Refraction

Due to an injury I had suffered the previous day¹ I sat in the coach boat watching my team paddle.

It was kind of painful. It was a tough practice, that’s for sure–but our timing was absolutely awful. Blades not synchronised at all. The back blades leading, rather than the front. I don’t know how many times I called them on their timing. I felt bad about it, too, since I know we can do better.

I wasn’t expecting the coach boat to be so cold, but that thing moves fast, and on top of that you can’t keep warm since you’re not paddling. My teammates were probably jealous, though One of them said that since my hair was blowing in the wind, I looked like a model on the boat.

A very, very cold model.

I really hope I recover enough to paddle tomorrow night. My hip is fine now, but I’m a little lightheaded still, and my neck’s a little stiff. Probably some ibuprofen and rest will do the trick

1. I slipped on the ice while curling, hurting my head and my hip. [↩]

Would you rather be blind or deaf? It’s one of those trite “would you rather” questions that comes up once in a while, but I think I’ve got my answer: I’d rather be blind.

I’ve got two main reasons for this. The first is conversation. A blind person can still converse somewhat normally (although obviously missing visual cues like facial expressions and hand gestures), but a deaf person depends on sign language. It’s much more difficult to just strike up a conversation with a deaf person.

Second, there’s music. I get pretty emotional sometimes when it comes to music, and I can’t imagine losing that. It’s much more rare for a visual to affect me as much; I’m not really sure why. My world, if I were deaf, would feel much more muffled and muted – as if I were an arm’s length from everything. Sound has an immediacy that visuals lack.

There’s more to it, I’m sure, but that’s what’s off the top of my head. I hope I never have to find out.

My dragonboat team does a lot of visualization before we do a race. My first festival was last weekend and I’m still feeling the effects: everytime I close my eyes I hear my coach calling, “Paddlers ready… Attention please… GO!”

This is also accompanied by random “Ready, reach, NOW” throughout the day.

One of those songs I actually picked up from the radio (who listens to the radio anymore??) For best effect, watch this video.¹²
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1. It made me cry. [↩]
2. And I haven’t even seen the movie. [↩]

I love mink so much; it’s a pity she’s seemed to drop out of the music world altogether. Her favourite song of mine is “One Suitcase”, but since I only had her Shalom album handy, I’ve been listening to “世界で一番奇麗な場所”¹

I was really struck by these (pre-)chorus passages:²

たとえば今から後100日しか生きられないとしたら?
僕は、何をするだろう?何を見るだろう?
何を聞くだろう?何を語るだろう?
For example, what if I only had a hundred days to live?
What would I do? What would I see?
What would I hear? What would I say?

たとえば今から後100日しか生きられないとしたら?
僕は、誰に会うだろう?誰に触れるだろう?
誰を愛すだろう?誰を許すだろう?
For example, what if I only had a hundred days to live?
Who would I see? Who would I touch?
Who would I love? Who would I forgive?

(Although I can tell you, if I had a hundred days to live, I would travel for a month – maybe even two. I would wind my way across the world and live out there. I would hope to see people, hear them, touch them, speak to them. Then I’d come home and do the same thing with my friends and family.)³

I also have some thoughts churning about forgiveness, but I’ll save those for another time.

It’s important to get perspective on things from time to time as I get deeper and deeper into the murky waters of my thesis. (And trust me, they are murky. I do more experiments to clarify things: and then I find more reactivity I have to explain! -sigh- I’m starting to think of it as thesis fodder.)

1. ”The World’s Most Beautiful Place” [↩]
2. And I was struck by them 4 years ago, too! Look! [↩]
3. I might also go skydiving. [↩]

The Omnivore’s 100. OM NOM NOM NOM!
http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/archives/399

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
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Happy Pi Day! If I had a little more time on my hands I would have tried to make a pie. [/geek]

So, according to my own About page, this blog turned 10 today. That’s pretty incredible. Obviously I haven’t been blogging as frequently as I did when I was in high school, but I just can’t quite bring myself to get rid of this thing. It’s got sentimental value, despite (and perhaps because of?) all the embarrassing entries I used to write.

A decade ago, I was whining about the lack of free stable web space, and not-so-subtly dropping hints about wanting to get hosted. Some online quiz told me “You are a DUMBLEDORE to Harry!¹” I was in the middle of my teenage Sailor Moon phase: the song stuck in my head was “風も、空も、きっと” (”The Wind, the Sky, Always”).

I’m listening to it on YouTube again now, because I couldn’t remember how it went… but hearing it again, I think if you stuck me in front of a karaoke machine with this song, I might be able to muddle my way through it. The Japanese language might not pull through though.

Also: I was worrying about a science project. How appropriate.

1. You are kind, nice and a bit crazy. Everyone looks up to you and respects you. You’re basically the nice old guy in the bunch ;D [↩]

To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.

– Mary Oliver, “In Blackwater Woods”

Looking at the BBC’s summary of the Republican candidates for the presidential nomination, I’m rather struck by the fact that I don’t think any of their views align with mine. “Really?” I thought to myself. “I can’t find anyone who I can vote for in good confidence?” There’s been talk about how polarized and extreme American politics has become, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad.

Of course, then I realized it’s because I’m not a Republican, at all, and I ought to look to Obama for ideals I believe in.