Harold & Kumar's Enlightenment

There are a few short words that are usually associated with the tandem of Harold and Kumar. Silly. Nonsense. Marijuana. They are the Cheech and Chongs of the new millenium. Some might even say that watching the movie may make you dumber than when you came in.

However, there were a few isolated moments when characters were philosophical and to a certain extent, enlightening enough to redeem the rest of the film.

CASE # 1 : Dubya the Wise

May sound like an oxymoron of the highest degree, but the actor who played the ex-President said (through his role) something that may be applicable not just to Americans, but to anyone.

"You don't have to believe in your government to be a good American,

you just have to believe in your country"

Hearing that, especially from Dubya himself, is enough to kill the strongest buzz from anything, but he makes absolute sense. As I said, this applies to all, not just Americans. We complain a lot about how the Government and the system sucks, yet we don't do anything for ourselves. These coming elections are not a lost cause, because our country will choose its rightful leader. Should cheating occur, people will not just take it lying down.

CASE # 2 : The Square Root of 3

Apparently, the poem was written by someone called David Feinberg, and not Kumar Patel as the movie suggests. However, the spirit of the poem is universal and applies to any case. Reading the words to the poem, I found the language very moving that I just had to post it.

It has a number of major elements : Musicality, Meter, Imagery... all types of brushes to paint the poem itself. The poem goes:

I’m sure that I will always be

A lonely number like root three,

The three is all that’s good and right,

Why must my three keep out of sight

Beneath the vicious square root sign,

I wish instead I were a nine

For nine could thwart this evil trick,

with just some quick arithmetic

I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321

Such is my reality, a sad irrationality
When hark! What is this I see,

Another square root of a three

As quietly co-waltzing by,

Together now we multiply

To form a number we prefer,

Rejoicing as an integer

We break free from our mortal bonds

With the wave of magic wands

Our square root signs become unglued

Your love for me has been renewed

The language barrier seeks not to exclude the writer from the world, but include him in the language of love. Sure, this may sound geeky with all the mathematical terms but they fit. They provide the syntax that makes the poem itself a conundrum...a "square root of three". And yet, looking into the essence of the poem, one can slowly unfold its meaning in a few simple words: Despite being weird and different, one can still find Love.

In this case, it appeals to the Nerdy-types that dabble in technical mathematical terms and conquers the barrier and stereotype that literature is only for the artsy free-spirit. They can now simplify their "square root of three"-ness by co-waltzing with the other "square root of three" to remove the square root sign that so obviously delimits and thus reveal a perfect number 3.

The Last Day of Sanity

What perfect timing it is that the day for Final Exams is the same day as the deadline for filing Certificates of Candidacy (CoCs) for the May 2010 Presidential Elections! More quaint still is the fact that Ambassador Villa had us answering questions that were geared toward the subject of the Presidency. The long and short of it, I (together with most of the class, if I may generalize) assessed PGMA's Foreign Relations poorly. I gave the future President my two cents worth on certain Foreign Relations Issues and I wrote against actively promoting a policy on Overseas Employment.

However, what I really wanted to do is speak my mind about the Millenium Development Goals(MDG) reported about in the last discussion and see how they can be addressed, in my point of view. So, after a quick stop at Verde Spa for an after-test pampering, here I am, home and nerdox again.

Below are 3 of the 8 MDG's that to me are the most important and are the keys to the Philippines becoming a progressive giant, should they be properly addressed.

MDG # 1 : Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

Immediately I noticed the word "extreme" and remembered the scene in Jesus Christ Superstar when they sing Everything's Alright and say: "Surely you're not saying we have the resources to save the poor from their lot, There will be poor always, pathetically struggling look at the good things you've got".

Though this may be a tad pessimistic, it may actually be very close to the truth. Poverty in itself will be extremely difficult, if not impossible to eradicate. The goal here is not necessarily to eradicate poverty just like that (though it would be nice), but to bridge the gap between rich and poor. The next president should be able to find a way to provide at least the basic goods and security to each household so that they can learn to fend for themselves without having to worry about the minor inconveniences that add upp to be great nuisances. I believe this is what Gang Badoy's RockEd is doing, together with the White Band Movement.

MDG # 2 : Achieve Universal Primary Education

Back in class, we were having a little argument on the definition of "Primary Education". Where I presented and perceived it to be the whole span of elementary education, I was contrasted with a definition that explained only the first few grade levels (1-4) to be included. So to be sure, I have consulted wikipedia which said that "Primary education is the first stage of compulsory education. It is preceded by pre-school or nursery education and is followed by secondary education. In North America this stage of education is usually known as elementary education.". Thus, my initial assessment on the coverage of such was correct.

Moving on, I believe this is a two-pronged process that the President-to-come must fully understand. He must develop the commitment and desire in Teachers, while enhancing the will and interest of the students to enroll and stay in school. As usual, the President cannot, despite all herculean effort, do this alone.

MDG # 7 : Ensure Environmental Sustainability

I think this is the goal which needs no further explanation. Basically, if you have no home in which to live, HOW CAN YOU LIVE?

