Wise Blood

John Huston’s movie ‘Wise Blood’ is said to be a faithful literal translation of Flannery O’Connor’s book. I guess it’s the closest experience that one could get to understand O’Connor’s work aside from reading her book. John Huston has a good record bringing great novels to screen and I guess he is the best director for film adaptations. I especially liked his films ‘Under the Volcano’, ‘Red Badge of Courage’, ‘Moby Dick’, ‘Maltese Falcon’ and ‘The Man Who Would be King.’  These are all famous books from well-known authors. The DVD ‘Wise Blood’ also contains an audio clip of Flannery O’Connor reading her short story classic ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find.’ Combining both the film and the audio clip and supplemented by information from the Internet was enough to know a lot about the writer.

Southern gothic is a term often used by critics for writers like O’Conner and others like William Faulkner. One gets a good idea what the term means watching the movie and listening to the short story. O’Conner said that ‘southern gothic’ is usually a term used by Northerners where otherwise it would be called ‘realistic.’ The movie reminds me of Robert Altman’s film ‘Nashville’ with its ensemble collection of interesting or rather unusual stories and people. Both are locales based in the South. Perhaps Southern Gothic refers to tragic stories brought forth with the defeat in the War against the States. Some may argue that a foretaste is seen in Pickett’s charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. - the suicidal charge in an open field again the well-entrenched Union army. Finally, the total war in Sherman’s march through Georgia and the Carolinas which sealed the fate of the Confederacy.

There is a vein of strange tragedy flowing along the South that bring out things like ‘True Blood’ (i.e. vampires and werewolves in Louisiana) and the ‘Walking Dead’ (i.e. zombies in Atlanta). Perhaps these are the present manifestation of Southern Gothic started by writers like O’Connor. Tonight I will be watching her autobiography and perhaps a movie called ‘Grey Gardens’ – about an eccentric mother and daughter living in poverty in a huge house in the Hampton. Very gothic but not Southern so I guess it’s a trait that exists in all the states. Southern folks are like the salt of the earth – people who are down to earth and God fearing. The disastrous civil war led them forcibly to achieve a sort of spiritual grace – a transformation away from bigotry and slavery. Although vestiges of the South still exists (ex. a southern congressman shouting ‘You Lie’ during a black President’s state of the union address), the transformation is legally complete ever since the passage of the 13th amendment.

Defeat and tragedy are the necessary ingredients of romanticism. The failure of the Philippine revolution, the execution of Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and Antonio Luna are similar examples in the Philippines. There is a strain of a lost but brilliant cause similarly in the fall of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Perhaps there is a sort of Philippine gothic that exists in the works of writer’s like Nick Joaquin. Combining both the Southern and Philippine gothic may be an interesting idea to pursue. I learned about these Southern writers in my last writing workshop. I had seen the DVD ‘Wise Blood’ in the library for sometime but needed a context to borrow it. The recent Lincoln lectures also brought out my interest on Southern history and culture so I have been borrowing works on Lincoln and the Civil War. I intend to watch ‘God and Generals’ and ‘Gone with The Wind’ during the Thanks giving holidays.

Writing workshops is a good way to expand one’s interest and I intend to spend time in more workshops next year. This helps me increase my meta cognition on writing. I have read a lot on meta cognition since reading that article in Poets & Writers. In fact, mind mapping is an act of meta cognition because it’s a meta model of one’s thinking. To be able to act or change or improve one’s thinking due to the exercise of meta cognition is the goal. Similarly one should develop meta models on writing and that’s the purpose of attending workshops. One’s learning experience and thinking skills are improved though I am still working out my writing meta models. I hope to replicate my success in public speaking brought about by attending Toastmasters. Hence, attending writing workshops, literary readings and learning more about writing via books or magazines like Poet & Writers is my strategy (or is it tragedy)?

