The Walking Dead

I don't usually like watching horror films. Even if I do, I watch it, or playing something scary, I'll do it during the day.

So why am I so attracted to this particular post apocalyptic zombie fear fest show then?

There have been many reasons why zombies came to be. Voodoo magic. Lacking full consciousness. Losing one's mind. Psychotropic drugs. Reanimation virus. Parasitic aliens.

Evolution has made it such that we have several parts to our brain and thinking. The Cortex, the most visible and distinguishable part hosts the hight functioning, reasoning, thinking, solving. Then, theres the midbrain, which hosts our instincts, flight or fight responses. Stripped of higher functions, you are reduced to simple animals, who just wants to survive.

They have simple equations, simple principles, and the way those instincts manifest can be surprising.

1.
Something alive = Food
Sound = something alive
therefore,
Sound = Food.

so they will follow the sound until they find food.

1.1
Fellow zombie is following a source of sound/food.
Follow fellow zombie to get to source of sound/food.

1.1.1
Horde of zombies following a source of sound/food.
Horde joined by second horde. Zombie parade.

1.2

Fellow zombie brushed hand against door handle.

Fellow zombie must have found food behind door

Must get through door to food.

2.

Smells dead, acts dead, sounds dead = probably dead

Smells not dead, acts not dead, sounds not dead = probably food.

On the other hand, the survivors have adapted to the apocalypse.

There is the type that despairs and commits suicide or merciful homicide.

There is the type that despairs and look to others for hope, strength in numbers.

There is the type that bands others in a dictatorship to protect themselves.

There is the type that is reduced to cannibalism to survive.

There is the type that turns to religion.

There is the type that turns to science.

There is so much about the human psyche in The Walking Dead. That is why I love the show, the concept. I can't wait for season 2.

FlashForwards

What if you had a glimpse of your future, down to the very feeling you will be having at that point in time? What if you felt so sure that this ‘future’ you experienced will come true? Would you strive your best to achieve that ‘future’? Or would you do whatever you can to prevent it from coming true? Or would you just let time runs its course?

Is our future set in stone, with every second of our lives already been predetermined? Or does our future change depend on what we do? Does everything we do determine what effect will happen in the future and what we do is an effect of what happened in the past? Is the future then, theoretically calculatable with all the factors, internal and external, considered?

Can time not be a linear progression? Or is it an ever diverging multiverse, creating alternate universes where different scenarios are occurring?

All of these questions arose in my head just by watching the first 10 minutes of the show FlashForward.

Everyone in the world experienced the world in 6 months time, and with all the information gathered, they were painting a mosaic of what it would be like. Everyone could log in, share their experience and affirm what other people have posted, and creating a clear picture of the future.

Sounds easy enough, but what the show constantly debates about is whether this future is the real future or just a possibility of a future, or just a dream... I am intrigued about the idea of time travelling, may it be via a modified Delorean, or a stationary machine with a window for which you can watch time pass you by. However when it comes to the age old paradox of, “If you travelled back through time and killed your grandfather, would you be born to commit such an act?” and “If time travel is possible, why haven’t we seen anyone from the future?” I have a hard time taking a stand.

On the one hand, I like the idea of linearity, everything that will happen, has happened. Getting a visit from a future you means you will be going back to visit in the future. You won’t be able to kill your grandfather no matter what you tried, and your grandfather can tell you of the tale that someone tried to kill him. I like the idea of Chaos Theory, Butterfly Effect, or Ripple Effect, where one small event would have sequential causes and effects which eventually leads us to where we all are now, and will continue to cascade to our futures. It does also get depressing when you think about it, that whatever happened in the future, will happen and there is nothing you can do about it. In other words, whatever you have done or are doing, it will lead up to that future.

On the other hand, I wish that time travelling can happen, so that we can ascertain the truth about what happened in the past. Is the earth really 6 billion years old? Did the chicken come first? Did Sam really steal my crayon? I also wish that I can travel to the future, just for curiosity.

The closest possible technology I can think of to allow time travelling is cryonics. Of course it doesn’t work the other way around…

Anyway, it doesn’t stop me from wanting to know my future in 6 months time, even if it is just for 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

May this series fare better light than Lost is now…

Adventures in Albany - Day 26

This would be my last weekend here in Albany. I thought of going to Denmark to visit the Dinosaur museum, but I was lazy to walk down and hire a car. Well, that and I'm broke and I haven't really done my log book.