The Philippines prides itself with all these "wonders of nature" such as Tubataha Reef, the Underground River, The Banaue Rice Terraces and such, and yet we more often take these things for granted. We would much rather go for what's convenient and profitable (i.e. plastic bags) over what's enviro-friendly (i.e. paper bags/cardboard)

What the future President obviously has to do is STRICTLY implement these green productivity practices beginning with Metro Manila. The MMDA is just wasting their time catching coding violators when they can turn their efforts to anti-smoke belching and broken mufflers.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah

When I was younger (much like a lot of kids my age, then) I wanted to be Superman. Sure, I didn't look like Clark Kent, much less have his perm-a-curl, but I wanted to fight bad guys and fly. I remember jumping on Lola's springy bed and let my body drop and bounce on the bed just feel that split second of flight.

The photo seen above is the official photo in hard copy then taken by digital camera, so, yes, it is a bit fuzzy and grainy.

We went to Tagaytay this morning just to be able to fly. We left at around 7a.m. to avoid any traffic that may be built up on SLEX during rush hour, so we arrived Tagaytay pretty early. Since the skies weren't too friendly, we decided to head to the Picnic Grove before we got drenched. When we did, we bought the two way trip so we could fly twice! Zoom-zoom!

Obviously we got the photo (see above).

Twice, above the ravine we flew, like I did not weigh over 200lbs, like I had the power of flight. I was Superman, despite being heavy as steel. Feeling the wind of my face and seeing the ground below me, the 20 or so seconds was more than enough to transport me back to the days of jumping on Lola's springy bed and happy as a child again.

I didn't mind driving that far. I flew didn't I? Ha. :p Also, we had Leslie's for lunch and Mr. Moo's for dessert.

If # 0005

IF you could have lived through any war in history (without actually fighting in it), which would it be?

Honestly, I would rather not be in any actual war, though there's a certain part of me that feels as if it could have been a soldier given a different...body. However, just to satisfy my own curiosity (as well as the question at hand), I think I would have wanted to live through the Trojan War.

I would like to have been the one to document and romanticize the actual event, maybe casting my own set of characters alone with it, and leaving my thumbprint in literary history with my own set of Epics. To this day I find it hard to believe that a blind man such as Homer could be the source of "documentation" of the said war. I know that his accounts were masterpieces of Literature, as these are among the classics, however, I would have wanted to give a more detailed, more historical version of the same. My version would probably be more specific (i.e. How the armor and uniforms looked, how the Trojan Horse was designed and built, etc.).

I could also probably give a detailed account as to how Troy looked. Given that Troy was most probably located near Turkey, this battle could also have been reflective of the never-ending conflict between East and West in that general area of the world (Crusades, Greco-Persian wars, Trojan war, Desert Storm).

Subliminal Stupidity

Sir Leigh Teabing, from the world-renowned Dan Brown blockbuster and best seller, the Da Vinci Code, calls our ignorance or the womanly figure in Da Vinci's classic "Last Supper" a kind of Scotoma where the mind sees what it wants to see.

Itching to get the closest definition of scotoma to the common man, I though of digging it up at Wikipedia. My efforts have delivered thus:

A scotoma (Greek for darkness; plural: "scotomas" or "scotomata") is an area or island of loss or impairment of visual acuity surrounded by a field of normal or relatively well-preserved vision.

The way I see it, this is what happens when a bright flash of light temporarily blinds us in a certain visual spot, or when a certain image is "burned" into our field of vision temporarily by light and opacity.

What then caused this guy to come up with these crazy, far-fetched "subliminal" messages apparently found in Disney Films? Take this video for example:




So he says Disney puts a lot of subliminal words such as "SEX" and "LIE" and what not. Honestly, I think this guy must be sexually repressed or something. Most of the words can't even be made out until he draws them with his "funny handwriting". Even when he does point them out, they are not definite. Other words such as SET, SEW and others can be argued to be the more visible representations.

Some of them "appear" for less than half of a second. Too little time to even be absorbed by even the greatest minds.

Another claim he has is that disney characters often flash diablo or horned beast signs, as popularized by rock icons such as Ronnie James Dio. He even flashes comparative photos of real life people flashing similar signs. Obviously, he does not know that the hand signal for "I LOVE YOU" is very much similar to that, with a minor difference: the thumb is not curled up with the middle and ring fingers.

Sure, there may have been slips such as the Little Mermaid erection scene, and we still don't know why that scene was there in the first place, but a lot of his claims are really just so far-fetched that you stop and ask: Does this guy ever leave his room?

If # 0004

IF you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?

At this particular moment I would want to be transported about ten feet away from me --- to my bed. Ha. The bed is a magical place. It's a realm where dreams and fantasies become realities. I now understand the symbolism behind a magic carpet, if only in comparison to a bed.

My bed is deformed and uncomfortable, though. It does not... Zzzz....

(connection with real world terminated)

If # 0003

IF you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in history, who would you choose?

Well, because of the sheer number of people involved with the history of the world-- Famous or not, Filipino or foreigner, currently alive or passed away -- the speed of the slots of faces in my mind's eye has increased to a blur, as I select the category to which this "person" belongs. Also, this would not be an intimate event, much like the situation in the previous post.

