Tag: Thoughts

Why do all good things come to an end…?

Flames to dust, lovers to friends, why do all good things come to an end? –> Great song by Nelly Furtado.

My good friend Andrew is leaving to go back to Atlanta in the next 8 hours or so. We had a great farewell party for him and also mixed with a birthday party for Julia and I. Bidding goodbye is the hardest thing to do. Time doesn’t really have much to do with how good a friendship is. It’s all in the moment. I’ve made great friends from knowing them for only a weekend, a month, a semester, to friends I’ve known since I was little. It’s all about connections, common grounds, and always a little bit of fate. When we think about how small this world really is, it’s destined, in a way, that certain people cross paths. Two people from different corners of the world with completely different backgrounds end up doing the same thing in the same place at the same time.

This world of ours is definitely a wonder. I mean, I never thought I would be here in Costa Rica teaching English. How did I end up here? What if things were different? What if I never moved to the US? I always try to imagine what it would be like. Maybe in another parallel universe, there’s another me that never left Hong Kong. Speaking of the universe, check this article out.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is I’ve bid a lot of goodbyes. I’ve been to 2 different elementary schools, 2 different middle schools, and three different universities. Some of the friends I completely lost contact with, others are scattered all over the world. It’s probable but unlikely that I’ll see many of them again. With the new age of the internet and social networks, keeping in touch is very easy, but different. Sure, we know how our friends are doing, what they’re up to, etc. but it’s different when we actually hang out with them, go out, have fun, and whatnot.

It’s sad to say goodbye, but we have to keep moving on. Just remember all the good times and bad, all the tears and joy, ups and downs. Treasure the memories and experiences that define you. Use it as strength to continue on with life. That’s how I always feel. Feels like I’ve been here forever, but it’s only been a month. Next thing you know, it’s time to leave. At first, it’s sad, then you feel glad to have made all these friends, and after you’re optimistic about encountering them again, and in the blink of an eye, you’re taking deep breaths and looking ahead, looking out the plane window or bus or whatever kind of transportation remembering all the incidents and such. Then smiling, then eyes get watery, then the guy/girl sitting next to you starts to eye you like you’re loco. That’s how it always is, for me anyway.

With that, this entry has come to an end. I’m heading to bed…it’s 6 in the damn morning…damn.

A trip down memory lane

I came across some cartoon theme songs that I remember listening to and watching growing up.

Link here

It’s in Chinese, Cantonese to be exact. These aren’t just some random cartoon songs, each one of them has meanings that guided our generation basically. It related to us and still does. Back in elementary school, I remember getting out of school, going home, and watching these cartoons. I dare say most of us watched and know all of these. Every day, cartoons first, then homework (maybe), for us boys we go down to the park after to play soccer and whatnot. That’s where you learn your swear words and such. Back then in Hong Kong, there were many neighborhoods, and most of them were, and still are, “estates” or “courts”. Each of them has a park, a market, and a mall. These neighborhoods are equivalent to barrios (en español). We were defined by the town or the area in which the neighborhood is (much like East Coast vs West Coast, or even area codes). Anyway, listening to these songs brings back many sentimientos and images en mi mente. 

My time frame of my childhood is basically stuck in the 90s because in 99 I left for the US. It’s interesting because I remember many times at home with mi amigos and the TV would be on a Chinese channel. I understood everything, but mi amigos, nada. This Chinese culture side that I have I rarely use or share, it only pops up occasionally in conversations, and most of the time I end up having to explain a lot. 

It’s weird cause I only have a few really good Chinese friends in Hawaii and a few in Hong Kong. That’s pretty much it. At one point in my life (high school I think), I avoided anything and everything relating to Chinese culture. I was resisting it and didn’t want to have anything to do with it. It didn’t make sense to me at the time, but now, of course, it does. Like every kid with a new toy, I despised the old ones because they’re old and they ain’t cool. Not until college did I appreciate how old and deep this culture is.

On another note, it’s Halloween tomorrow. One day where we can dress up as anything and no one would care; one day where we can pretend to be someone else; one day where we don’t have to be ourselves (Unless you’re an actor or actress). Time goes by fast around this time, Halloween then Thanksgiving, and before you know it it’s Christmas and New Year’s. Actually, this year will be the first time I’m spending Christmas and New Year away from home. Gotta plan something.

So, go trick or treating, watch some horror movies, eat some pumpkin pie, and carve some pumpkins on this All Hallows Eve.

There’s no gene for fate…

Or is there? That was one of the memorable quotes in the movie Gattaca that I loved (and still do). It was one of many that kept me on my toes.

Anywho, the reason I bring up that quote is because of this article. Basically, a Bio-Computer has been created and tested inside a living cell which allows the manipulation of molecules. Engineered RNA (Ribonucleic acid, different from DNA, RNA is single-stranded) Bio-Computer can ultimately be “commanded” to change genes. Read the article for details.

The thought of altering genes took me right back to the movie. Genetically engineered human beings (eventually). This brings up controversial issues like stem-cell research and human ethics (mostly). The thought of having the power to play God is scary because admit it, ambitions drive us to the edge sometimes, and people make bad choices. The ones who have power want more power. This desire is our most basic human instinct. It gave us the development of new technologies, it gave us new knowledge of our world, it took us to the Moon (There’s no conspiracy here people, we did go to the moon), it gave us so many of the conveniences we enjoy every day without even thinking about it.

Nature vs Nurture is also another issue that consists of so many variables that it’s simply impossible to determine a trait. When we think about it, altering genes is really against nature, it doesn’t occur naturally. We manipulate and ultimately control it. I’m sure we’ve all seen it in TV shows and movies: aliens, robots, robots that are biologically based, AI, etc. I mean, sure, it’s fictional, but it can happen given this exponential growth of scientific knowledge and advances.

In the end, how do we determine the limits of these advances? What’s good? What’s evil? Yes, these are all philosophical questions and there’s no definite answer, these are all clichés, important, nonetheless. So, if you can alter a gene for fate, would you do it?

Cheers for a headache!

When it is darkest, men see the stars

Ralph Waldo Emerson might have been right 200 years ago…

This past weekend we went to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. The beaches were definitely the best part. Saturday night we went out onto the beach, brought our guitars, and played some great music. I looked up at the sky and recognized a few easy-to-spot constellations: Orion the Hunter to the East (which everyone knows – Orion’s belt), Rigel and Betelgeuse, Andromeda and Pegasus almost directly above, Cassiopeia to the North, and Cygnus to the Northwest. This is looking up from Costa Rica (and neighboring countries of course). It was interesting because even though the sky was clear as glass, it was still hard to spot some of these stars. It’s sad really. The main reason for this is mostly light pollution. When we think about pollution things like air and water pollution pop into the head. Light pollution? Most people don’t even know what it is.

The point is that human activities and development have had a profound effect on the environment. Modern society depends too much on these natural resources. We keep taking but not giving back, and soon, resources are going to run out. The environment can survive without us, but we can’t survive without it. Astronomy has had a long history going back to the Greek and Roman Empire, Egypt, and China. Imagine the night sky back then…no lights, not much pollution, and a view of the stars clear as night. How awesome is (well, was) that?

Many religions associate stars with gods and heaven. Most people would admit that stargazing on the beach with a loved one is perhaps one of the most romantic things to do. Well, soon there won’t be any stars to see because our atmosphere will be so polluted.

See for yourself

Hace mucho tiempo, cuando no había nada, eso es el tiempo que pueda ver claramente el mundo y el universo. Querría volver a eso tiempo.

So, look up to the sky, ponder about meanings, and enjoy the view while we still can.