DJ Shadow is a very talented musician his style of music is similar to what I like to listen to since I enjoy instrumental music. One song that stands out to me the most in his album, "Entroducing", is called, "Building Steam With a Grain of Salt" because this song represents the difficult times that I go through in my life.
I like how the music starts with piano notes, which constantly plays throughout a majority of the song. At around 20 seconds into the song, there is a piano chord that hits hard during the piano notes. The powerful chord represents the anger that is building up. Every time I hear those piano notes and the heavy chord hit, I think about the bad times, such as the times when I had failed or had been bullied back in my middle school years. As the drums come and continue throughout the song, this is when I am ready to let my "steam" come out. I let my steam out either through martial arts or kickboxing since those are the two things that lets any feeling, anger, hatred, pain, and/or sadness, out of my body and heart. At around 4 minutes and 20 seconds into the song, my favorite part comes out, which is when the beat hits faster as if someone is playing a drum solo. I like to call this the "let everything out of me in these 20 seconds of the song" part since the beats are intense and fast. I feel like throwing my hardest set of punches and kicks to the punching bag so that I am going with the flow of the intense part of the song. When the music calms down, this is when my mind is clear of all the bad thoughts and chattering as if I am free from my anxieties.
If I were to give this song one word, I would call it freedom because it allows me to reflect upon my life and let my feelings out through working out, like what I mentioned, or playing instruments. After that, I feel relieved, better about myself, and allow myself to move forward in life.
Extra Note: Also, this song played during one of the cutscenes of a videogame called, Splinter Cell: Conviction. Though I did not play the game nor do I know much of the storyline, I will only describe just this particular cutscene. Sam Fisher, the main character, finds out that one of his best friends, Lambert, lied to him about Sam's daughter's death. As Sam is hearing this terrible news, the song plays and we can see the anger that builds within Sam's face as he hits the inanimate objects around him and afterwards, kills whichever enemy comes in his way so that he can let his steam come out. For Sam Fisher, violence is his way of freeing his mind from the pain that he is carrying.
Link to the cutscene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S2Qvutvr4Y&feature=related
Friday, September 24, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Blog #3 9/9/10 -- Groundhog Day and the Cave
(In response to the prompt, "It seems Phil takes years, maybe even more than a decade, to escape Groundhog Day. Considering all the phases he goes through, what does this say about release from the cave?")
Phil Connors has been trapped in Groundhog day for about a decade and has been struggling to get himself out of the day. He has gone through several changes, mostly his personality, through the times he has been on that day. His change from an egocentric man to a kind-hearted person resembles his slow progress in the cave. While being inside that cave, he began to realize and understand that he is not the only one who is important and that there are other people out there who are as important as he is.
One important factor in the film was music and music was like his flashlight that guided him inside the cave. Music was something that diminished a majority of his negative feelings, such as his anger and selfishness, and this made him open himself up more to the people around him. One scene that I liked was when he ran into Ned, whom at the beginning, Phil thought he was annoying and this was before he started to like music and other types of art. But after the times he started learning music, as well as art sculpture, Phil thought that instead of being angry, he should show his love and kindness. After watching this scene, I noticed that music and art had calmed him down and it made him realize that anger was something that he shouldn't carry since anger was a negative feeling that had been bringing him down and preventing him from escaping the cave.
Another example that shows change was his times with the homeless man. In the beginning, he never really noticed the man next to him and thought he wasn't significant since he had been passing him by. As he continued to relive the same day, he began to show concern for the man to the point when he became determined to keep him alive. In the scene when he was trying to save the man, the classical piano music was playing in the background and this showed that music was something that opened up his soft and caring side. But as he made several trials and errors in trying to save the man, he noticed that he couldn't save him, no matter how hard he tried. He learned that death is something that isn't a part of darkness or negativity, rather, it is a part of living life. In other words, there are moments when it is time for people to die and Phil realized that he couldn't alter the fate of others' lives. This was one of the moments that showed his progress inside his cave because he realized that he was not a "God" who could make any change he wanted and save EVERY person's life. Even if he had an infinite number of attempts, he could never reach the level of perfection since he is a human being that makes mistakes in life.
One aspect that was symbolic throughout the entire movie was the weather. During Groundhog Day, it had mostly been foggy and the fog had been preventing the sun from showing its light. The fog resembled the shadows that trapped Phil within the cave. When he found out that Groundhog Day ended, he saw sunlight coming out and this not only signified his escape out of the cave but this resembled his progress in changing who he was and gain more understanding of what life is all about.
Phil Connors has been trapped in Groundhog day for about a decade and has been struggling to get himself out of the day. He has gone through several changes, mostly his personality, through the times he has been on that day. His change from an egocentric man to a kind-hearted person resembles his slow progress in the cave. While being inside that cave, he began to realize and understand that he is not the only one who is important and that there are other people out there who are as important as he is.