Even though it knows there is no right or wrong answer, my mind still has difficulty choosing this certain "one person". At least with the "one wish" (If #0001), I chose an answer that could help me grant more wishes, despite being, in all actuality, just one wish.

I guess, at the top of my head right now, I'd have to say Ninoy Aquino. I would love to have learned, even if for just one whole night, how he would have run the country. An interview with him may even be published as reference to future lawmakers (not politicians). I would have loved to have him assess the current state of Philippine Politics, though I am sure that that conversation would extend probably to a weeklong conference.

I will also definitely ask him if he saw who it was that shot him. The Filipino people need closure. No more finger-pointing and speculation. Only the people on the tarmac really knew what happened. What if it really had been Galman? What if the command "Pusila! (shoot him)" was intended for Galman as the escorts saw him reach for a weapon? Of course these are all far-fetched ideas, but only Ninoy (or his escorts) can give us the peace of mind that we deserve.

I will also ask Ninoy if he is happy with the state of Freedom in which the country is, as a result of his sacrifice. Is there truly freedom, or is this a masquerade? Contrarily, Is not the abuse of freedom a form of oppression to the weaker and unable? We lack visionaries like him, as he and his kind have either died or are too old to put this country in its proper place.

If # 0002

IF you could spend one whole night with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?

The common answer to this question usually has something to do with sex and/or intimacy, in which the respondent would look for the most attractive person in his/her mind. But there are times when it's just about something more.

Right now, I guess my answer would have to depend also on what we would be doing. Since we don't wanna take the common answer, we can skip that and head for the uncommonfolk.

Even then there are a million faces, famous and not, flashing in my mind's eye faster than vegas slots and they stop like a missed jackpot, as two faces light up each eye.

I'd have to say it's a tie between BONO and OZZY. I find both of them great overall musicians and lyricists. Being emotional catalysts, lyrics provide a middle ground wherein everyday men and women can relate with the song and claim it as part of their lives. I'd probably ask either one of them how they write their songs. I'd ask them what inspires them. I'd ask historical questions, nonsensical questions, kidstuff questions, trivia and all sorts of babble.

Then I;d ask if we could collaborate. Ha. As if spending a whole night with them wasn't wishful thinking enough, I get to ask them to collab? I must really be delerious. But then again, the question was asked, and the answer came.

If # 0001

IF you were to be granted one wish, what would it be?

I came across this book among the number of them shelved in my room at home and thought to myself "This would be great in combating the self-inflicted Writer's Block". After all, as was taught to us way back when, If you have writer's block, you have noone to blame but yourself, as you are not writing. Metaphysical, Philosophical Self-Babble.

So, going back to the book, I decided to use the questions in the book (entitled IF...Questions for the Game of Life) to grab hold of that block and carve it into something fantastic...or so I hope. So, question number one has been posted up above in bold and blue.

Quite mind-boggling really, as noone wants to be limited to just one wish. Most of the time, the answers to that would be "I'd wish for more/unlimited wishes". Of course, knowing the rule of the Genie (see Aladdin, Disney), you probably know that that's not allowed. Moving along, I'd probably wish for the most practical thing right now: Money. As to the exact amount, maybe I'd say a million Euro. One million is a round figure and the Euro is a strong unit of currency. Why not the dollar, then? Too cliche, I guess.

With a million Euro right here and now, I can probably fulfill so many more wishes, whether mine or someone else's. Of course this is assuming that if the wish is granted, I don't get hounded by the governement for having too much money on me. I wouldn't want to lug that lump sum around while fleeing from town to town.

With that, I sleep. And dream to have that wish reappear and maybe get granted.

For the Love of ...

There's a little old saying that goes: "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone". Ha. This is just me being nostalgic, I guess. Or maybe it's me having the case of separation anxiety. Or maybe both. I don't know exactly.

Back when SISIG (see greatest unknown band ever to rock) was still active, I would sometimes just sit quiet in a corner (having no instrument to play) and listen to the fantastic chaos of cosmic solos and staccato-legatto see-saw between Nuts (guitarist), Ced (same), Ernie (also), Gerald (ditto) and the bass-booming of Cha or Martin with the Parapapampamming of Carlo or Bitoy. More often than not, Time would lose its face as it became one of the many concepts frozen in awe of the wonderful wizardy of the guys.

Though at times it would be awkward and embarrassing that I do not know that song, while continue to paint the air with their music. There was this one song of which, until recently, I did not know the title. But because it had been played so often during jams, I had learned to appreciate, despite its lack of lyrics. Even until this day, Steve Vai's "For the Love of God" still takes me back to jamming days with SISIG, without a single care and ounce of pain. The magic of the song transcends all definition and logic. The arrangement, notes and sheer awesomeness of this immortal music piece drops my jaw everytime.




This version of the song particularly blows my mind as THE MR. VAI integrates classical instruments and band setup with his magical rock. I have always been a fan of integration and remakes, as SISIG would find new ways to play with the old, even if just among ourselves.

One day ... Someday... Hopefully soon... AGAIN.