The Hand

Shucks - did I just miss a week's post?
I have a good reason:

The insanity starts with the peers, spreads to the parents and then burns through the rest of the family like a wildfire - it truly is 'catching'. All with good intention & concern though!

At times like these, there's one party that I feel deserves to know my results immediately:

My teachers.

Through my years of education, I've always been lucky & blessed to have wonderful teachers. Some who take me under their wings, some who push me down so that I bounce back swinging for a grander finish. Irrespective, they've been valuable regarding the subject knowledge acquired and the personal character development they were responsible for.

Oddly enough, my respect for them ended up being translated as behaviour typical of a 'teacher's pet' or 'goody-goody-two-shoes' (even earning me the nickname 'GG' courtesy of a close friend) - much to my disappointment. My reluctance to resort to my usual levels of weirdness/craziness in front of teachers doesn't mean that I intend to put on a facade of good behaviour to score 'brownie points'. On the contrary, I tone down the weirdness/craziness simply because I respect their age and knowledge and believe that they shouldn't have to put up with it just to get a lesson across. Why on Earth would I want to jeopardize my shot at getting smarter?

My friends on the other hand? Tough luck :P

If I think about it now, more than anything, it's the teachers I miss from the past 12 years of school. Classes where a teacher would ramble on about a tale and completely forget what she'd left on the board, others where a comment would cause muffled laughter from the students, some where a teacher's praise would leave a student fraught with embarrassment (I know this too well) and a top-notch 'douchebag' in a peer's eyes.
I've had awesome teachers that would take learning beyond the classroom, go the extra mile and even attempt life lessons, albeit allegorically. I've even had a biology teacher that allowed rats to be dissected just because interest was expressed at thought (the syllabus didn't call for it), who would become one of the teachers I go to with extra information - simply because when a teacher piques my curiosity, I end up doing research and getting back to them with some pretty great stuff.

This wouldn't be complete if I failed to mention the other teachers who've helped me achieve my academic goals. Ones who specialize in their subject and devote themselves to prepping kids much after hours. The dedication and sincerity that they possess is unrivaled, and the confidence they instill in you with their faith in your abilities is unparalleled. It may seem a tad too much to a few, but to those who know what I mean - you know this to be true.

After all, when it comes to a teacher, I've noticed they always see the best in a student irrespective of the flaws or behavioural issues - I find that to be a rare trait indeed. All they look for is respect, interest and initiative.

Give them that, and they'll ensure you skate on Saturn's rings.

The Elders

This year, like every year, I once again found myself spending more time with my elders than with my cousins or a peer-group of a similar age. There is a wisdom, a sure-but-solemn truth that exists within them and unspoken knowledge that resides amidst them.

It brings to mind an evening spent with an 84 year old gentleman, an old colleague of my grand-aunt's. He always comes over when I drop by B'lore - and I cherish each little session that we get to have. His observations and theories on the human mind, social structures and the crossover between science & spirituality are one of the finest I've come across so far - ones that have been personally recounted to me.
It's all like clockwork - he invites himself over, walks over to the sofa, leaves his walking stick at the side and begins by asking me about the changes that have taken place since our last meeting - and then states what seems obvious to him. It's a part that never fails to surprise me - he always manages to catch something I wasn't aware of or something that I assumed wasn't too obvious.
Irrespective of the duration (which usually stretches over two hours), I'm always left a little wiser than when I started - and a little more hungry for the vast expanse of knowledge (spread over a wide range of disciplines) that's out there.

It isn't just him - it's the rest of my elders as well - each one of them have something valuable to say about some aspect of my growing up and perception of things - viewpoints I couldn't have hoped to gain from my peers or parents. Some recounted in a cryptic form, others as stories and even more as little anecdotes that you might miss if you happen to get distracted at the wrong time. Some spout the wealth of wisdom they have - others are slightly more hushed about it. No matter how old they get, they can never fail to amaze.

Another mention I must make is about my great-grand-aunt - an incredible woman with willpower that would put so many to shame. Who would expect that an elderly woman who can barely walk and whose eyesight is failing her could still have such fine tuned mental faculties and formidable recall? Her memory truly intrigues me - she manages to remember so much - some things that have happened more than 40 to 50 years ago - with such accuracy. She manages to identify us even though we may only come by once a year - and she remembers our personalities, likes and dislikes. She relies on nobody and is in possession of such a beautiful command of the English language, that I could only hope to have such a skill once I reach her age.

