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.