Xin, Derrick here, couldn't help following the link in your post. another warning, slight metaphysic ahead.
anyway i'll try to cover what i haven't yet in my comment on your spaces blog. start off with a quote.
"the only difference between an enlightened man and an unenlightened one is that one knows it, while the other does not."
no philosophy is flawed. they simply exist. if you can discard all notions of flaw and flawlessness, that is good, because you are what you are. if you cannot, and remain concerned about whether you are following a "correct" philosophy, that is also good, because you are still what you are. we cannot judge a philosopher to be "better" than a hedonist, because the existence of both is essential for the existence of the universe. you could use the idea of "God's plan" as a metaphor- the current existence is perfect, because it is the only possible existence.
personally i feel that there is nothing more to know other than what i already know. my existence in the universe serves to bring about the continuation of the universe. if i did not exist- but i cannot not exist, because i exist. since i am a part of a perfect system, i am perfect. i know that i cannot know everything, and that knowledge is enough.
and if people choose not to get around that concept, so let them be. if they are the happier for it, then good for them.
i'm not saying that all moral judgements are irrelevant- i am not exactly a nihilist. i only believe that everything that happens happens because it must happen, and thus this existence is perfect. it doesn't make me happy, but i am glad in knowing that i am not happy because i was meant to be sad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obviously, that comment wasn't for me. Yay for people with multiple blogs assuming that -others- keep multiple blogs. A little common sense please, when something from ANOTHER BLOG is quoted WITH A LINK to that blog, isn't it -generally- safe to assume that the OTHER BLOG is by, shock horror, SOMEONE ELSE?!
Nevar! who ever heard of such a thing? Preposterous!
So, be a doll Xin dear, and pass this on to him hmm? Cheers.
Saturday 29 December 2007
Thursday 27 December 2007
Patriotism
I came from the dream time, from the dusty red soil plains,
I am the ancient heart – the keeper of the flame,
I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come,
For forty thousand years I'd been the first Australian.
We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.
I came upon the prison ship bound down by iron chains
I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man, I became Australian.
I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian.
We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.
I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira, and I paint the ghostly gums
I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian.
I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land, I am Australian.
We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.
The lyrics, and then the song, of what I consider to be -the- australian song. I love it, I honestly think it should be our national anthem, rather than what is, look it up if you want to, it has something like five stanza's and each one is as boring as the one before, if not more so. I'm as patriotic as they come, but seriously, our anthem sucks. 'Advance Australia Fair' ugh, waaay too british. No offence to any Brits that read my blog, I don't recall if there are any though...
Anyways, I've been meaning to make this post for a long time now, ever since my graduation night actually (17th October) as it was one of the songs sung there, everytime I hear it, I get a tingle in my skin and I sigh. I think, -yes- this is Australia, not whatever image the rest of the world has of us. We're not convicts, we're not tail-end extentions of the British Empire, and no matter how much our (old) PM was kissing Bush's arse, we're not bloody yanks! We are AUSTRALIAN and the rest of the world can go get stood on, we're here, and we're here to stay.
I mean, yeah, sure, we can take a joke as well as anyone, as far as I'm concerned, its fair game if I complain about something about Australia, it's my right as I live here, it's my country. Sure, we've got a population density that is virtually non-existent, sure we've got only 20 million people or so living here, London Town alone has more than that, but we're mostly desert, so if any more people come here we're gonna start dying of DEHYDRATION. No offence Xin, I love you dearly, but sometimes the Asian idea that we've got all this useless space and we're just being mean by preventing immigrants -really- annoys me. Seriously, I want to get some of those boat people and dump them in the unpopulated middle of Australia to show them why the bloody hell we can't fit any more in! Deserts aren't really prime living areas y'know.
Back on track, you Americans'll know what I mean really when I talk about patriotism, its something that's kinda lacking, in the majority, here. A friend of mine decided to be funny one night, he was american, and started crapping on about my country, saying that we didn't have proper 'music' but listened to digeredoo's and stuff like that. Sure, the first five minutes I could laugh along with him and all, but after an hour I was starting to get -seriously- annoyed. So much so that I ended up saying 'if you say one more thing to degrade my country, you are going to be limping home, -if- I decide to let you walk. I don't crap on your country, you don't crap on mine. You feel me?' And considering that I can pull out this awesome glare and intimidation trick (he was about half a foot taller than me) he backed off rather swiftly. After I'd calmed down I explained it in short, simple sentences that he'd understand. You mock my country and I feel about the same amount of rage that America felt when the Twin Towers went down.
