The New Millenium

Its been a decade since we took that first sigh of relief after finding out that Y2K wasn't going to bring about the end of the world and a nuclear holocaust, and now we get to look back at the past ten years and see how far we've come. What will we think of when the new millenium comes to mind? What will be the most memorable things of this decade? How will we think of this decade? Will we remember it as a time of fun and enjoyment, or as a decade of misery and paranoia? The way I see it is that the first decade of the new millenium was a contradictory decade that truly was the best of times, and the worst of times. It was the age that technology boomed from slow dial-up at the beginning of the decade to facebook and youtube at the end. It was the age that entertainment ranged across a wide spectrum from new reality shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and American Idol to dramas like Lost, Heroes, and The Sopranos. It was the age of political scandals like Abu Ghraib or "Libbygate", but also the age of inspiring politicians like President Barack Obama. As ABBA said in their song Happy New Year "Its the end of a decade in another ten years' time, who can say what we'll find, what lies waiting down the line?". So, I wish all of my readers a very happy new year.

Avatar

I strongly advise you all to NOT go see Avatar. It was a very crappy movie that needed a lot of graphics, special effects, and action scenes to cover up the fact that it was a horrible movie.

Priortizing In The Obama Presidency

The day 20 January 2009 was truly an historical day for America. It was the first time that a man of colour was inaugurated to the highest political office in the country and what is arguably the most powerful position in the world. After leading a campaign built on the promise of hope and change, while saying we would get a new healthcare system, gay rights, our troops out of Iraq, etc., we were finally able to see what would happen with him in office. Fast forward to a little less than a year later: we're still in deep shit. But in all honesty, what were people expecting? Did they think that he would be able to fix everything overnight? Did they think that just because he became president, the economy would bounce back out of nowhere? Its not only very stupid, but also very naïve to believe something as ridiculous as that. President Obama inherited a country in dissaray, a country that did not get there overnight, but had been going down that slippery slope since the era of "Reagenomics". But, he hasn't done a lot to help us, either. Since taking office, he has tried too many diplomatic missions over-seas. While it is admirable for him to try building up relations with Iran and Russia, he must learn to prioritize. What should be done first, fixing the national economy, or trying to make it look like there was a reason why you got the Nobel Peace Prize? President Obama's presidency not only shows how democrats are unable to prioritize in terms of policy making, but also just how weak democrats are when it comes to passing legislation. A prime example of this: healthcare reform. The democrats have a majority in the senate, and a democrat in the Oval Office, but after starting in August on it, they have just now passed something that looks like a watered-down version of universal healthcare. So, after four months, the best you could do is pass something that's just close to what you and the majority of the senate (as well as an overwhelming number of people) want to pass? Tell me, is that NOT the definition of ridiculous? While I do support President Obama and his policies (well, at least the ones he would like to pass), I do not support the inefficiency of the senate or his lack of prioritizing in terms of what to do for the country.

Memories

Today, I volunteered at the hospital my nana works at, Mary Washington Hospital. My nana has been working there since 1987, so naturally, for all of my life she has been working at that hospital as an executive assistant to a high-level figure in the company that runs it (Medicorp). When I was younger, my dad and I would frequently visit my nana while she was working and we would have lunch together in the cafeteria. I would always speak to her friends and co-workers and got to know some of them very well. Needless to say, a lot of memories were made at that hospital. But some weren't as pleasant. In late July of 2009, my great-nana had a stomach virus. When I heard this, I thought this would pass quickly and she would be ok, even though she was in the hospital. The day after she had been admitted into the hospital, my parents and I were going to stop by and see how she was doing before going to IKEA to buy a new dresser for my room. When I saw her, she was in a very bad condition. It was also the last time I'd see her coherent. The next day as we were driving to visit her, she had a respiratory attack. To this day, I don't know what it means, and I don't think I need to know. The next few days just passed by in a blur. My great-nana was on a bi-pap machine for the remainder of that day and the next day. While on the bi-pap, she couldn't speak. We all knew that if she was taken off the bi-pap, then she would die. We didn't want to just keep her alive only on a machine. It wasn't what she wanted. So, we did what we thought was right (and was right), we took her off the bi-pap. She held on for forty-eight more hours before she passed away on 6 August 2009. It was a painful time. I would spend my days going in and out of her hospital room with my cousin and her husband, my dad's aunt, my nana, my mom, and my aunt. When I wasn't in the hospital room, I was in the waiting room outside. I felt bored a lot of the time. I don't know why. My great-nana was dieing, and I just felt bored. I didn't think, either. I just sat around with my family in boredom. I didn't want to think about the fact that she was dieing in that room. Everytime I could get away, I would. I would go for "walks" with my cousin and aunt ("walk" was codeword for a smoking break, but I didn't have any cigarettes, just stood with them). I also remember the bad cafeteria food we'd eat there, and the constant boredom as I stared out the window over the courtyard and imagined what it would be like if we didn't have to be there. I also remember leaving the hospital at 19:00. The atrium that had been so full of life and excitement was now quiet and dead. People were walking away from the building where there loved one's lay sick in beds. It was an almost peacefully melancholic sight. Now, everytime I go back to the hospital, I think about it. I remember those days of sitting there, bored out of my mind while great-nana was taking her last breaths. It was a horrible time for all of us. But, I will never forget the memories made at MWH, the good, and the bad.