But the only way is to write and I now have a plan. One has achieved a level of confidence and experience and age plus diminishing years that there is really no other choice. It’s really a simple game and one will try a combination of dictation, ‘natural writing techniques’, software tools like Novel Writer and yWriter to get started. Last night I seemed to have an epiphany thinking that there is no journey in life. Life is not really a series of steps following a plan to achieve a goal. It’s only the here and now that is important. Perhaps I was influenced by a line by the main character in ‘Wise Blood’ Hazel Motes. He said something about one’s past, present and future. It had a charming truth that escapes me at this moment when I write these words. It sounded funny especially since he is a so-called preacher from the Church of Christ without Christ.

The Metacog Itch

When one discovers the joy of mind mapping, one can’t help but keep using the tool in what ever tasks one is engaged in. There is a certain fulfillment that is felt in the act of making a mind map – a sort of creative release that allows one to see things better. It helps one understand complex ideas and clarify tasks. It was like seeing how one thinks inside of one’s biological brain. In fact the main purpose was to get an association of ideas and concepts into a graphical context though the visual creation is itself a fulfilling job.  According to some articles, it is a step towards improving one’s metacognition. The urge to mind map is like scratching one’s metacognitive itch.

Visual thinking in all its variation is like extending one’s mind. These tools provide an additional skill that acts like a visual metaphor – away from the usual linear words that one usual comes up with. It moves away from the abstract plane of words into a more creative plane that supposedly uses both sides of the brain. Hence, it’s a visual representation of ‘thinking about thinking’. Perhaps the literal sense-making has its limitation that a pictorial representation is the natural step forward. It has helped me become a better worker by simplifying complex ideas and improve understanding. But is it also an act of meta cognition that it provides a picture or window to one’s thinking ability? A view of the window is in itself an act of understanding.

The act of drawing within a visual tool like mind mapping is therefore an act of thinking and understanding. Now what does one see in a picture? An idea or situation expressed in a drawing that it outside the limitation of words. Does drawing make one a better writer? Perhaps it is another practice of creativity and self-expression that fulfills one’s artistic urge. The important impact is the ‘behind the scenes’ understanding that occurs in the subconscious that improves meta cognition. In fact it is the divorce from the ego that is the starting point – a realization that thinking and cognition is a skill that can be enhanced. Faulty thinking or cognition is a not a flaw of the person but a skill like dancing to be developed.

The act of meta cognition occurs when one is aware of the various thinking tools one can apply to understand better. For example, one can choose cognitive therapy, mind-mapping, other visual thinking tools like concept maps and Edward de Bono’s various thinking techniques (like lateral thinking) to improve cognition. The awareness of various techniques plus understanding one’s thinking process is meta cognition. Applying the different learning methods is also meta cognition - whether one learns from lectures, reading, doing things, watching videos or attending workshops. Meta cognition in writing means learning about the different techniques in both thinking and writing and applying the best tools that fits one’s personality. Visual writing techniques described in the book ‘Natural Writing’ is one interesting method.

One realizes that there are different techniques in writing. Dictation, long hand, or typing into the computer is some of the actual mechanical tasks. But one can also do free- form writing, making outlines or scenes, writing about writing, using index cards, writing standing up or sitting down, writing in the morning or evening, making several drafts or writing the novel in one go, using software like Novel Writing or yWriter that attempts to breakdown the writing craft into a structured software procedure and so on. I guess it is a way of growing up – to move away from the romantic idea of the genius writer or thinker working alone and in solitude into a more  collaborative and mature method that uses all sorts of tools open to both the writer and thinker. Understanding all these techniques which include attending writing workshops are steps forward in understanding meta cognition (in writing) and being a good writer.