Instead, I stayed in my room and watched anime. I watched a couple of animes to pass the time. By couple, I mean 3; and by anime, I meant anime series. I also typed out most of what I have into my log book, so I cannot say that I have wasted the whole day.

One of the Anime I've watched was Ride Back. It's a story about a ballet dancer who injured herself and was never to dance again. However, she manages to, through futuristic motocycles called Ride Backs. It's a motorcycle essentially, but is able to transform into a humanoid form on wheels. The computer balance system goes really well with sense of coordination, from her glory days as a dancer, such that she was able to pull off majestic stunts on it.

At first, it was a story of a girl struggling to cope with her downfall, and turning to riding this new invention by accident. However, the show slowly progressed into a war between an opressing government and a rebellion, with her in the middle. I got confused as who the target audience was, but I would think that only anime fans who just watch anime for the sake of watching anime would watch it. I would say it is more targetted for guys because of the cool machinery and battle scenes, but then it has many feminine qualities such as a female protagonist with a passion for dance.

Maybe, it was meant for the girls, but also attract the guys with graphics and explosions, kind of like adding a love scene in an otherwise action pack movie. Commendable effort this time.

I can't say which part attracted me more, but I did like the storyline; political/military oppression and media corruption, struggles with barriers in life, AWESOME IMAGINATION AND GRAPHICS.

How far are we from that kind of technology? It doesn't seem far...

Adventures in Albany - Day 22

Highlight of the day: Punch biopsy

Lowlight of the day: Staring into nothing at the end of the day.

I finished another Anime series, titled, “Zam’d,” a drama set in a fantasy world where North fights South with innocents in the middle, science versus religion, good and evil, cause and consequence, love and hate.

The pace was very slow, but it was intriguing to watch. Every scene added to a very rich storyline. Everybody had a role to play in the plot. Each character was developed nicely and their personalities really were obvious. What made me want to watch it even more, was the dynamics of each of the relationships between the characters. It seemed like everyone had a story of their own, and it intertwined with each other. The last few episodes revealed all of the relationship resolutions, dealing with all those conflicts.

I probably relate to it, because of those conflicts. I would probably call it internal emotional turmoil, having mixed feelings about myself and my surroundings. I almost cried at the last few episodes when each of the conflicts resolve. It is nice to know that there is an ending for everything, and that things will work out. No matter how much I want things to remain as they are, or change for the better, things can go the other way as well. But everything will be alright.

At least that is what everyone tells me.

Adventures in Albany - Day 12

I automatically woke up at 0730 today, despite sleeping relatively late last night. This would be my first weekend here in Albany, and the skies were clear and sunny. It was really great weather to be out there exploring, visiting the various touring sites and getting great pictures. I was really looking forward to a weekend of fun.

However, laziness set in and I ended up watching a Jap drama called “Puzzle”. It is about a manipulative English teacher in an elite boys’ school, where she, and 3 of the students take part in various riddle/puzzle competitions or mysteries mostly dealing with a play of words and Japanese characters. I guess it would be more captivating if I am versed in Japanese. I do like these puzzles/riddles and play of words, no matter what language.

That’s why I like watching Minami-ke and How I Met Your Mother and the like. Their puns and play of language really amuses me and amazes me of how brilliant and creative the human brain is capable of.

Also, I am also amused by the teacher’s acting, changing from a sweet innocent cheerful teacher, to a stuck up manipulative know-it-all. I am amused by how men especially, are easily fooled by a nice well mannered, innocent looking girl, giving in to the girl’s demands and requests. Personally I hate girls who are like that, giving me puppy dog eyes or a seductive pout to get what they want. Of course it is my fault for easily giving in to anyone’s demands; I just want to point out the wrongness in it. In the series, she managed to wiggle out of every tight spot, blaming the mishap to the 3 students and in the process, making her look good. Everyone else was oblivious to it, but she was pretty.

Anyway, that was my Saturday gone. All my plans to walk to the city to explore were taken over by this series.

In the evening, Finding Nemo was showing on TV and I was hooked onto it. Again, it is one of those Disney movies which I don’t mind watching again, more so since it was about animals. I wasn’t too sure about the truth about what is shown, but a lot of it mimics what happens in the animal world. Watching Dory and her forgetfulness also makes me wonder about memory loss and the inability to make new memories. In Memento, it was really distinct inability, but in the case of Dory, something stuck. I guess the same with 50 First Dates, that feelings will grow, but not the factual memory. Watching Dory was fun, but watching Marlin ignorant antics makes me angry at times. He doesn’t trust anyone but himself and his perception of the world. He doesn’t give anyone else the benefit of doubt, not even his own son. Of course it ended with Nemo being kidnapped, him embarking on an epic adventure, and him realizing his mistakes, etc. I guess it is another tip on parenting, to allow children to learn and grow on their own. Protecting is one thing, but overprotecting would be too much.

