Humanity to Others

Booted Ubuntu from the LiveCD (was delivered free of charge all the way from the UK) and solved an XP problem that prevented my system from starting. I'm indebted to the folks at Bleeping Computers for the commands and stuff.

What I like about the Linux for Human Beings is that - not only is it free - it's built upon a source and bettered by contributors all over.

I can't say I'm totally switching over to it now since I'm with Windows since '95 and am used (or handicapped) to the environment but if I were to get a new computer, it'll be open-source; from the OS to essential programs!

Heads up

It's half past two in the morning and I have to say the weather's funny. It's scorching during the day and strangely cool at this time. Breezy every now and then. A model of a real desert maybe?

Since there isn't much to see along the horizon of my view, naturally one would look up. And that's what I did. What do I see? My favourite thing in sky - the stars. There were so many of them; some larger and brighter than the other and I stood by the balcony staring at them.

And then came a few wishes: that I'd photograph meteors on a dark cloudless night, climb atop a mountain to get an unobstructed 360-degree view and relive my first ever meteor encounter few years back. And I thought of blasting into space to look at them. Well, you'd excuse the last thought given the time now.

I don't own any star-worthy equipments so I snapped the lights on the air conditioning unit. Can't complain too much about the quality. I guess this is another random and impulsive urge to write something after getting all mellow from the stargazing session. What I had in mind is way too long for a mobile post.

Salve, Panthera tigris!

We feast as the tiger chases down the ox. It was a time of getting together and having good food. I'll refrain from using the word reunion since it wasn't as if everyone returned from a hundred miles off but rather, we're in constant contact albeit intermittently.

I sure hope that the new year will mean my work becomes easier and that I work swiftly although, I have to say, I don't believe in such stuff; much less feng shui and its many self-proclaimed experts. One thing I'd wish from the tiger is that it chases down people in and around the workplace and sink its teeth into their neck. That's for being selfish!

Funny how these people operate in a society, the word itself means many people. Guess the tiger will never change its stripes?

Life in Motion: TV Series

There's something magical, sometimes, about the piano; it's enrapturing if not somnorific...

I tried my best to see, hear, and feel each episode of the series "My Life in Retrospect". Each episode varies in duration; the shortest being about 5 minutes and the longest, well, the longest yet took roughly 30 minutes. There was no commercial and like many downloaded media, I have the freedom to pause before continuing.

I couldn't, and would never, tell if others share the same positive evaluation of My Life in Retrospect since CSI, Bones and the like could easily win over a large number of audience, possibly leaving me and a few others as the only "fan" of Life. Since I began following it, Life has many heartwarming stories as well as its share of despondency. After all, Life is life confined to the limits of what's possible in this world; nothing spectacular like Legion or Universal Soldiers, just an ordinary slice of life tale scripted from the mind of the writer.

Each episode usually begins with a piano piece and ends with the same; difference being the gist of the episode which would then determine the mood of the song. Sometimes it'd be Sunday Afternoon Waltz (Yiruma) and at other times, melodies like Kiss the Rain (Yiruma). I'd suggest that they be looked up on the net. Great melodies.

Hitherto, two memorable episodes of Life would be Ephemeral Joys of Childhood on the tale of the protagonist's growing up years through high school and another would be Regrets: I've Had A Few; which I believe the title is self-explanatory. Everyone could relate to the story of the growing up years; the shrills of gaiety and the smiles carved on a carefree toddler. Then the all too familiar life in high school packed with stories of mischief, punishment, puppy love, and friendship – all serve to build character and to add to the fascination of posterity when it’s retold in time to come.

Like many, the story of Regret is one with an ending that’s painfully honest: you can’t turn back time. For some lucky ones, they’re given a second and maybe, a third time to get it right. For others, they have only one shot and they’d have to live with it the rest of their life. Regrets come in many ways, it could be things not done when it should’ve been done. Either that or things which were done, and done wrong on hindsight. Guilt can, and does, bring a man down to his bed; head buried in his pillow and soaked it with tears.

I’ve mentioned, as if to add to the moment, the piano melodies (and sometimes pop songs) accompany the stories. I have to note, though, that screening of each episode is irregular.

Like a dream, I tried recapturing every moment of every episode and then replay them every now and then. But then again, it’s less surreal than a dream. It’s free from artificiality. It’s real. It’s reality. And instead of dreaming about them, I lived them. I laughed and I cried. When the music plays, tears are still streaming down my cheeks and the careless countenance of the sepia years are now more rugged and lined with the burdens of adulthood.

I’ve been there and done that. Cheers to the best part of teenage life. And to regrets, I’ll always remember.

Author: For those who have reached the end and still wonder what kind of television show Life is about, there's no such series. Ever.