they have gasped and crooned their way out of coming, clutching each other with old invented forms of grace and clumsy gratitude, ready to be alone again, or dissatisfied, or merely companionable like the couples on the summer beach reading magazine articles about intimacy between the sexes to themselves, and to each other, and to the immense, illiterate, consoling angels.
Sons of the Monkeys
Men need money to impress women. Women look for rich men to secure their babies' survival.
"Yesterday we were, and today we are! This is the will of the goddess among the sons of the goddess; what is your will, oh sons of the monkeys?"
"Yesterday we were, and today we are! This is the will of the goddess among the sons of the goddess; what is your will, oh sons of the monkeys?"
11/18/07
The economy of action
"Plenty of people wish well to any good cause, but very few care to exert themselves to help it, and still fewer will risk anything in its support. 'Someone ought to do it, but why should I?' is the ever reechoed phrase of the weak-kneed amiability. 'Someone ought to do it, so why not I?' is the cry of some earnest servants of man, eagerly forward springing to face some perilous duty. Between these two sentences lie whole centuries of moral evolution." -- Annie Besant
"weak-kneed amiability" or economical thinking? Doesn't it all come down to cost benefit analysis. How does the economy of "risking everything" work?
"weak-kneed amiability" or economical thinking? Doesn't it all come down to cost benefit analysis. How does the economy of "risking everything" work?
Chocolate Rain!
“There are few enough people with sufficient independence to see the weakness and follies of their contemporaries and remain themselves untouched by them. And these isolated few usually soon lose their zeal for putting things to rights when they have come face to face with human obduracy. Only to a tiny minority is it given to fascinate their generation by subtle humor and grace and to hold the mirror up to it by impersonal agency of art." –The World As I See It, Albert Einstein.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_Rain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_Rain
11/17/07
The impersonator (a poem by firstcomet):
Divided by a fine line to the left and right,
Right and wrong; caught in a fierce fight,
Fight to the end of time; the time was tight,
Tight and tense, in his fist he held the light,
Light in hand, he marched like a knight,
Knight he might, but on the side of the night,
Night, confused, when the devil is your guide,
Night, the imposer of the eternal plight,
Plight, the pestilent snare, hard to decide,
Decide to resist and to endure or to abide,
Abide by the rules or to sail against the tide,
Tide so wide, hopeless to ride or to push aside
The night had changed the rules of the fight,
Right was wrong; his mission was to hide,
To hide, the secret collusion of the night!
Right and wrong; caught in a fierce fight,
Fight to the end of time; the time was tight,
Tight and tense, in his fist he held the light,
Light in hand, he marched like a knight,
Knight he might, but on the side of the night,
Night, confused, when the devil is your guide,
Night, the imposer of the eternal plight,
Plight, the pestilent snare, hard to decide,
Decide to resist and to endure or to abide,
Abide by the rules or to sail against the tide,
Tide so wide, hopeless to ride or to push aside
The night had changed the rules of the fight,
Right was wrong; his mission was to hide,
To hide, the secret collusion of the night!
.to continue
11/12/07
What I learned my first semester at MIT
1) Being humble; there are always smarter people around.
2) Not being ashamed of doing psets all weekend long.
3) I'm not granted anything; I have to earn it.
2) Not being ashamed of doing psets all weekend long.
3) I'm not granted anything; I have to earn it.
11/8/07
How do you know how much your worth is?
Why do I even bother to know anything at all? I know things because I need those information to survive. So, I like to think that I worth more than all that I know. And that I need to know more, to protect that essence that I consider worth the effort of knowing more.
So, I cannot think I worth any less than the highest worth I can associate with any object. Since otherwise, that piece of knowledge won't serve the purpose that my knowledge is supposed to serve.
Thus, knowing my worth is contrary to the whole purpose of knowing! It follows from the fact "the concept of quantitative worth is relative" that I have to grant infinite worth to others, as well.
11/7/07
11/4/07
11/3/07
Emotional Bankruptcy and Beyond!
