Monday, October 26, 2009

"In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." Adler, Mortimer J.

READ

"1984" by George Orwell
"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
"Bones to Ashes" by Kathy Reichs
"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
"Cloudstreet" by Tim Winton
"Rides a Dread Legion" by Raymond E Feist
"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller
"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey
"Dune" by Frank Herbert
"Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit" by Sean Hepburn Ferrer
"The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Lucky Man" & "Always Looking Up" by Michael J Fox
"The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff - such a cute book. Passages of Tao writings are shown side-by-side with passages of "Winnie-the-Pooh" and "The House at Pooh Corner". Even more interesting is that the author (who writes in first-person) is often interrupted by Pooh and friends, with songs and sarcastic comments about his writing. The humor is fun and engaging but I found the overall content to be a little.... well boring. It took me forever to finish this - mostly because I was too tired to concentrate. I also don't feel I left the book learning much. So whilst it was fun, it was also boring. Oh well.
"The Time Traveller's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger - Amazing. I bought this book Saturday. I sat down to read it at about lunch time on Sunday. I finished it at 1am Sunday night. Stuff the dishes, stuff the washing. Stuff sleeping. I had to finish this book. I had heard a lot of good things about this book and that there was a movie coming out but wasn't sure if I was really wanting to jump on board the bandwagon. But I succumbed to the peer pressure and bought it.
In case you have been living under a literary rock "The Time Traveler's Wife" tells the story of Henry DeTamble - a man with a rare genetic disorder which causes him to jump backwards and forwards in time (within his own timeline) with no control. Upon arriving in this different period he is naked and disorientated and often has to steal to find clothes. During one of these time travels he meets 6-year old Claire and continues to "visit" her various times up until her 18th birthday. They don't meet again for 2 years until Claire runs in to Henry at his work, but he does not know who she is - he is yet to travel in time to meet her. The story then goes on to detail their life together and the difficulties Claire experiences with a disappearing husband and also their problems with having children. (loved the reason - don't want to spoil it but it makes for a very interesting image.)
Confusing? Yes it can be. But if you try not to analyse it too much and just go with the flow it seems to work it self out in the end. The writing is fantastic and touching, the characters extremely well-rounded and themes are thought-provoking. The story may sound like science fiction but reads more like fact and is more of a romance.
Fascinating book but not sure if I want to see the movie when it's released. Who know's what they've done to it?

STILL TO READ

"The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
"Tokyo Cancelled" by Rana Dasgupta
"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson
"The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
"War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
"A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy
"Monet & The Impressionists" by George T M Shackelford & Terence Maloon
"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins
"The Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain De Botton
"The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer
"The Beatles and Philosophy"
"Derrida: writing and difference"
"Breath" by Tim Winton
"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

Thursday, September 10, 2009

"Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends." - Dawn Adams

READ

"1984" by George Orwell
"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
"Bones to Ashes" by Kathy Reichs
"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
"Cloudstreet" by Tim Winton
"Rides a Dread Legion" by Raymond E Feist
"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller
"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey
"Dune" by Frank Herbert
"Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit" by Sean Hepburn Ferrer
"The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Lucky Man" & "Always Looking Up" by Michael J Fox - I've always been a massive fan of MJF and the Back to the Future triology are some of my favourite movies.
When waiting for Dean to finish uni I wandered into Dymocks and picked up "Always Looking Up" and started reading. 40 something pages later I decided I had to buy both books and devour them straight away. So I did.
If he wasn't an actor he'd be a writer. His style is so clear and engaging, and so personal. "Lucky Man" takes you from his childhood up until his decision to announce globally that he has Parkinson's. You feel like you know this crazy, talented little boy, as if he is someone you went to school with, or lived down the road from.
But what got me most was the beginning chapter of "ALU" - he simply describes what he must to every morning to get out of bed. It's fascinating, heartbreaking and inspiring - and it's simply an explanation of such a rudimentary part of life; get out of bed, brush teeth, have a shower, put on clothes. But it brings to light the struggles and tribulations of the sufferers of Parkinson's like nothing else.
"ALU" goes quite deeply in to the issue of Stem Cell Research and MJF's efforts to campaign for greater funding in America. I'm glad I read this. Stem Cell Research was not something I've known a lot about - except that it had the potential to cure a lot of terrible diseases and that most people who were against it were because of the abortion links and the risks of cloning. But having learnt that the embryo's used are actually discarded embryo's from IVF it has made me even more for the issue. Why discard something that could create so much good? Of course, "ALU" is quite biased to the fact that MJF is pro- Stem Cell Research but he also looks at the other side as well and seems quite accepting of their views.