He apologised and we moved on. Let that be a warning to you, -all- of you, do NOT degrade Australia, don't insult it, don't call it a pile of shit, a prison, anything like that because you're liable to get a few broken teeth, if you're lucky. Now, I'm not a violent person, I'm not actively agressive, but push the right buttons...
So yeah. I love Australia, complete with the poxy weather, the deserts, the scrub, the lack of people, the isolation, the friendly nature, and I am proud to stand up tall, strut and say I am AUSTRALIAN and the rest of you just -wish- you were.
I am the ancient heart – the keeper of the flame,
I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come,
For forty thousand years I'd been the first Australian.
We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.
I came upon the prison ship bound down by iron chains
I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man, I became Australian.
I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian.
We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.
I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira, and I paint the ghostly gums
I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian.
I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land, I am Australian.
We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.
The lyrics, and then the song, of what I consider to be -the- australian song. I love it, I honestly think it should be our national anthem, rather than what is, look it up if you want to, it has something like five stanza's and each one is as boring as the one before, if not more so. I'm as patriotic as they come, but seriously, our anthem sucks. 'Advance Australia Fair' ugh, waaay too british. No offence to any Brits that read my blog, I don't recall if there are any though...
Anyways, I've been meaning to make this post for a long time now, ever since my graduation night actually (17th October) as it was one of the songs sung there, everytime I hear it, I get a tingle in my skin and I sigh. I think, -yes- this is Australia, not whatever image the rest of the world has of us. We're not convicts, we're not tail-end extentions of the British Empire, and no matter how much our (old) PM was kissing Bush's arse, we're not bloody yanks! We are AUSTRALIAN and the rest of the world can go get stood on, we're here, and we're here to stay.
I mean, yeah, sure, we can take a joke as well as anyone, as far as I'm concerned, its fair game if I complain about something about Australia, it's my right as I live here, it's my country. Sure, we've got a population density that is virtually non-existent, sure we've got only 20 million people or so living here, London Town alone has more than that, but we're mostly desert, so if any more people come here we're gonna start dying of DEHYDRATION. No offence Xin, I love you dearly, but sometimes the Asian idea that we've got all this useless space and we're just being mean by preventing immigrants -really- annoys me. Seriously, I want to get some of those boat people and dump them in the unpopulated middle of Australia to show them why the bloody hell we can't fit any more in! Deserts aren't really prime living areas y'know.
Back on track, you Americans'll know what I mean really when I talk about patriotism, its something that's kinda lacking, in the majority, here. A friend of mine decided to be funny one night, he was american, and started crapping on about my country, saying that we didn't have proper 'music' but listened to digeredoo's and stuff like that. Sure, the first five minutes I could laugh along with him and all, but after an hour I was starting to get -seriously- annoyed. So much so that I ended up saying 'if you say one more thing to degrade my country, you are going to be limping home, -if- I decide to let you walk. I don't crap on your country, you don't crap on mine. You feel me?' And considering that I can pull out this awesome glare and intimidation trick (he was about half a foot taller than me) he backed off rather swiftly. After I'd calmed down I explained it in short, simple sentences that he'd understand. You mock my country and I feel about the same amount of rage that America felt when the Twin Towers went down.
He apologised and we moved on. Let that be a warning to you, -all- of you, do NOT degrade Australia, don't insult it, don't call it a pile of shit, a prison, anything like that because you're liable to get a few broken teeth, if you're lucky. Now, I'm not a violent person, I'm not actively agressive, but push the right buttons...
So yeah. I love Australia, complete with the poxy weather, the deserts, the scrub, the lack of people, the isolation, the friendly nature, and I am proud to stand up tall, strut and say I am AUSTRALIAN and the rest of you just -wish- you were.
