“We saw a number of whales but none so close up as that first one. I would be alerted to their presence by their spouting. They would emerge a short distance away, sometimes three or four of them, a short-lived archipelago of volcanic islands. These gentle behemoths always lifted my spirits. I was convinced that they understood my condition, that at the sight of me one of them exclaimed, “Oh! It’s that castaway with the pussy cat Bamphoo was telling me about. Poor boy. Hope he has enough plankton. I must tell Mumphoo and Tomphoo and Stimphoo about him. I wonder if there isn’t a ship around I could alert. his mother would be very happy to see him again. Goodbye, my boy. I’ll try to help. My name’s Pimphoo.” And so, through the grapevine, every whale of the Pacific knew of me, and I would have been saved long ago if Pimphoo hadn’t sought help from a Japanese ship whose dastardly crew harpooned her, the same fate as befell Lamphoo at the hands of a Norwegian ship. The hunting of whales is a heinous crime.” (Life of Pi, 230)
The Question of Valentine’s Day February 17, 2009
I came home from China 3 days ago, on Valentine’s day. People from both countries celebrate this holiday, yes China does as well. I’ve been inform by a friend living in China, apparently the price of a single rose rises from 10 RMB to 100 RMB on the day of Valentine. Unfortunately, the holiday itself is not the only trans-national part of this global expansion.
I am not a huge holiday person. Not because I’m not a romantic person, but because I don’t like doing things if I feel that I’m expected to do them. Anyhow, that’s another posting perhaps.. The point is though, if we must celebrate this day, then I rather think of it as Love Day! The day to celebrate not only couply love, but family love, friendship love, animal love, earthly love, big love, little love… If we must limit our recognition for love to one day a year, then let’s be generous with our love on that day!
Let’s go out and love someone, something, today and everyday!
Back to Jet Lag Book Posting February 17, 2009
Part of me feel guilty for posting my thoughts on books only during my jet lag sessions. Something I need to work on, clearly! But for now, here’s the latest lines that I found interesting from Pi,
“You may be astonished that in such a short period of time I could go from weeping over the muffled killing of a flying fish to gleefully bludgeoning to death a dorado. I could explain it by arguing that profiting from a pitiful flying fish’s navigational mistake made me shy and sorrowful, while the excitement of actively capturing a great dorado made me sanguinary and self-assured. But in point of fact the explanation lies else where. It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even to killing.” (p.185)
What a scary statement?! It is scary, only because there is truth in it!
“Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love — but sometimes it was so hard to love.“(p.208 )
I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I could see how others might get quite attached to their relationship with God. I would even go further and say that I believe some people are probably better off with God in their lives. Learning to love, to truly love, and feeling loved, truly loved, by God or someone human, are all part of necessity that give us Life.