They are both fascinating reads and by the end you don't feel sad and sympathetic for MJF (something that he never wanted) but you feel inspired that someone could do so much, with such a terrible disease. Lucky man, indeed.

STILL TO READ

"The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
"Tokyo Cancelled" by Rana Dasgupta
"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson
"The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
"War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
"A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy
"Monet & The Impressionists" by George T M Shackelford & Terence Maloon
"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins
"The Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain De Botton
"The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer
"The Beatles and Philosophy"
"The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff
"Derrida: writing and difference"

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

"Books are the carriers of civilization…They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print."

READ

The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald - wasn't sure what I expected when I started reading this but I enjoyed it. It seemed very short and I read it in only a couple of hours but it was interesting and well told (once you got past the writing style - very, very descriptive). Makes me want to go to a party in the '20's.

STILL TO READ

TO BUY

"The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer
"The Beatles and Philosophy"
"The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff
"Derrida: writing and difference"

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore? ~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

READ

"1984" by George Orwell

"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

"Bones to Ashes" by Kathy Reichs

"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

"Cloudstreet" by Tim Winton

"Rides a Dread Legion" by Raymond E Feist

"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller

"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey

"Dune" by Frank Herbert - this was recommended on the Feistfans mailing list, and backed up Raymond E Feist himself so I thought I'd give it a go. Great read with a very original and interesting universe but I felt it lacked something. Still not sure what that thing was but it just seemed like it needed a bit more "oomph". Also, not a book that stayed with me much after reading.

STILL TO READ

"The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche

"The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt

"Tokyo Cancelled" by Rana Dasgupta

"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson

"The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit" by Sean Hepburn Ferrer

"War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy

"A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy

"Monet & The Impressionists" by George T M Shackelford & Terence Maloon

"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain De Botton

TO BUY

"The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer

"The Beatles and Philosophy"

"The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff

"Derrida: writing and difference"

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Only a ninja can sneak up on another ninja...

Sitting on the bus listening to Tim Minchin tonight I realised that I'm more in love with comedians than rock stars. If you were to ask me who my favourite band/musician is I'd be hard pressed to think of more than one or two. But ask me who my favourite comedian is and I'd immediately be able to rattle off a long list;
-Tim Minchin
- Ross Noble
- Carl Barron
- Adam Hills
- Wil Anderson
- Dave Hughes
- Robin Williams
- Jimoen
Etc etc etc

I would seriously consider leaving my husband if Tim Minchin told me he loved me. We'd be together until we were old & saggy. We'd have beautiful, ginger babies who'd be nerds, musically talented, geniuses, and would question everything (of course, most of that they'll get from Tim and not me... But we'd be equally responsible for the gingerness).

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. ~ Mccosh ~

READ

"1984" by George Orwell

"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

"Bones to Ashes" by Kathy Reichs

"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

"Cloudstreet" by Tim Winton

"Rides a Dread Legion" by Raymond E Feist

"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller

"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess - wow! Great, great book. Another book with interesting writing style but that just added to it's charm. I think the part that got to me most was the fact that his music was ruined for him! Don't know if I could live without music...

STILL TO READ

"The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche

"The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt

"Tokyo Cancelled" by Rana Dasgupta

"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson

"The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit" by Sean Hepburn Ferrer

"War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy

"A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy

"Dune" by Frank Herbert

"Monet & The Impressionists" by George T M Shackelford & Terence Maloon

"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey

TO BUY

"The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer

"The Beatles and Philosophy"

"The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff

"Derrida: writing and difference"

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

"Storm" (A 9min Beat Poem) by Tim Minchin

Saw him live last night and absolutely recommend you see him if you have a chance.