It is beautiful. Nothing short of it. Any elder, no matter however seemingly 'boring', 'out-of-trend' or 'annoying' has a story - one that would involve some sort of struggle, adventure or accomplishment - something that could potentially blow your mind. They could've been rebels at their age, done awesome things and taken colossal risks. After an eventful life and ending up with a family, ending up with you, all they could ever want would be to sit down with you and tell you about their lives - not to bore you, but to inspire you, to make you think, to give you the little bit of character and spirit that they choose to give to you. After all, what more could give them happiness than to see you facing the world head on and achieving your dreams without regret?

A common thing I've heard is about elders being 'grouchy', 'obstinate' or 'moody'. Honestly? Please stop your whining and grow a sense of patience. You can't even begin to imagine the changes they've faced in their lifetime. Try to visualise it. They grew up without smartphones, televisions, many gadgets and of course the internet. Scientific progress was progressing at its own rate. There were so many things that were believed to be right - but proven wrong as time went on. We read about what they lived through. Some of our recent history is what they knew as a part of daily life. Do this - imagine for a second that every single thing you knew was suddenly challenged, some even considered fallacies. Imagine the places you love to hangout at, or know well, completely transformed and altered. Is it any wonder at all that they try to cling to what they see as normal? Normalcy is purely subjective - what maybe normal for me, may not entirely be normal for you (actually that is true in my case - weird is my status quo!). So, the very fact that they've managed to do what they've done is commendable enough.
    

Give them time, give them love and give them respect.
It is enough.

On Entrances

Right after the boards were through, I hopped upon a plane and decided to spend some much required time with the folks back home :) Given that I just got back a week ago, I'm trying to see whether I can post more often than before!

As the hours turn into days, days into weeks and weeks into months - I see my friends tackle the entrance exams required to get into their desired university courses, with significantly huge number trying out for the two majors any Indian would be familiar with (usually because it has been presented to us a lot): Engineering and Medicine

Now while every major/course has its own difficulties and of course, mad competition (Let's not forget Law - which also requires a great deal of commitment and long hours of study - made blatantly obvious to me), Engineering and Medicine happen to be the two that seniors or elders use to frighten you into studying your head off - the long hours, the difficult papers, the heavy portion (Three cheers! *gets hit with a book*) and the intense competition. If you're lucky, you graduate with the satisfaction of a job well done, sincerely or 'half-assedly', and then realize it won't do you any good without your post-grad qualifications. (Like most subjects/courses these days)

I see a lot of people attempt entrances in order to get seats in the universities they vie for. Many work hard, pore over papers, attend classes and write mocks - all necessary to single themselves out as part of the 'creme de la creme' of the pool of students appearing for those competitive exams - but there shall always remain that difference between the student who loves the subject they want to take and the one that was forced into it.

Given how far we've come in education - and how many different, exciting fields are introduced each year, I really hope that the latter isn't around due to someone's narrow-mindedness on the issue. It's a fallacy in itself.

If you're passionate about something, you'll keep at it.

 If you're passionate about something, you won't give up on it. 

But most importantly, if you're passionate about something, nothing will stop you from being the best you can be at it.

I maybe mistaken, but that sounds like success to me.

So what am I after? Engineering or Medicine?
You'd think that after putting myself through two years of near-craziness at the hands of Science, I'd be inclined towards one of their subjects, seeing as I'm already in the boat...

Sorry to disappoint.

So why not Engineering?

Given my love-hate relationship with Math and mixed feelings of fascination & frustration (fascitration?) for Physics.....

What about Medicine?

I did consider it at one point of time - but once you find something that fascinates you more than Medicine (I say this because I adore Biology), you wouldn't want to be studying it while thinking about another field of study you could've taken but didn't. It's like cheating on the subject - you just get overwhelmed by the frustration & regret. (Apparently Medicine has that a lot too, if Grey's Anatomy got anything accurate :P)


So just do what you love, and love what you do! ;)

And to everyone writing their entrances: Godspeed and may the force be with you ;)

Joseph Montgomery

Dear sweet Joseph Montgomery :D
Many of you would know him by a simpler name, Joey.

So who is this mysterious character? Where has he come from? And this time there is no third question to answer - I still remember the whole 'Dan incident' *sigh* *facepalm*.

But what makes Joey so very special?

Before I continue, I'd like to introduce - without much ado - 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Joey the Litchi tree.

If my sanity was a case at court - this would help the prosecution.