Metacognition and Writing

Metacognition is defined as ‘thinking about thinking’. According to the theory, one can learn more if one is aware of how one learns. Metacognition is a skill and good learners have this ability. There are ways to develop metacognition and one way is via visual thinking tools like mind mapping. Writing and reflection via journaling can also stimulate metacognition. This theory has been around since the 1970’s and I have come across this word a few times but it has passed me by. Only after reading an article in Poet & Writers by a writer called Dennis Cass was I able to understand its implication for writers. I checked his blog and he is also exploring the use of digital dictation to speed up writing. Talk about synchronicity!

According to the author, writing well occurs if one has a high level of metacognition. To understand the thinking process in all it’s nuances. Realizing that thinking is a skill and not related to the person is the first step. It goes beyond one’s ego though this is the first hurdle. One can say I did not understand topic A or topic B so I need to learn more about it, maybe by experiencing instead of just reading about it. Perhaps undertaking experiential learning activities like Toastmasters for public speaking and writing workshops for writing may be a step in developing a high level of metacognition. Understanding cognitive therapy was an avenue to reducing stress and I guess another step towards improving metacognition.

Is the urge towards blogging or journal writing an innate urge towards improving one’s metacognition? Is this really the urge for learning instead of the urge for writing? The point of the Poets & Writer’s article is to say that the processes are linked. One becomes a better writer when one achieves the ability for metacognition. I guess this means that one is truly divorced from the writing process – away from the ego identifying itself with the written work. Writing then become a journey of cognition, a series of events that improves one’s cognitive ability. In fact, some authors even say that the act of writing is already a step towards metacognition. Metacognition is like achieving a detachment on one’s thinking – by observing one’s thinking process similar to meditation.

The writer’s journey is in fact a journey of cognition or, to be exact, towards metacognition. It is not a lonely journey and one needs to have collaboration and help in achieving growth. The Toastmaster and writing workshop are collaborative experiences and a supportive way to learn. One tires of the lonely genius and it’s a road that one does not even need to make. There were a lot of good sentences in the article that I like. There was one from Saul Bellow which said ‘a writer is a reader who tries emulating’. So being a writer is being a reader and synthesizing both streams requires a thinking ability which includes metacognition. So being a writer does not mean having the raw reading and writing skill but having achieved an advanced thinking level that reflects on his developed self.

The Power of New

There always something new around here. But no one can ever hope to know everything. Nevertheless one strives to do so. With all these new gadgets or ideas or events, one is afraid to lose touch. Maybe the secret is to get off the grid, to live in some wilderness and await the apocalypse. Or maybe wait for the zombies to come out. There is a strange strain of apocalyptic thinking that reverberates in recent science fiction. Recently there has been an influx of movies on zombies, alien invasion and end of the world scenarios. Japanese cinema also has this strain with their Godzilla movies. I read somewhere that this strange predilection is due to a reaction to the war, their devastating defeat (especially with the use of atomic weapons) and occupation.

The recent zombie series is based in Atlanta, Georgia – the new South of Jimmy Carter. The hit series ‘True Blood’ is based on Louisiana. Following the Japanese analogy, is the strain of apocalypse thinking due to the Civil War or the fall of the South? A lot of Southern writers seem to follow some Gothic genre like Flannery O’Connor or William Faulkner. It maybe the terrible consequences of the War Between the States that affected the sub-consciousness of Southern folks. This is not a new idea. On the other hand, war often results in good images as well. The returning hero in Asian lore, driven by the return of Douglas McArthur to the Philippines perhaps. Or the cavalry to the rescue in those early Cowboy and Indians pictures. Or the eradication of slavery.

It’s this new understanding that attracts the nerd, to try to discover the hidden meaning of popular culture. There is always something new – a new discovery, idea or gadget. But one day this curiosity will wear itself out and one cannot keep up with the flow of information. Recent evidence indicates that multi-tasking and increasing stimuli affect the brain. The brain ages more if it is constantly bombarded with new ideas and concepts. Perhaps that is the reason why man ages in his mind – the constant effort to try and be relevant by mastering a new lifestyle or new ideas or gadgets. Maybe it is also the reason for bankruptcy or increasing debt as one wish to buy all these new stuff. Is it the noble desire to start anew? Like a re-birth or a resurrection or maybe like being a born-again Christian.