"STORM"

Inner North London, top floor flat
All white walls, white carpet, white cat,
Rice Paper partitions
Modern art and ambition
The host’s a physician,
Lovely bloke, has his own practice
His girlfriend’s an actress
An old mate from home
And they’re always great fun.
So to dinner we’ve come.

The 5th guest is an unknown,
The hosts have just thrown
Us together for a favour
because this girl’s just arrived from Australia
And has moved to North London
And she’s the sister of someone
Or has some connection.

As we make introductions
I’m struck by her beauty
She’s irrefutably fair
With dark eyes and dark hair
But as she sits
I admit I’m a little bit wary
because I notice the tip of the wing of a fairy
Tattooed on that popular area
Just above the derrière
And when she says “I’m Sagittarien”
I confess a pigeonhole starts to form
And is immediately filled with pigeon
When she says her name is Storm.

Chatter is initially bright and light hearted
But it’s not long before Storm gets started:
“You can’t know anything,
Knowledge is merely opinion”
She opines, over her Cabernet Sauvignon
Vis a vis
Some unhippily
Empirical comment by me

“Not a good start” I think
We’re only on pre-dinner drinks
And across the room, my wife
Widens her eyes
Silently begs me, Be Nice
A matrimonial warning
Not worth ignoring
So I resist the urge to ask Storm
Whether knowledge is so loose-weave
Of a morning
When deciding whether to leave
Her apartment by the front door
Or a window on the second floor.

The food is delicious and Storm,
Whilst avoiding all meat
Happily sits and eats
While the good doctor, slightly pissedly
Holds court on some anachronistic aspect of medical history
When Storm suddenly she insists
“But the human body is a mystery!
Science just falls in a hole
When it tries to explain the the nature of the soul.”

My hostess throws me a glance
She, like my wife, knows there’s a chance
That I’ll be off on one of my rants
But my lips are sealed.
I just want to enjoy my meal
And although Storm is starting to get my goat
I have no intention of rocking the boat,
Although it’s becoming a bit of a wrestle
Because - like her meteorological namesake -
Storm has no such concerns for our vessel:

“Pharmaceutical companies are the enemy
They promote drug dependency
At the cost of the natural remedies
That are all our bodies need
They are immoral and driven by greed.
Why take drugs
When herbs can solve it?
Why use chemicals
When homeopathic solvents
Can resolve it?
It’s time we all return-to-live
With natural medical alternatives.”

And try as hard as I like,
A small crack appears
In my diplomacy-dike.
“By definition”, I begin
“Alternative Medicine”, I continue
“Has either not been proved to work,
Or been proved not to work.
You know what they call “alternative medicine”
That’s been proved to work?
Medicine.”

“So you don’t believe
In ANY Natural remedies?”

“On the contrary actually:
Before we came to tea,
I took a natural remedy
Derived from the bark of a willow tree
A painkiller that’s virtually side-effect free
It’s got a weird name,
Darling, what was it again?
Masprin?
Basprin?
Asprin!
Which I paid about a buck for
Down at my local drugstore.

The debate briefly abates
As our hosts collects plates
but as they return with desserts
Storm pertly asserts,

“Shakespeare said it first:
There are more things in heaven and earth
Than exist in your philosophy…
Science is just how we’re trained to look at reality,
It can’t explain love or spirituality.
How does science explain psychics?
Auras; the afterlife; the power of prayer?”

I’m becoming aware
That I’m staring,
I’m like a rabbit suddenly trapped
In the blinding headlights of vacuous crap.
Maybe it’s the Hamlet she just misquothed
Or the eighth glass of wine I just quaffed
But my diplomacy dike groans
And the arsehole held back by its stones
Can be held back no more:

“Look , Storm, I don’t mean to bore you
But there’s no such thing as an aura!
Reading Auras is like reading minds
Or star-signs or tea-leaves or meridian lines
These people aren’t plying a skill,
They are either lying or mentally ill.
Same goes for those who claim to hear God’s demands
And Spiritual healers who think they have magic hands.