Monday 24 December 2007
We are
Sometimes, there are moments in your life when you have to just sit down, take a breather, relax, and literally smell the roses. Go outside, right now, sit down in the shade of some tree and smell the life around you, smell the grass, the tree you sit below, or, if you live in a city, sit in your garden, out in your back yard, gaze up at the sky and watch the clouds drift by. Are they white, fluffy things, like cottonballs stuck up on a blue poster? Or are they streaks like combed wool? Is there a storm brewing, grey ominous things grumbling across the sky, or are there no clouds at all? Is the sky a warm blue, or a cold one? Does the grass smell fresh, or sour? Can you hear the run of traffic or of birds in the distance? Inhale slowly, can you smell the sea, or the dust of the country, or even the dampness of fertile earth?
Did you do that? Are you calmer now? Did the eternal cycle, the patience, of nature fill you? No? Take your time, our lives are full of stresses, full of struggle, so much so that we have to count every single minute as it slips away from us, as though that moment in time was too precious to let pass unremarked upon. Have you ever stood at the window and let the hours pass you by as you do nothing more than merely watch the world turn, the wind rustle the leaves and shadows make their stately march along the ground? No?
I think, that humans make to much of their life, everyone wants to leave their mark on the world, have they ever considered that with so many marks left, soon there’ll be no world left to mark? Immortality, be it by the written word, memory, or the afterlife according to the various religions, might not be such a great aim to shoot for. What assurance is there, that there is life after death? Why is there the assurance that you, or I, will go to Heaven, Hell, or even be reincarnated, but there is not that same universal assurance that my cat has something to look forward to, that this is all the life they get?
Why is it that the Buddhists revere life so much that they refuse to take the life of even a bug, and eat naught but plants, berries and seeds…when the wolf, the fox, the tiger, take the meat they need? Should not they revere life in –all- it’s forms? Are the predators considered evil then, for eating the flesh of another creature, how can they be when it is but their nature? And humans, are omnivores, they eat both plants –and- meat, so by refusing to eat meat, which would go against the reverence all life has, they are denying part of themselves, aren’t they? And, even the eating of plants, requires them to die, for their potential to regrow be snuffed out forever, such is the consequences of life, such is what occurs no matter how much respect you pile upon the apple you are eating….that is six or more potential trees you are destroying, because you have to eat.
Why must everything be measured, weighed, assessed as good or bad, why cannot it simply be? What is done, made, is of nothing more than matter. Alcohol, drugs, gold; these are but things, drugs are ‘bad’, alcohol is ‘evil’, gold is the root of all greed…but they are mere things, neither good nor bad, they just are.
Just as people are neither good, nor bad, they just are. Sure, some are more disliked than others, but that doesn’t change that they are. Everyone just is, everyone is the same, it’s the choices we make that differ us, but even then, it is all we are. Not good, not bad, just there.
Did you do that? Are you calmer now? Did the eternal cycle, the patience, of nature fill you? No? Take your time, our lives are full of stresses, full of struggle, so much so that we have to count every single minute as it slips away from us, as though that moment in time was too precious to let pass unremarked upon. Have you ever stood at the window and let the hours pass you by as you do nothing more than merely watch the world turn, the wind rustle the leaves and shadows make their stately march along the ground? No?
I think, that humans make to much of their life, everyone wants to leave their mark on the world, have they ever considered that with so many marks left, soon there’ll be no world left to mark? Immortality, be it by the written word, memory, or the afterlife according to the various religions, might not be such a great aim to shoot for. What assurance is there, that there is life after death? Why is there the assurance that you, or I, will go to Heaven, Hell, or even be reincarnated, but there is not that same universal assurance that my cat has something to look forward to, that this is all the life they get?
Why is it that the Buddhists revere life so much that they refuse to take the life of even a bug, and eat naught but plants, berries and seeds…when the wolf, the fox, the tiger, take the meat they need? Should not they revere life in –all- it’s forms? Are the predators considered evil then, for eating the flesh of another creature, how can they be when it is but their nature? And humans, are omnivores, they eat both plants –and- meat, so by refusing to eat meat, which would go against the reverence all life has, they are denying part of themselves, aren’t they? And, even the eating of plants, requires them to die, for their potential to regrow be snuffed out forever, such is the consequences of life, such is what occurs no matter how much respect you pile upon the apple you are eating….that is six or more potential trees you are destroying, because you have to eat.
Why must everything be measured, weighed, assessed as good or bad, why cannot it simply be? What is done, made, is of nothing more than matter. Alcohol, drugs, gold; these are but things, drugs are ‘bad’, alcohol is ‘evil’, gold is the root of all greed…but they are mere things, neither good nor bad, they just are.