This is the power of the new but now the constant change comes at a blistering pace. It’s impossible to keep up and the only way to survive is to stop all stimuli and retreat to the wilderness or, at least, to some nature preserve to re-charge one’s mental batteries. Most people who live a long life are those mystics or sages who live in caves far away from society. It’s often in some place away from some fast paced city or society. Strange that the Japanese are some of the longest living people despite having one of the most fast paced, modern societies on Earth. But the Japanese are also one of those rare people who seem to have preserved their old culture well into modern life. Perhaps the Japanese are not deluded by the new and maybe their Zen philosophy and meditation is the answer.

First Sentences

The workshop was about interesting first lines in a novel or short story. The intention was to hook the reader into reading one’s book. Some intriguing examples were given from works by authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Flannery O’Conner and Charles Dickens. I had always thought that writers begin their work with a sentence and some really do. I thought I was one of those following the seemingly effortless work of Ernest Hemingway. But in fact most writers derive the first sentence after doing a fair bit of editing or re-drafting. The writer ‘dusts off the soil to get to an interesting fossil’ was the metaphor used by the speaker. With that statement, I realize that I belong to the former much to my belated regret.

So goes my journey into the waters of writing workshops. I should have attended these seminars long ago but it is only in this country that one has the choice and freedom. It’s amazing that there are so many writing programs out there and even those that are reasonable on one’s budget. It’s as if the whole structure of society is built to develop oneself and be the best that one can be. It’s the first time I have experienced this kind of opportunity which is not available in the other countries I have lived. It’s the mark of a developed nation that a worthwhile activity is to try to develop your fellow citizens even without earning a buck. Of course, there are a lot of programs out there that cost a lot of money but there are still those creative writing programs that exist in small community centers.

Going to creative writing workshops is a lot like going to Toastmasters. One should have the courage to step up and speak in front of people. But it is more than that as one needs to read out his creative work in front of the group. It feels like opening one’s shell and being exposed to public ridicule. It’s a good experience and actually reading ones work and hearing the words spoken aloud feels like a catharsis. In fact, it feels like being at play and the angst-ridden neurotic thoughts of creating and writing and introspective thinking is lost in the wayside. Instead it feels like being in a game or in the classroom where one can make mistakes and learn. I guess that’s the good point in workshops because it brings you out of yourself. With the other people in class, one sees that it is some sort of sport or skill that can be learned and not an anxious hellish ordeal driven by the pressure to create.
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In a way, public speaking courses like Toastmasters prepare one for this experience. It makes you relax and express yourself better. So writing becomes a holistic development of the whole person. The act of ‘writing’ a book is no longer being alone in solitude with pen in paper or typing in a computer but verbal communication in front of people. Recently, I installed the software Dragon Digital Speaking in my net book. I could literally talk and create a book by speaking. The writer Dan Brown is said to work this way. Other famous writers have done this as well like Winston Churchill dictating his books to a secretary or Alexander Dumas dictating his stories to his associates in his atelier in Paris. So there are historically precedents in working this way.

If one does develop in this manner, then one’s journey starts by being a diarist writing in long hand, followed by typing into an electronic journal followed by blogging then, finally, dictating into a computer to get out the first draft. It’s a progression of steps, of incremental improvements, with episodes of public speaking and writing and making speeches. So it becomes not only a private expression via written means but public expression. Hence, it’s really communication in all its aspects. Perhaps it’s a return to the oral tradition where the earlier works like Homer’s Iliad where reputedly stories told in front of a fire or in eating places before being written down in paper. Telling stories started as a communal act, speaking publicly to an audience before Gutenberg and the written and published word replaced the story teller. Perhaps to be a writer one must return to the story teller of old.