One important factor in the film was music and music was like his flashlight that guided him inside the cave. Music was something that diminished a majority of his negative feelings, such as his anger and selfishness, and this made him open himself up more to the people around him. One scene that I liked was when he ran into Ned, whom at the beginning, Phil thought he was annoying and this was before he started to like music and other types of art. But after the times he started learning music, as well as art sculpture, Phil thought that instead of being angry, he should show his love and kindness. After watching this scene, I noticed that music and art had calmed him down and it made him realize that anger was something that he shouldn't carry since anger was a negative feeling that had been bringing him down and preventing him from escaping the cave.
Another example that shows change was his times with the homeless man. In the beginning, he never really noticed the man next to him and thought he wasn't significant since he had been passing him by. As he continued to relive the same day, he began to show concern for the man to the point when he became determined to keep him alive. In the scene when he was trying to save the man, the classical piano music was playing in the background and this showed that music was something that opened up his soft and caring side. But as he made several trials and errors in trying to save the man, he noticed that he couldn't save him, no matter how hard he tried. He learned that death is something that isn't a part of darkness or negativity, rather, it is a part of living life. In other words, there are moments when it is time for people to die and Phil realized that he couldn't alter the fate of others' lives. This was one of the moments that showed his progress inside his cave because he realized that he was not a "God" who could make any change he wanted and save EVERY person's life. Even if he had an infinite number of attempts, he could never reach the level of perfection since he is a human being that makes mistakes in life.
One aspect that was symbolic throughout the entire movie was the weather. During Groundhog Day, it had mostly been foggy and the fog had been preventing the sun from showing its light. The fog resembled the shadows that trapped Phil within the cave. When he found out that Groundhog Day ended, he saw sunlight coming out and this not only signified his escape out of the cave but this resembled his progress in changing who he was and gain more understanding of what life is all about.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
How my grandfather's experience relates to Plato's Allegory of the Cave
Each and every one of us goes through moments of struggle and hardship in order to obtain our desires and goals. Plato’s allegory of the cave tells us how people have to live through darkness in order to find that light of truth. The darkness represents the trials and errors we make as well as the limitations that prevent us from seeing the light. I want to share an experience that my mother told me about regarding her father’s (my maternal grandfather) times in World War II as well as the times after that event.
My maternal grandfather had spent parts of his life fighting in this horrible war. War represents negative feelings, such as anger, hatred and sadness, and my grandfather had carried these feelings during his rough times. This war was between Philippines and Japan and my grandfather expressed great hatred towards Japanese people during and after this war. He had been through death marches where he had to walk with chains around his hands and his legs while having barely any food in his stomach. Although it looked nearly impossible to stay alive, he had managed to survive with his strong will and combating skills. In the end, he was able to make it out of the war and escape from all of the hell that he had to go through.
Even though he was out of the war, he still carried negative feelings within him, especially during the times when he married my grandmother and gave birth to my mother, my two aunts, and my uncle. While my mother and her siblings were growing up, my grandfather would not show signs of love since he would hit them with hard inanimate objects if they did ONE LITTLE THING wrong (such as if they made one drop of mess on the floor, if they came home late or got grades that were less than A’s in school). It was tough for the whole family to live happy lives since my grandfather had been so strict and harsh to them. Although my mother and her siblings had been carried these same negative feelings, my grandmother was able to give them comfort by showing her love to them and telling them to understand the pain that my grandfather had been through.
Somewhere around my grandfather’s fifties, he became seriously ill (I am not sure what illness or disease he had gotten) and was on the verge of dying. During his time of illness my mother and her siblings would come to his deathbed and comfort him. As his last few days of his life had gone by, my grandfather began to feel love within his heart for the first time in his life as he became closer to them. He realized and understood that he had been cruel to his own family and his hatred for the Japanese people and others around him has made him a bitter person. Although he had passed away, he was able to free himself from the shadows and find the light that he had been missing throughout his life. He passed away with feelings of happiness, joy, and enlightenment and was able to bring the entire family closer together.
My maternal grandfather had spent parts of his life fighting in this horrible war. War represents negative feelings, such as anger, hatred and sadness, and my grandfather had carried these feelings during his rough times. This war was between Philippines and Japan and my grandfather expressed great hatred towards Japanese people during and after this war. He had been through death marches where he had to walk with chains around his hands and his legs while having barely any food in his stomach. Although it looked nearly impossible to stay alive, he had managed to survive with his strong will and combating skills. In the end, he was able to make it out of the war and escape from all of the hell that he had to go through.
Even though he was out of the war, he still carried negative feelings within him, especially during the times when he married my grandmother and gave birth to my mother, my two aunts, and my uncle. While my mother and her siblings were growing up, my grandfather would not show signs of love since he would hit them with hard inanimate objects if they did ONE LITTLE THING wrong (such as if they made one drop of mess on the floor, if they came home late or got grades that were less than A’s in school). It was tough for the whole family to live happy lives since my grandfather had been so strict and harsh to them. Although my mother and her siblings had been carried these same negative feelings, my grandmother was able to give them comfort by showing her love to them and telling them to understand the pain that my grandfather had been through.