Earlier this January whilst I was practicing my conversions and 'Unknown compound' questions (Chemistry), Mum brought me a bowl of litchis. So as one hand casually popped them in my mouth and the other kept scribbling hexagons, I ended up with a page full of conversions and a bowl full of litchi seeds. Right on top of that pile of seeds lay one particular seed - and given my spontaneous nature, I plucked it from the bowl, washed it with water and Dettol handwash (For reasons still beyond my comprehension) and dried it on a kitchen towel. After rummaging around in the store closet, I ended up with a tiny pot full of soil and a larger ceramic pot sitting on my desk. 

I have no green thumb and hence no idea how I'm ideally supposed to go about this, so I pushed the seed in, watered it and put a blank tag on it. The name was given after a lot of mulling over by my unconscious - so that's another story in itself.

Right now Joey's over a month old - and funnily enough, his transition from sprout to what you see right now just took place over the course of the last two weeks.

There truly is something beautiful about watching something grow.

So as of now, Joey is my pet Litchi tree and my photosynthetic confidant. If things go well, he should be a young tree by the time I get my degree. That would be wonderful to see!

Anywho - 'tis less than two weeks to the Boards - my prime concern at this point of my life. The repeated revisions are under way and hopefully things shall go well for me, Joey and my batch mates.

Back to studies then...cheers!   

Au Revoir '12!

The end of the year already?

Gosh, time really has no intention of speeding up, does it?

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was mulling over the stream choices in my head, sitting with my science textbook (The three sciences in ONE textbook? What sorcery is this?!!) next to me and the stream options in my hand. Was the radio playing? I think it was...

Do I ever regret taking the science stream? I get asked this question a lot.

While there isn't a doubt that I would have been exceptionally good in the subjects my school offers for the Arts stream, there is no denying that I've always loved Science, all the three core sciences - Physics (gasp!), Chemistry and Biology with varying intensities and in my own way.

I still remember how lightning and thunder used to frighten me as a little girl, especially in India. One night in Bangalore, the weather was especially bad and sleep stayed as far away as possible from me. Curled up in my blanket, with my eyes wide in a soon-to-be-realized-as-an-irrational fear, I voiced my concerns with the weather out loud. My older cousin brother came to my rescue - and started telling me about what lightning and thunder was. About the charge differences and composition of clouds, about the speeds of light and sound - all this seemed fantastic to a little girl who just began grasping the concept of matter. By the time he started explaining the structure of the atom, complete with the nucleus, electrons, subatomic particles such as leptons, gluons and quarks, my fears had been quelled and I drifted of into a restful slumber - with the rain lashing against the window pane.

Chemistry? Many of my friends could vouch for the fascination I have for organic chemistry and Benzene rings...

I mean, come on! They're the very definition of AWESOME:

Benzene

 

 

And of course who could forget coordination compounds and complexes?

To my fellow science students: that's an EDTA chelate ;) Beautiful, isn't it?




Biology - words cannot describe my fascination with living things and the intricacies of the processes that keep us alive.
That dissection of the white rat we did in Grade 11 - I love it not for the gore and horror but simply for the way everything fit into the little rodent's body.

To my fellow Bio students, and a few of my friends who could see him: Felix :)



I can't ever regret taking the Science stream.
Never.
My marks may not have been the best - but the knowledge I've gained and the comprehension of my surroundings that I now have? It's invaluable.

The choice has given me an incredible bunch of experiences and opportunities, some that I can't even imagine my life without.

So as the year comes to its impending (and dramatic - 2012!) close, and as the boards loom ever closer...

I bid you, 2012, a fond farewell. This year has been amazing - a metamorphosis at its end and a beginning in the horizon.

I choose to end with two lines from a poem I wrote:

                                          "A little belief works in mysterious ways
                                      Pushing, persevering for the hope of better days."

Imagine That

'I was born smart, education ruined me' - is just one of the examples of those little tongue-in-cheek quotes a person would find on the internet.

Now, it's true that a person is born with a few impressive skill sets, but one can't help but accept the fact that we'd really be nowhere without a good education - whether from a private school, public school or the 'school of hard knocks' - we all learn things that take us along our lives, helping us to cope with, handle and understand the multitudes of situations we constantly face.