Visual Mulch

There are few visually inclined people around than one would think. There is always the phrase that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ that is popular. It does mean something especially when trying to explain complex things. But one is surprised that it really does not help some folks. Maybe I exaggerate. Perhaps that is why one should read Tufte – the so-called guru of visual expression. I had bought his three landmark text books but I have not had a chance to read them. Possessing them already gives one a satisfied feeling. The next step is usually to read and I am preserving that for a rainy day. A library is supposed to be kept for a rainy day. Now as one gets older the rainy day comes much closer. In fact one accumulates a library for one’s old age – to have company and comfort among books and the many stories within them.

At work, one is often explaining things. Often talking heads fill the space that one sees with only the mouth moving and the verbiage hurling past you with a sign of recognition or understanding. Now here come visual thinking techniques. Does it really help? Making pictures seems like an extravagance because it assumes abstract reasoning or elitist understanding. But sometime its not there and it become visual verbiage. Nevertheless it’s a good exercise for the creator – to exercise one’s expression and creativity. Sometimes there is a glimmer of understanding – recognition that communication has been achieved. But it seems to be rare and far between. This is why great orators are a wonder. There are few who are not only great orators but great thinkers as well.

When Lincoln passed away, one of his cabinet members said, ‘this is one for the ages.’ There was no mistaking that a great man had gone. Compared to other people, including the current president, Lincoln’s oratory seems very simple. It reaches sublime heights without sounding extravagant and indulgent. Sadly, today’s orators lack this quality. Perhaps because today’s leaders have led a comfortable life. Not the hard life of Lincoln. He is self-taught but did not lack confidence or self-esteem. These days one will feel uncertain if he lacks a formal education, at least at the college level. There is a lack of grit and home spun common sense existing today. Perhaps it exists in folksy people like Sarah Palin who most sophisticates look down upon. Lincoln was ridiculed in his day as well although I am not at all suggesting that Palin is Lincoln-like.

Most common folks do not have the sophisticated high mindedness of visual thinking techniques. In fact the simplicity of thought is a good quality without the self-deluding and self churning mentality of a confused mind. I guess these folks would not waste time writing here in a blog as well. But it is a form of exercise like going to the gym. But this thinking and writing exercises will not make one a Lincoln who derived his brilliance by going through a difficult life. Perhaps going through this self-inflicted exercise is like simulating a tough life but the result is arrogance instead of humility. This is the secret of the great ones because they do not think they are better than other people. Other folks think that having a lot of experience, books, education and stuff makes them rise above the rest which is the fatal mistake of hubris.

The Ascent of Nonsense

Niall Ferguson’s book ‘The Ascent of Money’ is an interesting book that attempts to give a historical and global framework to today’s financial crisis. I understand he finished the book a few months before the collapse of Lehman Brothers. So timely was the subject of the book that it was enough to give it a boost for people who are inclined to look at the past in order to understand the future. Niall Ferguson is a good writer and I enjoyed his book on the British Empire. He is the type of author who likes to think broadly and deeply ala Paul Johnson. Intellectually, they may both inhabit the same political spectrum with possible right wing imperialist tendencies of the Winston Churchill mold. Intelligent Englishmen who look nostalgically at their old realm and who like the United States to lead the world in the manner of the British Empire.

But Ferguson is a good and intelligent writer who may be considered a revisionist in his views of history. He writes knowledgeably of the Venice, Shakespeare, economic hit men, John Law, bubbles and speculation and other relevant subjects on money and finance. He looks at his subject from a broad view and lacks the detailed economic and financial analysis that other writers provide in their analysis of the financial crisis. The main thesis of his book is that the rise of finance and money mirrors the rise of man and society. He even references the work of people like Yunos of Grameen bank fame and Latin American economists like those who advised the Pinochet government in Chile.  He is not squeamish in expressing the cold hard facts of life even at the expense of life. An interesting supplement of his book is ‘The Money Nexus’ – a work depicting the intersection wars and money and finance.