By the way,
Why is it OK
For people to pretend they can talk to the dead?
Is it not totally fucked in the head
Lying to some crying woman whose child has died
And telling her you’re in touch with the other side?
That’s just fundamentally sick
Do we need to clarify that there’s no such thing as a psychic?
What, are we fucking 2?
Do we actually think that Horton Heard a Who?
Do we still think that Santa brings us gifts?
That Michael Jackson hasn’t had facelifts?
Are we still so stunned by circus tricks
That we think that the dead would
Wanna talk to pricks
Like John Edwards?

Storm to her credit despite my derision
Keeps firing off clichés with startling precision
Like a sniper using bollocks for ammunition

“You’re so sure of your position
But you’re just closed-minded
I think you’ll find
Your faith in Science and Tests
Is just as blind
As the faith of any fundamentalist”

“Hm that’s a good point, let me think for a bit
Oh wait, my mistake, it’s absolute bullshit.
Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved.
If you show me
That, say, homeopathy works,
Then I will change my mind
I’ll spin on a fucking dime
I’ll be embarrassed as hell,
But I will run through the streets yelling
It’s a miracle! Take physics and bin it!
Water has memory!
And while it’s memory of a long lost drop of onion juice is Infinite
It somehow forgets all the poo it’s had in it!

You show me that it works and how it works
And when I’ve recovered from the shock
I will take a compass and carve Fancy That on the side of my cock.”

Everyones just staring at me now,
But I’m pretty pissed and I’ve dug this far down,
So I figure, in for penny, in for a pound:

“Life is full of mysteries, yeah
But there are answers out there
And they won’t be found
By people sitting around
Looking serious
And saying isn’t life mysterious?
Let’s sit here and hope
Let’s call up the fucking Pope
Let’s go watch Oprah
Interview Deepak Chopra

If you’re going to watch tele, you should watch Scooby Doo.
That show was so cool
because every time there’s a church with a ghoul
Or a ghost in a school
They looked beneath the mask and what was inside?
The fucking janitor or the dude who runs the waterslide.
Throughout history
Every mystery
EVER solved has turned out to be
Not Magic.

Does the idea that there might be truth
Frighten you?
Does the idea that one afternoon
On Wiki-fucking-pedia might enlighten you
Frighten you?
Does the notion that there may not be a supernatural
So blow your hippy noodle
That you would rather just stand in the fog
Of your inability to Google?

Isn’t this enough?
Just this world?
Just this beautiful, complex
Wonderfully unfathomable world?
How does it so fail to hold our attention
That we have to diminish it with the invention
Of cheap, man-made Myths and Monsters?
If you’re so into Shakespeare
Lend me your ear:
“To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw perfume on the violet… is just fucking silly”
Or something like that.
Or what about Satchmo?!
I see trees of Green,
Red roses too,
And fine, if you wish to
Glorify Krishna and Vishnu
In a post-colonial, condescending
Bottled-up and labeled kind of way
That’s ok.
But here’s what gives me a hard-on:
I am a tiny, insignificant, ignorant lump of carbon.
I have one life, and it is short
And unimportant…
But thanks to recent scientific advances
I get to live twice as long as my great great great great uncles and auntses.
Twice as long to live this life of mine
Twice as long to love this wife of mine
Twice as many years of friends and wine
Of sharing curries and getting shitty
With good-looking hippies
With fairies on their spines
And butterflies on their titties.