Letter to my Friend III

Dear J,

I have to confess that I have a lot of things going on with me now. It made me think back about my life and reminisce about my past and how I got here. It made me think about you. I haven't seen you or talked to you in person for a long time, and i do relly miss the friendsip that we had. It's really good to hear from you

Ok, enough of the sad talk.

I tried watching Dollhouse, but I dunno why I cannot follow it. I gave up on Greys Anatomy too. I haven't watch Southland though. I watch The Listener too. I cant help but think about how Heroes first started and how they got used to their powers. This time it is focused on one person revealing his past and his adventures now. I suspect a hidden conspiracy going on as Heroes did at the beginning. Perhaps as the series progresses they will add that in, but I really hope it doesn't. But I have to agree that the addition of the telepathic healing girl in the latest episode was disappointing. Somehow I felt like it could take the mutant path too...

I'm also watching Lie To Me. I don't understand why you don't like it. Although I try to look for these micro-expressions, I still don't see people any different. And I certainly do not try not to do all these tell tale signs. I'm pretty much the same person. I've done a bit more reading about microexpressions and all that. apparently only something like 50 people have been identified to have the ability. It's a rare thing so don't be afraid people start reading you. You should really try continue watching it.

Speaking of reading, have you read any books lately? I haven't have time to read anything. I need fresh material. The last book you recommended... All Creatures Great and Small... to feed my interest in animals. I vaguely remember how close I came to wanting to be a Vetenarian... But I guess it also made me think more about saving lives, hence me doing medicine. By the way, I found that there's a series out though, like 30 years ago, based on the books.

By all means please send over your completed works. I look forward to listening to them. If it was just as good as before, I'm pretty sure I will like it. And I really look forward your songs when you DO have a muse. I know having a subject of interest definitely have some impact on my creativity level. It is not just about impressing someone, I am proud of my creations.

Anyway, I will let you know if there is anymore progress on my side. As of now, it doesn't look good. At this point, I just want to tell someone all about my day, all the good things... and hear their day in return. But I will let you know if there is something to tell.

I am looking forward to hear about your next world adventure.

Ken Rhee

The Big Bang Theory

Quoting Stephen Hawkings... nah, I'm talking about a different 'The Big Bang Theory'. It is a sitcom that airs before HIMYM, another favourite of mine. The basic idea of the show is about 4 nerds/geeks who, despite their academic brilliance, are idiots around beautiful girls, like their neighbour. Their neighbour, Penny, is one hot babe. Seriously.

What makes me laugh at myself though, is how much I see myself in their shoes and well, that I actually understood everything they said. Yes I mean stuff like 'Doppler Effect' and 'Schrodinger's Cat' and their various Star Trek, Planet of the Apes and Comic book quotes.

This is like a total opposite of HIMYM with Barney's ever flirtatious comments, with the stuttering and blank faces when confronted by a girl. The most hilarious moments are when the 4 of them huddle up together playing Halo or building some interesting contraption and when Penny exclaims out 'I'm taking off my clothes now,' and NO ONE pays attention.

Maybe it is just me in this particular time, but I feel so connected to them. I am also shy around girls, especially around the ones I like or those I don't know. Of course I don't go silent like Rajesh or spew out random flirting quotes like Howard, but I still have difficulty talking and entertaining them. My father once told me an acronym for conversation topics, WONDERFUL:
W - eather (eg. This is like the coldest day ever!)
O - ccupation (eg. What do you do for a living?)
N - ews (eg. Hey, did you see the Olympic Opening Ceremony the other day?)
D - ay (eg. How's your day been?)
E - xtol and compliment (eg. I love those shoes! Where did you get them?)
R - ecreation (hobbies, movies, music, etc)
F - ood (eg. I miss Malaysian food)
U - seful/useless Information (kinda like this post...)
L - ife and Love (eg. My girlfriend knitted this sweater for me)

I still haven't mastered it yet. But by just KNOWING the theory behind it, I am proud to say that I am a NERD!