I guess he is the sort of writer that the Bush neo – conservatives would love. If they needed an erudite Oxford trained intellectual who teaches in Harvard to provide a justification for all their actions then Ferguson fits the bill. Reading the first few chapters of  ‘The Money Nexus’, he gives a good argument that wars today have less casualties and perhaps attributes it to advanced weaponry. He seems to say that wars today cost less than in the past despite the fact that the Iraq war cost billions. Ferguson does not shy away from controversy and his Wikipedia entry expresses a lot of his controversial ideas. for example, England should not have entered into World War I, a German victory during that war would have resulted in a sort of Economic Union (EU), Germany was pushed into the war by France and so on. He leans toward Germany rather than France with regards to European leadership today.

Ferguson is the opposite of the left leaning writer Naomi Klein – another writer with brilliant ideas (ex. ‘The Shock Doctrine’). Both these writers seem to inhabit a different sphere with their intellectual dexterity. Both have interesting ideas on the why thing occur in the world. I guess they both would be considered true intellectuals. In contrast perhaps to someone like Abraham Lincoln who is self-taught and credited with only one year of formal education. But I have no doubt that Abe would be the person with the correct solution when faced with a problem. The reasoning behind such action like the emancipation proclamation was not done through brilliant intellectual reasoning but a more practical and insightful analysis. Perhaps it is like ‘game theory’ in the most basic and intuitive sense. I guess that is the real American tradition that disdains intellectualism despite the brilliant ideas into a more practical mod of thinking. I guess reading these books provide a sort of mental exercise but not to be taken seriously.

Hi-Tech’s Philosopher

I just read William Gibson’s book ‘Idoru’ written in the 1990s and part of his ‘bridge’ trilogy. I am set to start reading his latest book ‘Zero History.’  Admittedly his works seems light and his sentences are brief, Zen-like, and similar to Japanese koans. Minimalism is the word that comes to mind when reading his works. Lately I seemed to have transferred my fondness for the spy novel to science fiction – particularly of the Gibson variety. Gibson is perhaps unlike the more established science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov or Frank Herbert, authors I have never read except watched film adaptations of their books. In fact, I never liked science fiction except to watch the genre in movies (‘Star Wars’) or television (‘Star Trek’) where the plots are better illustrated than read. But Gibson is different because his subjects seem to be more accessible and timely.

His works have different ‘down-to-earth’ themes such as pattern recognition, advertising, Internet, artificial intelligence and high technology. He does not write about aliens or space exploration or about strange viruses and so on.  In fact his novels seem tame and disciplined, without the extravagant imagination of a Jules Verne. His work seems to evoke a sleek well-designed gadget like the iPhone or the iPad. But his recent works also talk about spies and conspiracy and the nexus of technology, advertising, commercial spy work, Internet and rock bands. A strange mix that is very interesting. I used to have the same devotion to the spy novels of John le Carre and Ian Fleming but the fall of communism may have removed the romanticism of spies. Instead it’s all about technology today.

The inexorable march of technology and innovation has immediate consequences to one’s lifestyle or one’s future that everyone is a futurologist; enjoying the latest technology due to the falling prices of hardware and software. It’s now becoming a specialist world where every one could buy an Apple product and step into the future. In the meantime, the Internet is evolving in some sort of invisible parallel universe like a separate country growing organically like those buildings in ‘Idoru’, constructing itself via nanotechnology after a devastating earthquake. The new world is a world where science fiction is no longer fiction but every day reality. Perhaps not yet in the way things occur in Gibson’s books (except for his last 3 books which seem closer to today’s reality).