And if perchance I have offended
Think but this and all is mended:
We’d as well be 10 minutes back in time,
For all the chance you’ll change your mind

Monday, January 19, 2009

UPDATE:"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." Jorge Luis Borges

READ

"1984" by George Orwell
"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult -so sad! Will write a review when I have a chance
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling - read it in about an hour. Great fairy tales!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee - so good. Will also write a review when I have a chance
"Bones to Ashes" by Kathy Reichs - another good book by her. Same formula but always a great read.
"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy - the writing style takes a bit of getting used to but is absolutly fantastic! The way Roy describes things is amazing - in one of the reviews I read it says that she writes from the view of a child.
"Cloudstreet" by Tim Winton - great book! Interesting writing style but a fantastic storyline. Definitely one to read.
"Rides a Dread Legion" by Raymond E Feist - the newest book from this fantastic author. Fantastic as always but do not read unless you've read the 18 books in the series beforehand....

STILL TO READ

"The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
"The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt
"Tokyo Cancelled" by Rana Dasgupta
"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson
"The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
"Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit" by Sean Hepburn Ferrer
"War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
"A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy
"Dune" by Frank Herbert
"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller - halfway through. Lots of fun so far
"Monet & The Impressionists" by George T M Shackelford & Terence Maloon
"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins

Thursday, January 8, 2009

WE ARE THE DEAD…

A review of “Nineteen Eighty Four” by George Orwell.

I’m still unsure as to whether or not I actually enjoyed this book. Whilst the ideas and concepts spoke to me on an intellectual level, I found that I simply could not enjoy a book that was written almost in the form of a textbook. Indeed, part of it is actually a textbook – “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein. Nevertheless, the plot seemed to fill approximately a third of the book, whilst the rest was full of lectures about Ingsoc, the society of Oceania, socialism etc.

However, by the end of the book I still didn’t feel like I had learnt much more than what I already knew. The narrator says at one point, when Winston is reading “The Book”, that “the best books…are those that tell you what you what you know already.” I agree to a point; it is always great to see your thoughts written in a way that is “…more powerful, more systematic, less fear-ridden.” But I like to come away from a book with the feeling that I have learnt something. Even if it is just a piece of fiction that you read for fun, I normally feel like I’ve gained even a tiny piece of information that I didn’t know when I started reading.

Maybe I’m not as smart as I think I am, and most of the information went over my head. (I’m starting to think this more and more likely). Perhaps I just don’t know enough about socialism and totalitarianism to fully grasp the concepts, also very likely. However, I sometimes found it very hard to keep reading. At times I only did simply because I felt I should read this book.

When I first started reading “Nineteen Eighty Four” a few people around me started pondering how relevant or impactful it could be in today’s times, seeing as 1984 is already 25 years in the past. When the book was first released it was perceived in some circles as a prediction of what was to come. On the other hand, I feel it was meant more as a warning. As mentioned in the essay by Ben Pimlott at the start of my edition;

“… it is more than just a satirical attack, and much more than the product of febrile imagination. Though it contains a kind of warning, it is not prophecy… Neither is it much concerned with contemporary events. It is a book about the continuing present: an update on the human condition. What matters most is that it reminds us of so many things we usually avoid.”

And in this sense it is relevant to today. Simply ignore the date and focus on the society. Sure, if it was set in the 21st Century the technology may be different and Orwell may have focused on different aspects of the pre-Revolution society (note the significance of the top hats in the novel). But in all, the comments on the human condition will remain relevant as long as the human condition stays the same. A well known ideology is that of the end justifying the means. However, Orwell abolishes the end. The Party is revealed to have no end in mind; simply that “the object of power is power.” This philosophy will only ever work to demoralise society and keep the public in a state of suffering, which only serves the Party’s purpose further.

Also, it is evident in current times that aspects of “Nineteen Eighty Four” can be seen in modern society. Not only are some words in semi-regular use, such as Big Brother and Doublethink, but whilst reading you start to look around you with opened eyes. Would it be possible for “Big Brother” to be watching us now? Is the media merely propaganda that has no genuine basis in reality? Is it possible for records to be altered, so that we begin to doubt our own memory and begin to believe the altered record, simply because the majority does?

It is this last point that I am drawn to; it ties in with the concepts of postmodernism and absolute truth. If the “truth” only lies in the written and recorded accounts and in the memory, what happens when one, or both, is altered? If all records are altered and you must rely on your own memory, would you not begin to doubt the accuracy of your recollections? Then, this doubting would be multiplied if all of those around you believed the altered record. But then, on a small note this is already evident in society, and most likely has been since the start of any kind of recording of events.