Optimism, Pessimism, and Just Plain Realism

As someone who has struggled with personal issues since the age of 10, I have heard a lot of responses from people. As they hear me talk about some of my feelings, particularly feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, and the feeling that I'm just lost on this path we call life, I hear the same responses: 'Cheer up', 'Look on the bright side', 'Look at the glass as half-full, instead of half-empty'. I can only think of this: 'Why?'. After hearing from people that I'm a bitter pessimist, I can't help but think, I'm not being pessimistic, I'm just being realistic. And, its true. Optimists are just people who are overly naïve and have illusions that everything in life will turn out better. Pessimists are people who believe nothing will be right again, almost like nihilists. While realists are people who realize that life is a roller-coaster that sometimes has more down's than up's. That is just what I am: a realist. I realize that in my life, there could just be more down's than up's. Why try to change that? There is nothing any of us can do about it, so why not just accept it? As a realist, I just accept that my life might not turn out like in the movies where everyone has a fairytale ending and happily ever after's. Which sounds like the better option: living with false hopes for a happily ever after, or living with acceptance of the fact that happily ever after doesn't often happen.

A Sad Irony

His face is seen everywhere: t-shirts, coffee mugs, cigarette lighters, bumper stickers, with movies and entire websites dedicated to him. Who is this man? Is it Barack Obama? An actor? A musician? Some other celebrity? He was none of those people. His name was Ernesto Guevara de la Serna. Born into a middle class Argentine family in the late 20’s, Guevara grew up living a normal life. Then, as a young man who had received his training as a physician, he set out on a motorcycle journey across the South American continent (while keeping a diary which would be made into a movie). Whilst on this journey, the young man, who had been given the nickname “Che” saw people living in destitution and poverty. After coming to the realization that this poverty was caused by the evils of capitalism, Che made it his mission in life to destroy the capitalist machine and bring communism throughout the world.
He studied the works of such people as Marx, Engels, and Lenin as he tried to gain a better understanding on how to help the troubled proletariat working class. While doing this, he met two brothers named Fidel and Raùl Castro from Cuba. At this time, the Cuban people were living under the American-backed military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che and the Castro brothers worked in collaboration to train and lead guerilla armies in a revolution, starting with their famous Movimiento de 26 Julio (26 July Movement). In the year 1959, the revolutionary comrades were able to fully overthrow the Cuban government and install a communist regime.
After doing this, Che went on to help in other countries to try starting revolutions in order to spark the world-wide revolution that Marx had discussed in his Manifesto of the Communist Party that would bring about global communism. After his brutal execution-style murder at the hands of US backed Bolivian soldiers, Che became a sort of martyr for communism, and a gimmick for the capitalist machine that he sought to destroy. Alberto Korda’s famous photo of Che, called Guerrillero Heroico quickly became a fixture on college dorm posters. Young adults flocked to stores selling t-shirts bearing his image as they identified themselves as being “off-beat” or of a new generation against the “establishment” (even though they were just creating a new establishment).
Acknowledging that he was a communist guerilla revolutionary who hated nothing more than the capitalist machine, is it not a sad and almost cruel irony that his image (just one photograph) has been seen on a wide range of consumer products (conveniently found on www.chestore.com, for all your revolutionary needs)?

My Very First Post

My Very First Post

I am currently watching the movie Julie and Julia. So far I have this impression of it: Annoying housewife in the late 40's (who has a very annoying voice, by the way) tries to become a chef while mildly interesting office worker tries to cook all the recipies in the annoying bitch's cookbook. The movie itself has left me uninspired except for one thing: to start a blog. I won't be cooking at all (well, except for the occasional bowl of ramen), but I have a billion (or more) opinions that I could spend HOURS talking about. So, why not start a blog? I spend enough time online anyways, so why not just make up a blog about my days, my opinions, and the things I do in my life. It could be like twitter, only a bit more interesting.