HIMYM

The days I had without WoW were horrible. I've tried various things to get me through. But I got depressed nonetheless. I find little interest in whatever I do, like studying and sleep.

The only thing that cheered me up was watching and reading comedy. First up was How I Met Your Mother. Starring Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segel, And even Alyson Hannigan from the American Pie series and Neil Patrick Harris from Doogie Howser M.D.

The sitcom is mainly about how Ted met his wife but it is never revealed so far who this girl is. So every week, Ted hooks up with a new girl, and with his hilarious bunch of friends, the story gets very interesting. What I like about the show is the excessive use of puns on almost every situation. I also admire the works of Neil Patrick Harris. He not only does the most jokes, but he also come up with various ways to flirt with women and new rules and theories about life and dating. This show is just... AWESOME.

I'm also curently listening to one of the songs from the Civilization IV soundtrack, entitled 'Baba Yetu'. Again, this harmonized singing with a tribal rythmic beat in the background just makes me want to dance my heart out. I decided to research on the song to find out what it means. Well, I found out that it is actually Swahili. And the more surprising thing is the translation: taken from here

CHORUS
Our Father, Jesus, who art
in Heaven. Amen!
Our Father, Jesus
Hallowed be thy name.
(x2)

Give us this day our daily bread,
Forgive us of
our trespasses
As we forgive others
Who tresspass against us
Lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from Evil, and you are forever and ever!

CHORUS

Your kingdom come, your will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven. (Amen)

CHORUS

Give us this day our daily bread,
Forgive us of
our trespasses
As we forgive others
Who tresspass against us
Lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from Evil, and you wake the dead (?)

Our Father, Jesus who art...
Hallowed be thy name.
(x2)

It is just an AWESOME song. I also found a more detailed blog about this song.

Two Timer?

You may find it disloyal or what not, but it is possible to find yourself loving two women at once. For me, I conclude that for every man, there are two souls that are made for him. Of all the women in the world, a man will ever love only these two. Both of which he will do anything to protect and is willing to sacrifice his life for.

The first, he will find, pursue and in the end, marry and cherish forever and grow old with. The second will have his unconditional and undying love, and he will do anything to keep her safe from harm.

To my first soulmate: I promise to love you, to be there to support you, to be who you need me to be, to be a better person for you, to be your crying shoulder, to listen to your worries, to tell you how pretty you are everyday, to hold your hand and never let go.

To my second soulmate: I promise to take care of you, never to let anything bad happen to you, to make you happy, to teach you all that I know, teach you what is good and all that is good in this world, so may you grow strong and beautiful.

This post is dedicated to the heroes of our world, inspired by:
24 – Jack Bauer’s love for his daughter, Kim
Love in the Driest Season – Neely Tucker and his quest to adopt Chipo
The Emperor’s Embrace – a story of the evolution of fatherhood
The Lord of the Rings – Elrond, wanting safe haven for Arwen

Post Exam Post

It's been one week since my exams. I have filled my time since then playing World of Warcraft and watching Anime. The funny thing about Anime is how much it resembles real life, yet so comical about it. I get interesting perpectives from watching them... The question is always, why does the bestest girl go after the simplest guy? Not the fancy pants, not the playboy, not the manly guy, but the specky nerd-like guy. Even if the good looking one is as kind and gentle as the main hero. So the next question would be, WHAT DO WOMEN WANT???

The latest Anime I am watching is Love Hina. I once caught a border in RI Boarding watching it during prep time, and made him write a 500 word essay on why he was watching it. Reading his synopsis was interesting and the way he described it was that it was a show with lots of nudity. But after watching it, I find it even more interesting with NO NUDITY. The beginning was funny, as with most Anime, but as the story progresses, it gets deeper and more of the handling life stuff. This story is mostly about chasing your dreams.

While I was beginning to enjoy myself watching it, the dreaded scene comes along... Exams. Then, I suddenly had a rush of adrenaline and my heart raced. The feeling of dread comes back and again I feel like I was going to fail my exams. They would probably start calling people tomorrow and thursday before the results on Friday. If you don't get called by then, it SHOULD look bright. Then again, as I type, the feeling starts coming back.

My mother keeps telling me to pray but I don't feel that it helps. I need spiritual comfort, she says. It is something that I have been missing for a long time. I don't feel any spirit in me anymore, yet my Priest in WoW needs lots of it to heal. Ironic how that even in games, they tie in to my life. Maybe I am just too conscious about how games and Anime and books tie into my life like that. Maybe it's a sign...