Somewhere around my grandfather’s fifties, he became seriously ill (I am not sure what illness or disease he had gotten) and was on the verge of dying. During his time of illness my mother and her siblings would come to his deathbed and comfort him. As his last few days of his life had gone by, my grandfather began to feel love within his heart for the first time in his life as he became closer to them. He realized and understood that he had been cruel to his own family and his hatred for the Japanese people and others around him has made him a bitter person. Although he had passed away, he was able to free himself from the shadows and find the light that he had been missing throughout his life. He passed away with feelings of happiness, joy, and enlightenment and was able to bring the entire family closer together.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
My Experience With Truth
What is truth? I define truth as something that can never be altered or changed. Truth is like the light of everything where as falsehood or anything that is the polar opposite of truth is the darkness that blinds us from this truth. Our minds may think of falsehood as something that we are used to thinking and that this false belief has been embedded within us. People, like me, sometimes hide the truth from others because we are carry this fear of how others will react to or if others will perceive us as "terrible" people after telling them the truth.
One of the quotes that relates to my personal life is Mark Twain's quote saying that,
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't" -- Mark Twain
Fiction is something that is not real and that there are several possibilities and definitions as to what fiction really is. Fiction and censorships are the things that again, represents darkness and our minds are used to believing that fiction is true. One example I want to use would be my experience with learning about history. During my history class in elementary school, my teacher told me that Christopher Columbus was a hero who discovered America. When I got to high school, I read Howard Zinn's book "A People's History of the United States", which said that Columbus and his Spaniard armies were murders that committed genocide in eliminating the people that once lived in America. It was hard for me to accept that Columbus was a villain and not a hero and I thought that it was awkward and "strange" when I found out his true colors since I never thought of him as a wrongdoer. However, as I learned more about him, I began to accept this truth more and more to the point where my mind was used to believing that he was a villain.
Although censorship is a dark aspect that prevents young ones from seeing the truth, people, such as those who are running the media, believe it is needed because they do not want the young ones to grow up carrying negativity and are unable to understand the truth.
Another saying that relates to this is another one of Mark Twain's quote which is,
"If you tell the truth, you won't have to remember anything." -- Mark Twain
Telling the truth is painful to go through because we often think of consequences, mostly the negative ones, of what may happen when others find out about this truth. I sometimes lie to my parents, mostly about my grades and other things regarding school, because I do not want to get yelled at or disappoint them. One example that I want to bring up was the time when I was on the verge of failing one of my physics classes here at SFSU. Whenever my mother asked me how I was doing in ALL of my classes, I would lie by saying that I was doing good and that I was handling everything well. After telling her this, I started to have anxiety and was having difficult times staying focused with my studies because I feared about how she would react if she found out I did not pass ONE class. Finally, I told her the truth that I was REALLY failing my physics class and although she was somewhat disappointed, she accepted the truth and told me to do my best and that I cannot be afraid of failure. I felt more at ease for studying for my finals since I was able to let go of my stress and I did not have to think about all of the mistakes I have made in the past and the things that may happen in the future. In the end, I was able to miraculously pass all of my classes (including my Physics class).
One of the quotes that relates to my personal life is Mark Twain's quote saying that,
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't" -- Mark Twain
Fiction is something that is not real and that there are several possibilities and definitions as to what fiction really is. Fiction and censorships are the things that again, represents darkness and our minds are used to believing that fiction is true. One example I want to use would be my experience with learning about history. During my history class in elementary school, my teacher told me that Christopher Columbus was a hero who discovered America. When I got to high school, I read Howard Zinn's book "A People's History of the United States", which said that Columbus and his Spaniard armies were murders that committed genocide in eliminating the people that once lived in America. It was hard for me to accept that Columbus was a villain and not a hero and I thought that it was awkward and "strange" when I found out his true colors since I never thought of him as a wrongdoer. However, as I learned more about him, I began to accept this truth more and more to the point where my mind was used to believing that he was a villain.
Although censorship is a dark aspect that prevents young ones from seeing the truth, people, such as those who are running the media, believe it is needed because they do not want the young ones to grow up carrying negativity and are unable to understand the truth.
Another saying that relates to this is another one of Mark Twain's quote which is,
"If you tell the truth, you won't have to remember anything." -- Mark Twain
Telling the truth is painful to go through because we often think of consequences, mostly the negative ones, of what may happen when others find out about this truth. I sometimes lie to my parents, mostly about my grades and other things regarding school, because I do not want to get yelled at or disappoint them. One example that I want to bring up was the time when I was on the verge of failing one of my physics classes here at SFSU. Whenever my mother asked me how I was doing in ALL of my classes, I would lie by saying that I was doing good and that I was handling everything well. After telling her this, I started to have anxiety and was having difficult times staying focused with my studies because I feared about how she would react if she found out I did not pass ONE class. Finally, I told her the truth that I was REALLY failing my physics class and although she was somewhat disappointed, she accepted the truth and told me to do my best and that I cannot be afraid of failure. I felt more at ease for studying for my finals since I was able to let go of my stress and I did not have to think about all of the mistakes I have made in the past and the things that may happen in the future. In the end, I was able to miraculously pass all of my classes (including my Physics class).
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