This conversation spawned as a result of a Facebook status:
A: "Emotional bankruptcy" is not as bad as it sounds: Shared memories + oxytocin result in attachment and fondness, which is typically followed by copulation and excess secretion of dopamine (good stuff) in the frontal cortex. Now, in females oxytocin has to be combined with estrogen to function properly. Josephine in Fitzgerald’s novel was probably going through a period of estrogen deficiency and consequently when the guy (I forgot his name) kissed her she couldn’t form a pair-bond. There is no need to panic! A period of rest and proper dieting will bring her back to the stage and she can go on with her egotist lifestyle. Meanwhile, she can invest in her other assets and potentials. And as for the spectators, they should put on their favorite music:“Softly, deftly, music shall caress you, hear it, feel, it, secretly posess you …”
B: (4-month later) First "love" is undefined, but given that, I still don't know if chemicals are all that account for a feeling of love. However, I don't doubt if they are the main reason for attachment.
A: I’m no longer a big fan of iconoclasts! Mainly because, they strike me as unimaginative and unconstructive. So, me not a fan of me!
Secondly, ideas that have practical utility in a laboratory setting are not necessarily useful for the “social life”. For example, “reductionism” and “analysis” may not be the best approach to understanding/enjoying a good poetry, a good company, or a tasty meal for that matter!
Third, the second point makes sense in the light of the following fundamental contradiction of human life: “before becoming a good human, one has to learn what it takes to be a good animal.” In particular, the older one grows the more this point becomes obvious.
Finally, saying “love is undefined” is like saying “air is undefined”, which is both true and false. It really depends on your “mode of description”:
It turns out that air roughly (by molar content/volume) contains 78% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, trace amounts of other gases, and a variable amount (average around 1%) of water vapor.
On the other hand, air is a medium in which birds fly, butterflies hover, willow trees dance, the falling yellow leaves roam, and the winter storm scourge the gentle skin of Sharbat (the national geography Afghan girl [1]). It cannot be grasped (literally), nor can it be seen!
I’m sure you heard this joke about the similarity of air and sex:
"Why is air a lot like sex?
Because it's no big deal unless you're not getting any!"
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharbat_Gula
A: "Emotional bankruptcy" is not as bad as it sounds: Shared memories + oxytocin result in attachment and fondness, which is typically followed by copulation and excess secretion of dopamine (good stuff) in the frontal cortex. Now, in females oxytocin has to be combined with estrogen to function properly. Josephine in Fitzgerald’s novel was probably going through a period of estrogen deficiency and consequently when the guy (I forgot his name) kissed her she couldn’t form a pair-bond. There is no need to panic! A period of rest and proper dieting will bring her back to the stage and she can go on with her egotist lifestyle. Meanwhile, she can invest in her other assets and potentials. And as for the spectators, they should put on their favorite music:“Softly, deftly, music shall caress you, hear it, feel, it, secretly posess you …”
B: (4-month later) First "love" is undefined, but given that, I still don't know if chemicals are all that account for a feeling of love. However, I don't doubt if they are the main reason for attachment.
A: I’m no longer a big fan of iconoclasts! Mainly because, they strike me as unimaginative and unconstructive. So, me not a fan of me!
Secondly, ideas that have practical utility in a laboratory setting are not necessarily useful for the “social life”. For example, “reductionism” and “analysis” may not be the best approach to understanding/enjoying a good poetry, a good company, or a tasty meal for that matter!
Third, the second point makes sense in the light of the following fundamental contradiction of human life: “before becoming a good human, one has to learn what it takes to be a good animal.” In particular, the older one grows the more this point becomes obvious.
Finally, saying “love is undefined” is like saying “air is undefined”, which is both true and false. It really depends on your “mode of description”:
It turns out that air roughly (by molar content/volume) contains 78% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, trace amounts of other gases, and a variable amount (average around 1%) of water vapor.
On the other hand, air is a medium in which birds fly, butterflies hover, willow trees dance, the falling yellow leaves roam, and the winter storm scourge the gentle skin of Sharbat (the national geography Afghan girl [1]). It cannot be grasped (literally), nor can it be seen!
I’m sure you heard this joke about the similarity of air and sex:
"Why is air a lot like sex?
Because it's no big deal unless you're not getting any!"
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharbat_Gula
10/27/07
Halloween!
It seems like the bitter taste of the past encourages victims to victimize others, so that the world of humanity will never be deprived of bitterness. Bitterness breeds vulgarity the same manner that love breeds beauty and the cycle continues indefinitely.
It reminds me of the vampire stories where the victims of the vampire bites are metamorphosed to vampires. The story invariably concludes with a bloody battle between the hero of the story and the vampire-head who defiantly blasts towards the outer space, not to be seen till his next encounter with a feeble soul....
Yet another cycle! Where is the hero in man?
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