This is Gibson role - as a seer who helps people navigate the new technical world. John le Carre may have written about how countries really work in their spy battles but that age is now gone; replaced by technology. Indeed, spy craft is no longer the purview of people like George Smiley or James Bond but of super computers and satellites shifting through vast amounts of electronic data to discover patterns and, thereby, discern terrorist attacks or battle plans or foreign espionage or conspiracy. The spy world has moved into science fiction. Perhaps this is the meaning of Gibson’s latest trilogy, ‘Pattern Recognition’, ‘Spook Country’ and ‘Zero History.’  But his books are sparse and elegant as compared to le Carre’s dense Shakespearean like plotting. But his succinct sentences can contain deep ideas exposing only the tip of the iceberg like the deceptively simple Apple interface hiding an extremely sophisticated operating system underneath.

In today’s high technology society, the science fiction writer is its philosopher. Shakespeare writes in his day about kings and queens, or Le Carre, in the height of the cold war, about spies and espionage. Now in the convergence of communication, computers, television, music, film, Internet and everything else being digitized, there is a new magic and mystery given life by technology. So William Gibson is providing the same role that writers in the past have done. To write about present times, to educate, entertain and philosophize about reality. He is technology’s philosopher - trying to give meaning to today’s scientific enchantment and confusion. A new world where the forces of commerce, government and military are all trying to use the latest scientific equipment to further their goals. It’s no longer the stuff of science fiction but maybe literature in the tradition of George Orwell or Franz Kafka

Election Day

Why is Election Day close to Halloween or all Saints day? Maybe the expectation of monsters and frightening events is the reason. After all, going through the surprise of people wearing scary costumes and celebrating the dead, one is already used to horror and no surprise when seeing the election results. Now that is the frightening event. What sort of monsters will one find with the result of the elections? Last night the new television series premiered called the ‘Walking Dead’ - another one of those shows trying to capitalize on the zombies’ genre. The real walking dead or zombies may probably come after the results of the election.

I am being unfair. I don’t mean the coming winners or losers but the state of gridlock in politics. Gridlock and division means no work gets done. When no work is done, then it’s like being dead. Maybe that is the reason for the recent popularity of the zombies’ show. The television show was quite good but slow. I guess the producers are trying to stretch out the plot into a season full of interesting episodes. But I don’t get to see my favorite shows like ‘Rubicon’ and ‘Mad Men.’ The AMC television network is hot, coming out with all these interesting shows. For instance, ‘Rubicon’ is about a conspiracy of intelligence leaders who manufacture a terrorist incident for profit.

There were some stories of a coming terrorist attack since last month. There were alerts in Europe especially in France. Over the weekend, there was a discovery of a bomb plot; to detonate a bomb mid-air. Perhaps there are a few folks who would like to create an incident to influence the coming elections. Similar to what had happened in the past in Spain and, perhaps, England. The plot in ‘Rubicon’ seems to parallel reality especially over the weekend. Luckily the good guys won and the plot was foiled. Now comes the ‘Walking Dead’ and we shall see if this prediction comes to pass as well after the election.

The economy is not doing well as most people have expected despite the recovery and avoidance of a double dip recession. The worst maybe over but employment is still high at about 9 +%.  The environment is not conducive to incumbents because as seen in the ‘mad men’ shouting about losing jobs, homes and savings. One finds it funny that people accuse the government of increasing its role in the economy and in the same breadth accuse it of not doing enough to create jobs and improve the economy. It’s disingenuous to say that wrong policies are the result of the current malaise. What should be celebrated, in fact, is what did not happen - a collapse of the financial system that would have caused a world-wide depression.

Last night I had a sinking feeling of disorientation; that I have been procrastinating for too long. Under the guise of learning, exploring or expanding one’s horizon, I have distracted myself to middle age. Watching ‘Into Great Silence’ and speaking with my friend who were over for a Halloween lunch made me realize how trivial one’s life is. Time is running out and one should focus on the essential goal. I wasted my time watching movies or reading books like ‘Happy’, ‘Linked’ and ‘The Junior Officers Reading Club’. All these books were marginal works that seemed to promise a depth or relevancy that was not there. It would have been better if one spent the weekend in a drunken stupor.