Saturday, February 24, 2007

Overthrow! Dark Revolt

Now my blind eye sees...
that sometimes...
the hand of Fate must be forced!

-Illidan, Demon Hunter
Warcraft 3, Frozen Throne Expansion Pack

Today has been a day of disappointment and shadowy realizations. One upon a time, a light shone through the dark sky; dawn has broken into my world and the sun appeared to give me warmth. I once dreamt of owning part of that warmth but the sun just smiled, nodded politely but stayed conveniently out of my reach. Since then, its influence on my life has waned as a shooting star and several other stars lighted my sky.

Today was the day I have come to realize what I should have known so long ago: the sun can never be mine. With the notion that I must learn to let go for real came the darkness I had once been acquainted with.

A female acquaintance of mine once said she liked me better when I was cheerful, instead of the dark brooding killer she had met years ago. Now, it seems I have been unwise to banish darkness completely out of my life. I have made the same mistake as the Protoss Conclave who, in their single-minded faith in Adun and the Khala, exiled the Dark Templars from their midst. Was it not with the combined light and dark forces that the Zerg Overmind was finally defeated?

I do recognize the irony, though; the sun that shone for so long on my life shall herald the darkness unto my world. Yet, more than ever, the darkness has revealed what would have otherwise remained unseen in the glare of light. The shadows of the dark night has shown me quagmires of false hopes, slippery slopes of optimism and sharp craggy outcrops of obsession. In searing heat and glaring sunlight, all I would have seen was a vast desert dotted by fleeting mirages of oases that were never there.

The sorcerer is almost awake; more than ever, the jester struggles to remain the warrior's master. The sun and the stars are giving way to a dark sky, as fleeting as they themselves are. The sky begins to turn as day and night chase each other about. I, for one, am praying that balance may finally be found.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Musings of a Chronic Liar

Look deeper into my eyes
And tell me a string of lies.
Say everything is fine
and that you will be mine.

Has it ever occurred to you that someone, somewhere knows something you don't and they're having a good time at your expense?

Call it conspiracy theory or whatnot but I have always had the nagging feeling that shaving creams and/or after-shave lotions might have hair growth stimulants. If it were so, there is nothing we consumers could do about it since, after all, they never were supposed to inhibit hair growth nor did they advertise doing so. Still, it is a pretty darned smart way to ensure that their customers will keep on buying their products. To us, they are just implements to an eternal ritual against something we, as humans, have deemed inescapable: shaving. To them, they are almost a self-sustaining investment.

How about those mold and mildew cleaners? What if each droplet of acidic liquid poured onto the grout between ceramic tiles contained a certain chemical, which, when decayed, encourages more fungal growth? The companies selling these cleaners, too, did not advertise retarding mold and mildew proliferation. They were supposed to clean but not keep your tiles clean. If these indeed contained such chemicals, we'd be in a never-ending battle against fungus.

Another one I have had the luxury to experience: anti-dandruff shampoo. So long as I keep on using it, I don't get flaky scalp; it must have some strong chemicals for even its vapors sting my eyes. However, when I discontinue usage, I get a dandruff boom. Does it also have nice ingredients that decay into bad ones?

Ahh, the refined art of subterfuge. Technically, the makers of the three products never lied to us; they just happened to omit certain facts from the mass media. Given that I, too, enjoy "lying" to others, I'm beginning to wonder if any of those people might be my kin.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Cleansing the Celestials

The sorcerer stirs in his sleep,
dreaming, never dozing deep.
The radiant sun is burning bright,
flaming in its light and might.
The fleeting wind races through
the tangled woods where it once blew.

Once upon a time, there was a sorcerer who, for his sins in trying to wield magic as his own, was put into a fitful sleep, only to awaken when he is needed once more. Ever and anon, he stirs, whenever the call of power is felt nearby. The impact of meteorites, lividly raging storms or slowly creeping frost all sing the tempting song, enticing the prisoner to wield them once more.

Today, however, a greater song pervades the air. The season of frost is now past and the season of blossoming has arrived.

I have always liked spring. It is a time when most probably everyone feels alive. Like fall, the day is absolutely bright and sunny but, at the same time, cool and gusty. The harmony of sun and wind creates a weather that is neither too hot nor too cold: a weather that is usually known as perfect. The season of blossoming and the season of molting are the perfect seasons to fly kites, to run about in the open, to smile and laugh without inhibition, to sing and be joyful, to hunt and to mate.

There used to be times that I'd be burnt-out by the sheer pressure of the projects I'm doing. Usually, it takes very little to restore energy to me, coffee, cinnamon, a spot of brandy or such truck. Music, too, especially rock, has proven especially effective in kicking my blood alive.

Very recently, though, I experienced a burn-out so exhaustive that even music can only do so much. It was then that I realized the importance of sun and wind in my life. A scream from the Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair couldn't have put it better, "I have to get out! I am a Marshwriggle! I can't stay in these caves for so long; I need the sun, the wind a
the sky!"

While I generally have no idea about Marshwriggles, except that they aren't good to eat and that they, in turn, eat eels, I do agree that I, like him, do need the Earth Mother (and the sky gods) more than I am willing to admit. Like the lizards and salamanders, I now make it a point to bask in the sun for some time shortly after awakening. I have resolved to quit my dependence on the cursed coffee and harness the sun, instead, to jump-start me every morning.

Spring is such a lovely season.

(A friend once commented that my posts are too long to be digestible. Please do bear with me while I research on procuring low-dosage brews)