And while the sciences, mathematics, languages, social sciences, et cetera are covered on all bases, you can't really hope for a home run without your imagination intact - to get you that extra mile. I still believe that it really takes an almost perfect education system to combine the depth and diversity of subjects but still manage them in  such a way that imagination is not lost among the students. It's sad to see that a person who had creativity lost it over the years. While there are some who hold on fiercely to a talent and allocate time to improving it - what about the people who don't or can't? Worse yet, what about the people who might never know whether they had a talent, only to find it years later: a time when they say it isn't too late, it's never too late, but you'd know it is.
There are situations which symbolize the epitome of ineffable for me. When I ask a person to simply imagine a situation, and their response is one of a blank stare - the only animation being the confused blinking I receive a short while later. While I could see what I just mentioned as clear as day in my head - they couldn't even begin to understand the simplest features of what I talk about. It reaches a new level when they try to apply logical parameters to it....this is imagination, logic has no place in it.

Our imaginations are our own personal paracosms, ones we create as children. We believe we leave them for a much more real world as we grow older...truth is we never do.

Question Everything

I've really fallen behind, haven't I?

Now I could say "Gosh darnit, it's 12th! Don't expect me to write blog-posts!", but I won't say that - it'd be a bit out of character - truth be told, I've kept writing but I don't get a hold of the laptop a lot - even in he summer break...would you believe it? E-mails are handled by my ever-present electronic sidekick - my mobile - and so are chats, IM's and the whole lot.

I honestly can't wait for April '13 - Those beautiful halcyon days when my current state will be a distant memory and I can start working on my ever-growing list of things to do..and there are the books...

...but let's come back to reality now.

Apart from being the first day of what will be the first of 7 tumultuous months [huzzah!], today was special for two reasons, both of which pertain to my life ~12 years ago - two people that I recall from then - my Montessori teacher - and one of my first close friends, N.

Today's  N's birthday :) - And if you do read this, I'm over-the-moon enthralled that we've caught up - better late than never right?

My Montessori teacher - I met her today - it was a bit surreal, the last time I saw her, I was half her height...the situation reversed itself this time! It was wonderful to have a talk with her - and it was during this talk that the topic of today's post came up - 
Education - or rather a student's perception of it.

It was when she told me about how they tackle learning at those formative years that I thought about education - rather my education and how people around me responded to it. It seems that after nearly 12 years in the same system, people seem to lose their curiosity if they aren't careful. What needs to be studied needs to go in...forget the excitement - the textbooks themselves are bland to the sight. What we really need is a change in the way students perceive education - and it isn't impossible. We just need to get people interested in what they learn, make them - as Discovery Science would always say - 'Question Everything.'

The question isn't 'When' [ does this get over? ] it needs to be 'Why' [ is this happening? ] or 'How' [is that possible?]. People need to stop being passive about learning and more pro-active about it. Don't just listen to what teachers say, think about it simultaneously as well. That's where those great questions come from. Learning needs to be more 'hands-on' as my teacher said...it's practically the only way people will ever learn for life. Get flashcards, animations, charts, graphs - heck, bring an army of animators and designers into the field of education, so that people can see what they learn - so that they can envision it - so that it isn't just all theory. And always answer questions - even if you think that the inquisitive one may not just be ready for it - human beings can surprise you - kids most of all.

Here I bring in an anecdote my teacher told me:
She watched a little preschooler play with his water bottle out in the yard. After a while, the child came up to her and asked he if she'd like to see a 'magic trick', she replied with an affirmative. The child then proceeded to place his bottle over his ID card and kept moving it towards and away from it. He then exclaimed "Look! It keeps getting bigger and smaller! It's magic!"
This little kid had just stumbled upon refraction.

It's going to take a huge revolution in the field of education to change things - and even more effort to convince orthodox and obstinate minds - but one day, it could be possible.

Hopefully.

Reminiscences

 That was the theme based on which I had to write a short story for the Talent Day Contest at school this academic year. I ended up winning 2nd place for my piece:

The Long Way 

 Melanie Beckett walked through the glass doors that led to her school. She had a solemn look on her face. It had been two weeks since her close friend Siwon moved away to Canada, and she was finding it hard to concentrate on anything else other than the undeniable void that was present in the school. Every part of the hallways & classrooms held a deep sentimental value for Melanie; laughter lost, they always reminded her of an incident with Siwon by her side. One might think that such memories would continuously upset her, but they did quite the opposite; they were her escape from reality. Like walking dreams, they’d come to life before her eyes & give her the comfort that she had that memory to hold onto.