Take, for example, a car crash; a red car and a blue car are involved in a t-bone accident. There are two witnesses and they both record their perceptions of the accident immediately after it occurred. Witness One writes that the red car ran a red light and was t-boned by the blue car as the blue car did not have the opportunity to serve and miss. Witness Two states that the blue car ran the red light and t-boned the red car, as the red car was unaware that the other car was approaching. Obviously, there are two “truths”. Yes, they may seem to be only perceptions; however to each witness they are definite memories and therefore truths in their minds. Now, imagine that Witness Two reads Witness One’s report. He begins to doubt and question his own memory of the accident – was the blue car really the one that ran the red light? Had he seen it wrong? Now, imagine that a separate entity wrote a report of the accident based on no genuine facts, which claims that the traffic lights failed and therefore neither car was at fault. This report is released to the general public and therefore assumed to be the factual account of the crash. The two witnesses will then be forced to further question their own reports, and may even become to believe the “general consensus” if particularly persuaded to.

Basically, if there was enough "evidence" to contradict your memories, who's to say you wouldn't believe them? Who couldn't read this book without thinking, "wow, I wonder if I would believe it?"

In conclusion, I think I have managed to use a bit of Doublethink in my own life (the act of simultaneously accepting as correct two mutually contradictory beliefs); I believe that "Nineteen Eighty Four" is a great concept & a classic book, but at the same time I found it be very boring to read.

Friday, January 2, 2009

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." Jorge Luis Borges

THE PILE OF BOOKS I HAVE TO READ:

"1984" by George Orwell (currently halfway through)
"Cloudstreet" by Tim Winton
"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult
"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
"The Tales of Beedle the Bart" by J.K. Rowling
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
"Bones to Ashes" by Kathy Reichs
"The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
"The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt
"Tokyo Cancelled" by Rana Dasgupta
"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson
"The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
"Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit" by Sean Hepburn Ferrer

I will let you know how they all go.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet....

What was good about 2008

Gaining a job that I actually enjoy and I think I can actually go places in

The world gaining two wonderful girls, Kaylee Anne & Lilly Ann.

Getting to meet said girls

Organising my work Christmas party and having it actually go well!

Gaining new friends

Reading great books

Oh and of course becoming Mrs Cassie Barlow

Linked in with above is organising my wedding and having absolutly nothing go wrong, I think it will always be the best event I've organised

What was bad about 2008

Getting fat(ter)... Looking forward to this changing in 2009

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

I may not agree with why you are doing what you do, but I will always admire your courage and never begrudge you the honour you deserve.

~~ Lest we forget ~~

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Further Zebra Thinkings

I have no idea what to think about the execution of the Bali Bombers.

On one hand, I hate the thought of taking a human life. To think that there could be so much more to these lives. Or the huge effect that their deaths would have on the people around them. Also, what happens if the law system was wrong? What happens if they did not really do it? I'm pretty sure there has been a few people that were hanged or electrocuted and then were cleared when DNA testing came in.

On the other hand, I have a bit of a connection with the Bali bombings. Nothing too great. I was in Kuta less than a month before the bombings. (I think it was around 2 weeks before) I went on a school trip with my mum as I was studying Indonesian at school. I got to talk with the people, go to a local market, visit the temples and spend a few nights in the wonderful hills of Ubud. The second Bali bombings took place at Jimbaran Bay - the beautiful beach where we had a very special dinner on one of our last nights. I was more traumitised by this then I was by September 11.

So sometimes I feel like the deaths of these men are warranted - they ruined that idyllic holiday island, took the lives of so many people, and ruined the tourism of Bali - the one thing the locals count on to survive.
But then, these men were people, human lives and who are we to decide that they no longer deserve to live? How can we punish their decision that others lives are worthless, by reacting in the same way???

It's times like this that I wish I did think in black and white.

Friday, November 7, 2008

round and round.....