Anyway, Happy Belated Birthdays to everyone from 22 October to 6 November! I count at least 7 of you... ^_^!

Thank God for Fidays

Its the weekend again. The only difference this time was that my Friday was a busy one. Started with just PBL. The still remaining problem is that I tend not to speak up. My topic was on the Diagnostic Criteria for Schizophrenia and we were supposed to go through it at the beginning. Of course when I don't say anything, we tend to skip it. I should talk more, speak up more. I mean even in history taking I don't pronouce the words correctly. It's called dysarthria.

After PBL, I went to Royal Perth Hospital to meet up with my group members about our research project. I finally got a research project. It was a great milestone as the due date for the proposal was Friday. oh wait... this IS Fridy. Anyway, my supervisor is a very nice man. He likes to talk, I feel, and is very enthusiastic about his work. He has a Toshiba laptop that is huge. Larger than Martin's one was. It has a remote and everything. And doctors get to buy one every year tax-free. Anyway, after a brief discussion, we were sent off with writing the proposal while another group discussed theirs...

I went to Princess Margarets Hospital for Children next to see my Mentor. We talked and it was fun to have someone to be guiding you and asking how we're getting along in Perth. I've answered that question 3 times on Friday, and all of it are to different people and I gave different answers. All in all, the general idea is that I'm coping. It's been fun and a much educational expereince. Of course there are still stuff to do like reading up on antibiotic regiments.

Next was a vegetarian dinner in the City. It really does taste like the real meat. It was great.

Next, we watched another 2 movies. Van Wilder and Being John Malkovich. They both have their own pros. Van Wilder is the comedic, sexual movie, where else Being John Malkovich is twisted. The underlying message in Van Wilder, the most popular guy in school, is that everybody is cool in their own right, and there is potential in all of us. Oh yeah, point to note is dog semen is fetocidal.

The second movie is an old movie, by the same writer as Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind and just as twisted. There are very good actors in it, John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, etc... I still have no opinions as to what the show actually means but it's about being someone else. The feel to be someone different. It's for those who are experiencing identity crisis and want to know who they really are. And the way to do it is to be someone else for the time being. I guess we all want to be someone different at some point in our lives, but not all of us get to do that.

The similarities in these two movie? Live for moment. Carpe Diem, Memento Mori.

And to end the day (or night) I finally was able to watch Book of Daniel, a series that I've stumbled upon in my search for entertainment. A priest who sees Jesus, who's married to a lovely wife, and have 3 children: a gay son, an adopted chinese guy, and a drug selling daughter; has a Bishop as a father (a father for a father just makes the show weirder...) , a mother who suffers from Alzhiemers, a gullible ignorant innocent sister in law. People talk.

T-minus 1
(well it should have been if not for my health...)

What scares me is now is that I am watching the series Lost. It's about a plane that crashed on course from Australia to Singapore... It features a bunch of survivors who miraculously survived the crash. They all survived, and the main cast all have a tale to tell, and they are actually in fact, emotionally and spiritually... Lost.

So begins the story. Miracles happening and all that. Every episode will star a character, and the problems he/she is facing for the day, and at the same time, will reveal his/her story which he/she will have to relive and find themselves to get through their stay in the island.

Then enter the shamanistic character, Locke. He was a cripple, and the crash made him able to walk. After his episode, he became this sort of a preacher. He believes strongly that the island is filled with mystical powers which brought all those who survived there for a reason. He started taking it like a duty to spread this knowledge, teaching everyone. In the beginning, he was the righteous one. After a while, I felt a tinge of evangelistic sentiments being weaved into the show.

When I look back, Christianity has always been beside me almost all the way of my life. Though I am a Buddhist, I have asked questions about the religion. I feel that I do know much about Christianity, but then, so did Lucifer. Anyway, I am also reading a book "The Case for a Creator." The first few chapters already is shattering my beliefs in Darwinism. I held to the Theory so much because it was the most logical sensical fact in my life. I am still mulling over whether I still hold on to it because I am stubborn or because it is true...

The part which scares me is that I am in this period of not believing anything. Nothing has been going my way these couple of weeks. And I do feel Lost. And an interesting discussion I had yesterday, about the 7 deadly sins. I am committing all of them at this very moment and I don't know what to do. Evelyn tried showing me the other good 14... but I can't see any of it...

Anyway, that's just a gist of what is going on in my mind now. Back to being lost.. I mean, watching Lost