Today, she decided that she would take the long route to her classroom. School was due to close within a week, so teachers wouldn’t be doing much. As she passed by a hallway, she noticed a patch of wall with a dull silver coat of spray paint…

“Come on Siwon! We need to get the charts done!” announced a worried Melanie. There she was on tenterhooks while Siwon casually strolled down the hallways, a classic epitome of calm. “I’m right here!” replied Siwon as she bent down to pick up a bottle of spray paint, “Now how does this work?”
“Let me take a look at the instructions” said Melanie, stretching her arm out. “No, I’ve got it.” replied Siwon and pressed down on the can. There was the sound of a spray, but there was no paint on the chart. Melanie checked her uniform – no paint. She then turned around to see that Siwon had sprayed her own shirt; inevitably getting some on the wall. Melanie stood there with a hand on her head while Siwon burst out laughing at herself…

Melanie’s brief departure into her thoughts was disturbed by a hall monitor, who urged her to get to class. Melanie continued to her classroom, shaking her head, her lips curving into a smile. She reached the staircase which led up to the first floor. The same staircase which was the site of many incidents; one standing apart from the rest…

Melanie & Siwon were both late to leave class, the rest of the section had assembled in the courtyard and would leave for the field trip shortly. They were running as fast as they could go, and reached the top of the flight of stairs, Melanie ran down, while Siwon took a leap in order to skip a few stairs. It was evident that a miscalculation took place when she landed on top of Melanie and they both tumbled down the flight of stairs, Siwon landing head first and Melanie sitting dazed at the bottom of the stairs. She looked up to find Siwon, hair messed up, tie askew, but with a big grin plastered on her face. She was laughing too hard to be upset with her…

Melanie started climbing the stairs, her hand passing over the hand rail. At the top of the stairs, she felt the dent in the hand rail, the same one put in by Siwon when she tried to see whether her thermos flask could dent it – and succeeded.
Then she passed by the water fountain, the one place Siwon would run to if she was in the middle of pursuit. She was infamous for drenching anyone who came in contact with her when she was being chased or when she was pursuing someone. She then passed by the washroom, the background for all the nasty dares, deep secrets and untold incidents that went on between them. The one place Melanie knew she could find Siwon if something went wrong. Melanie passed by her old class; the one room that held a deep meaning for her, as it was where she first met Siwon…

It was the day of the inter-house sport competition; Melanie walked into class to get her bag when she walked straight into a girl. She stepped back, rubbing her head and apologized to the girl. The girl responded by laughing and mentioning that she didn’t mind. She added that she was accident prone and enjoyed the fact that she was. Melanie took an instinctive liking to this girl and asked her what her name was. She replied by saying that it was Siwon.

Melanie kept walking down the hallway, coming to a halt in the passage that separated the rest of the school from the senior-most grades. A junior bumped into Melanie and apologized but she was lost in her thoughts again…

October the twelfth, she remembered the day crystal clear. Siwon had brought her to the same passage. Melanie was all smiles, but they vanished when she saw the sombre expression on Siwon’s face. She looked down, avoiding Melanie’s eyes, and slowly told her that she would be leaving school and migrating to Canada. She added that she wanted to tell Melanie the last because she felt horrible about leaving and knew that it would leave Melanie deeply hurt. It did. Melanie walked down to the bottom of the stairs, leaving Siwon in the passage, and buried her face in her hands. She didn’t want to let people see that she was crying. Of all the happy memories the school contained, of all the misadventures & follies that took place, this memory was in a league of its own. One that she had to relive every time she walked to class. Though, looking at the totality of things, it was just one unpleasant memory amidst a sea of pleasant memories. When Melanie walked into class, she didn’t see the monitor delivering a harsh harangue to one of the students, nor did she see the drama club practicing in the corner of the class. All she saw and all she heard were her memories, memories of the last few weeks spent with Siwon. Melanie was well aware of the fact that it would take a while to get used to school life without a good friend by her side and that maybe eventually; she might find a friend as engaging as Siwon was. But nothing could replace the friend she had physically lost or erase the memories she had with her. After all, what is a person without their own memories?

This piece's inspiration was drawn mainly from a friend of mine that had to leave abroad, it was quite sudden - one might say. Despite this, the story is meant for all my friends who not only left school, but went abroad.

Too many, too soon.

I miss you guys.

Riding 'round

Today's blog post is brought to you by studies - "We won't let you reach your stress busters".

I do love irony in it's many and continuously morphing forms. Though it is a tad bit annoying when you become the subject of said irony.

Such a case is the fact that I've never really used Dubai's Metro system until a month (or so) back. [While we're on this topic, I'm quite oblivious to some facts about the city that most enthusiastic tourists would happily let you know about. I also fare poorly in directions. By a whole new level.]

