This is how you kill passion...
You bastards.

Staying Informed

I just got back from a dinner-chat session with a fellow Pinay who lives in the same apartment building as me. And during the course of the evening, we got to talking about Japan and World War II, which eventually led to the United States and Bush, and Blair and China and all that.

And all the discussion got me to thinking that maybe I've been avoiding reading news and current events too much. I think I stopped reading the newspapers maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Only the occasional Internet news links would make it to my reading list.

But that somewhat lively discussion with my friend this evening made me realize how much I've been shielding myself from all that's happening in the world. There's so much transpiring all around me right now that I'm not even aware of. And the degree to which I've successfully implemented a "news blackout" on myself... it somewhat alarmed me today haha.

So I'm thinking.. okay... I should really make an effort to read at least some current events from now on. It wouldn't hurt to keep pace with world events, esp. when everything seems already well down the path toward going global. It wouldn't hurt to keep myself informed. It would be less alarming for me, at the least hehe.

Geeking before Work

Yes, I'm supposed to be getting ready for work right now. And yes, I'm doing just exactly the opposite of that. I'm sitting here in front of my laptop, blogging. The issues I have to deal with today are turning themselves around in my head. I guess I'm just trying to gather up the momentum to surge ahead through my today and deal with all of them.

Anyway, some inane blabbering before I sign off. Has anyone heard of the Standard theory? I've heard it described as the most accurate/precise scientific theory around. Being described thus, I wonder why I never learned of it in any of my science classes. The theory seeks to understand the concept of mass... why photons are virtually massless but neutrons and protons are so heavy. It presents the concept of the Higgs field, which is made up of Higgs bosons, to explain the why's and how's of mass. I won't explain it here anymore cause I don't feel I know enough to be able to tell you about it clearly.

But really, it puzzles me why I just heard about this theory yesterday. It's one of the more fundamental theories, isn't it?

Haha... okay.. no, I'm not drunk. I'm just writing down one of the things wandering around in my head. Anyway, okay, time to get ready for work..

Wanting Miyazaki

It being one of those rare days I got to leave the office early, I took the time to do some quick window-shopping. And I came upon this shop in Landmark, which I hadn't seen before. Upfront it looked like it sold toys and stuff for little children. But to my delight I found that it carried various and numerous Ghibli paraphernalia... from Totoro furoshikis, puzzles, key chains, bento bags, pendulum wall clocks, towels, bedroom slippers,... to delicate Totoro tea cups, that famous Laputa necklace, glow-in-the-dark Kodamas, Kiki wind chimes, Ghibli art books, everything!

The art books especially reminded me of the wonderful times I had watching Miyazaki's creations. Crying while watching Nausicaa of the Valley of the Lost, caught in the whirlwind adventures in The Return of the Cat, spellbound by the Oscar award-winning movie, Sprited Away, enchanted by the simple happiness felt while watching My Neighbor Totoro, and caught in the magic of Howl's Moving Castle.

I also realized, however, that I'd forgotten some of the parts from Miyazaki's movies; can't remember anymore how some of the storylines went.

So now I'm feeling the want to experience all the Miyazaki goodness again. Gimme Totoro, Laputa, Mimi wo Sumaseba... Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Return of the Cat! I wanna watch them all again! (^_^)