Things that people do on buses that irritate me:

- don't give elderly or pregnant or disabled people a seat
- stand at the back doors which forces people to cram in down towards the front door - the driver then thinks the bus is full and won't let anyone else on even though there is space at the back.
- sit in the aisle seat. Then either put their bag on the window seat or stand up to let someone else sit at the window seat - Just move the fuck over!
- people who put their legs out into the aisle or sit only half in the chair. People do need to get past!
- school kids that sit in the seats and refuse to move for anyone else, whilst making a lot of noise whilst I'm trying to get a few extra minutes of sleep (this morning there was actually a whole group of school girls that stood up to let others sit down - but they then ruined the good gesture by standing at the back door)
- smell. Okay its said a lot but some people really do smell! Don't eat a lot of curry if you are not going to bathe!!!

Hmm....maybe I just get annoyed easily.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

And you can take or leave it if you please....

I caught the last 15mins of that terrible* episode of M*A*S*H last night - the one where Henry Blake is going home.

What is it about M*A*S*H ? What makes a show so great that just about every time you flick the channels and it is on, you will sit down and watch it? I have yet to hear someone say that they hate/loathe M*A*S*H. (correct me if I'm wrong)

There is one quote that I always remember from M*A*S*H;

"Hawkeye: War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.

Father Mulcahy: How do you figure, Hawkeye?

Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?

Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.

Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander. "

For some reason this conversation has always stuck with me...."There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. " Sums it all up pretty much doesn't it?

Hmm, I think I had more that I wanted to say on all this but my brain doesn't seem to be working. Oh well, what do you think?

Great version of Suicide is painless here: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/tv/mediaplayer/default.htm?clip=rtmp://cp44823.edgefcs.net/ondemand/flash/triplej/streams/tv/drones_suicide_lav.flv&title=The

Cartoon is by Vince O'Farrell found here:
http://www.caglepost.com/cartoon/Vince+OFarrell/1593/soldiers+mother.html

*terrible as in great (but still makes me cry every time)

Friday, October 17, 2008

Hear those sleigh bells ringing...

I hate thinking about Christmas this early but I'm going on a holiday in November so it needs to be organised now.

Basically, we have decided to have the family Christmas lunch at our house this year as it is our first Christmas as a married couple. So my immediate family and my husband's - looking at around 12- 15 people.

Problems:

our house is tiny! We have nowhere in the house that all those people can even sit together at the one time
we do not have a backyard - well there is technically a backyard but we do not have access to it. We are working with our landlord to resolve this.
working on the fact that we will have the backyard we have two marquee/tent thingies that we can put up - problem = backyard is mostly concrete
we do not have enough space to store cold/hot items and only have a tiny, really old stove
Hubby is a chef but doesn't want to spend all day preparing food and plating it (as we cannot plate it the day before due to storage issues)

I know it sounds like a lot of trouble but we would really like to do it.

Any ideas?

Monday, October 13, 2008

Where do they all belong?

Everyone has a story. Or in some cases, stories. But what happens when they are gone, and there is no one else to tell those stories??

My dad has already lived a pretty amazing life. He had travelled around the world before meeting my mum at the age of 30 and settling down and having kids. He's lived in England, Africa and New Zealand for a year at a time. I am still hearing of different jobs that he has had including an electrician, carpet layer and most recently ICEE man. He has thousands of stories to tell and, even though I sometimes get sick of hearing them, I think they should be told.

His uncle was a POW. The family didn't talk to him about it, thinking that he wouldn't want to talk about it. My father had the opportunity once or twice to discuss it with him, and now wishes he had more of a chance to do so, as he feels that his uncle needed someone to discuss it with. His was a story that definitely should have been told.

I often wonder what stories the people around me have. Walking through Martin Place I sometimes think, "where is that person going? Who are they meeting? What are they thinking?"

I like to go to airports and just people watch. And wonder. "Who are they meeting? Where are they going? Where has the person been that they are meeting?"