Back to the topic at hand, this wasn't my first experience on a metro/monorail system.
Flashback to '02. Singapore.
This was my first experience. My bro took me around and showed me how it worked. And I was left enthralled in fascination. Who could blame me? I was a kid on a rail system - that wasn't anything close to a train in India [Chooka-chooka-wooh-wooh]. 
The days that followed had me indulging in Singapore's cuisine and it's McDonald's variation. Watching 'Hi5' and playing Beyblade with my cousins...those were the days.

Next:'06. London.
My next experience was getting LOST in the London Underground. If it wasn't for two locals who happily handed us a map of the place, we would probably have ended up in some remote area hopelessly and utterly confused. 
[This, again, was caused because nobody wants to listen to the logic of the kid. Why not? Let's ignore the fact that it makes sense.]
We did however reach our destination - in the rain - and enjoyed a warm mushroom pastry.


On a side note, if you ever do go to London, the Bagels are AMAZING. I kid you not. Especially the ones at the airport. 


Next: '08. Japan.
Took a trip from Tokyo to Kyoto via the Shinkansen. Wow. Nothing's quite beaten that ride. You don't hear anything, nor do you feel anything. It's akin to walking into a room and taking a seat on a set of sofas/seats. It's like you're stationary - until you look out of the window and see the landscape whizzing by at a startling speed. A blurry Mt. Fuji also looks interesting one might say.
The timing is impeccable. Down to the very second.


On another side note: We indulged in a few local Bento boxes during the ~2 hour ride. These are picked up from the station and are quite delectable - at least for me - including the 'sticky rice'. Fair warning: Only for those with an adventurous palate.
For those who want to start of slow and mellow, there's always the wonderful dishes made found near - even at - temples. The 'Dango' and 'Udon noodle soup' with that lovely fried tofu on top is heaven :) [And for Vegetarians, the two dishes I mentioned are suited to your dietary restrictions. Bento boxes are offered in Veggie options - but I haven't tried that.] These are always served with a side of green tchai.
McDonald's [Macadonardo in Japan] also have interesting variants in the menu.


So, after much digression, let me get to Dubai's metro. 
It's quite crowded, 'aint it? But it's quite nice. Convenient, and the timing 'aint half bad either. The layouts of the stations (interior wise) seem well thought out.
So, yes, it does go well with the bars that previous metro's and stations have set.


Where's my NOL card?

Desensitisation

First off, Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!

As we all know, the winter break is, or was, upon us. So, the day before yesterday my Dad called me to come and watch a movie with him.

Why not? It's not like I'd choose sitting with the same subject that I was with for the past two hours over that.

So I joined Dad and watched "Saving Private Ryan".
Fair warning, for those of you only acclimatised to 'chick flicks' and such, this movie is not for you.
I however, do enjoy movies of the action / thriller genres and such and since the title didn't quite betray much [Here, I thought it might be one on PTSD] I presumed quite a lot.

As usual, presumption pulled a rug from under my feet for this one too.
"Saving Private Ryan" is a war movie. And it takes gore to a level way above a bare minimum. 
But it wasn't all this that evoked a blog post. It was the fact that I didn't seem the least bit horrified by people getting shot, massacred or even being blown apart. Even places where my own parents would've cringed, I kept a straight, maybe even slightly amused, expression - to my own disbelief.

It would seem that years of watching movies with such scenes [I remember watching "Die Another Day" when I was in 2nd grade] I have become desensitised to violence of the projectile weapon persuasion. In this day and age, even acknowledging the amount of violence in video games, I couldn't be the only one in this unnatural predicament.

It reminds me of another incident where my little brother was gaming. He bounded up to me in all happiness to show me "how cool" shooting people was. I'd expect as much from a guy in the late teens...but a kid who just finished primary?! This evoked a stern lecture from me on why he shouldn't find that the least bit amusing. Consider it a pre-requisite for passing a level - but nothing more. Contemplating the number of kids that might come to the same conclusion, we really DON'T need a generation full of trigger happy morons that glorify violence and run around with the idea that they suddenly wield power over life and death.
 [Here, I imagine a person running through a mall shooting people and abruptly shouting "Where's my unlocked achievement?!" - But I digress]

All in all, while I think it's great that people should understand that life has it's thorns along with the roses, I think there should be a common understanding that there is an age for it all. I can comprehend that all the violence going on is nothing but wrong - but what about the people who can't?


Also, I want to say that "Saving Private Ryan" is quite a wonderful movie because of its characters and storyline. With 5 Academy Awards, a director like Steven Spielberg and actors such as Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, it definitely is one for movie buffs.