It's one reason that I feel sad when I see homeless people. They have stories, they have a reason (or cause) for being there. But no one will most likely ever know because they will almost always die alone. I have had an idea that I've been thinking of for ages. First of all it was just to collect stories written by ordinary people on different subjects. Eg. their experiences with love, or travelling etc. But then I thought it should be narrowed down a little, so I thought why not homeless people? They have every right to have their story told, and maybe even more so as they are unlikely to have anyone to remember them or their stories.

A saying that I often hear in the media when someone passes away is "They are survived by {wife, family etc}". I like that - I like to think that a memory of us is survived by our family and our loved ones, through our combined memories and the stories that we pass on.

** I'm not sure who this photo is originally by but I found it at http://buen-amigo.blogspot.com/2007/11/story-of-life.html **

Friday, October 10, 2008

For good times and bad times....

Why is it that with some friends you go for months, years even, without seeing each other, and then as soon as you catch up, it's like nothing has ever changed??

I grew up around the corner from one of my school friends (literally around the corner, no more than 2mins walk) and yet we hardly saw each other outside of school. Once school finished I would go 6 months without seeing her. But once we did finally meet up, it was like those months didn't exist.

There's none of that awkwardness that you sometimes have with accquaintances - you've chatted about how your job is going, yes the family is great, the weather is fantastic this time of year.... and then that awkward silence, as both participants try to think of something to say. Best of all, there is no guilt. No silent accusations..."why haven't you called me!?!" or even the subtly disguised accusations.." wow, it's been ages since we've caught up! Have you been really busy?"

Now that I've moved a couple of hours away from "home" it is even harder to catch up with friends. Recently I had lunch with a friend from school. I hadn't seen her for four years but she had spent the last year working a street away from me. Now, I know some people would be horrified to go a year without seeing their friend, especially when they are so close and it's so easy to meet up for lunch. But even when we did meet up, neither of us had an issue with it. Sure, we both missed catching up more often, but we took it as it was - a chance to gossip and chat over lunch. Nothing more nothing less.

I will be the first to admit that I don't have a lot of friends. My facebook account may say different but there are not many people that I would class as being my friend. I've finally been able to whittle it down from the ones that don't demand all of my time, and can understand if I'd rather spend a weekend bludging around the house with my husband than hitting the same club or bar every single weekend.

I feel blessed to finally have found those friends who will put up with me basically disappearing for months on end but who are still willing to meet for a chat and good food :)

Have fun :)

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Zebra Thinkings

I don't think there is any true "black & white situations".
For anything I always think it is possible that there is a situation that you can't just say "This is the only thing to do...this is the only way you can think about that."

Abortion for example. I think it is awful to extinguish any life however I do think that there is some situations where it would be necessary or better to do so.

Basically, I don't think I can have any absolute values or morals. I'm more of a case-by-case person. I agree (in theory) with values such as "it's wrong to kill, lie or steal" but I don't think I could ever not make an exception.

When I was studying postmodernism in English during high school one idea that really stuck out at me. The idea of "TRUTH" and there being no real truth. I think this pretty much explains it:

"Postmodernism is a reinterpretation of what knowledge is and what counts as knowledge. According to postmodernism there is no such thing as absolute truth. ‘Reality’, rather than being something that exists independent of the language or theories anyone may use to describe it, is something constructed or made-up by society. ‘Language’ creates reality, but since language changes and word meanings vary, what is ‘real’ for one group of people may be ‘unreal’ for another. Not only is all thought merely ‘socially and historically conditioned’, but even the very ‘laws of logic’ (identity, non-contradiction and the excluded middle) are ‘Western constructs’ which must not be taken as universally valid, and certainly cannot be imposed on people of other cultures."

http://www.webtruth.org/articles/cultural-issues-26/postmodernism-35.html

There is so much more to it but that really puts it succinctly.
So how does this tie in on my view of Abortion? Basically, if everything is "made up by society" then how do we know our values and how morals are "real"??? If I don't really know if a tree is actually a tree, how can I say if it is right or wrong to take another life?!?!

Hmmm, Postmodernism is interesting. I might blog a bit more on that later.

Have fun! :)