Just as people are neither good, nor bad, they just are. Sure, some are more disliked than others, but that doesn’t change that they are. Everyone just is, everyone is the same, it’s the choices we make that differ us, but even then, it is all we are. Not good, not bad, just there.
Re: Your Brains/skullcrusher mountain
You know, I think I love Jonathan Coulton's songs....they're awesome. And these clips are pretty good too.
Summation of whatever the day before christmas. Whoo. Hip hip yarrah and all that.
Sunday 23 December 2007
The Christmas Spirit
Be the best you can be all year long,
behave yourself as a good child
and never, ever, ever to nothing wrong,
on christmas day you can go wild.
Bring the gifts, the presents, the food,
a family, your friends, all that gear
open a bottle and toss back the booze,
to celebrate the loss of another year.
.....yeah, I'm not into this whole, Christmas spirit thing. For me, it's far to commercialised. The metre for measuring happiness is an artificial tree bedecked in shiny things in a living room, underneath which there needs to be a mountain and a half of gifts.
Sorry, just a bit....yeah. Things aren't going very well for me at the moment, honestly.
behave yourself as a good child
and never, ever, ever to nothing wrong,
on christmas day you can go wild.
Bring the gifts, the presents, the food,
a family, your friends, all that gear
open a bottle and toss back the booze,
to celebrate the loss of another year.
.....yeah, I'm not into this whole, Christmas spirit thing. For me, it's far to commercialised. The metre for measuring happiness is an artificial tree bedecked in shiny things in a living room, underneath which there needs to be a mountain and a half of gifts.
Sorry, just a bit....yeah. Things aren't going very well for me at the moment, honestly.
Thursday 20 December 2007
The Future Soon...
Awesome flick. Awesome song actually, but yeah.
Let's see, i am at my dads at the moment, yay for semi constant internet access...for two weeks. *sighs* I'm honestly sick of the world, and everything within it. It's like...i've reached the end of my patience for anything. For people, for the inanities and banalities of life. Although that song is neat, The Future Soon.... brings a note of hope to things, doesn't it?
I'm in an odd mood today, at the moment, melancholy. I want to play my harp, yet I do not have one. I want to play my flute, yet I do not have one, I want to play a piano, yet, again, i do not have one. I should not know how to play -any- of these, yet I do. I have had no lessons in music, ever, yet ...I want to fill the air with the notes of my creation, fill my ears with the pure melody that I have within and....I cannot.
It is very disheartening.
Thursday 6 December 2007
Sail beyond.
Sail upon the midnight sky,
walk the waters of eternity,
swim amongst the sands of time
and there is where you'll find me.
Encased within an isle of water,
buried beneath a heart of fire
burning in the land of death,
throbbing with the blaze of desire.
Sing a song of purity
with the blackest of hearts,
tell a tale of solemnity
with laughter from the start.
Find me, free me, ask me a boon;
tell me, taunt me, give me your sword;
hate me, love me, burn from within--
only then will I give you my word.
Tell you the secrets you crave,
the knowledge I have seen,
what you want, what you need;
where you have been.
Every boon must have a price,
and every price must be paid
for what is lost should be replaced,
else nothing but sorrow will be gained.
So wary, ever wary,
ever cautious must you be,
if you seek the land of death
to ask a boon of me.
Written shortly after watching pirates of the carribean three -- awesome movie, a must see I reckon, solely for the marriage scene. They're on this ship, fighting, Will asks Elizabeth to marry him.
"I don't think now's the time."
"Now may be the ONLY time." Clash, clang, sword fighting fishery sailors.
"So what's your answer? Will you marry me?" <-- still will.
"Barbosa!" <-- Elizabeth
"What?"
"Marry us!"
"I'm a little BUSY." See, Barbosa is fighting off the Flying Dutchman's fishy crew as well.
"NOW." Don't argue with elizabeth.
Barbosa jumps up on the bit of wood before the wheel and says "Dearly beloved, we're gathere here --" Clash, sword slice, Will and Elizabeth fight hand in hand, twirling around each other and stuff "Will, do you take her--"
"I, will turner, take Elizabeth swan to be my wife."
More fighting.
"Elizabeth, do you..." more fighting by barbosa
"I Elizabeth Swan, take you to be my husband in sickness and in health" sword swing fight fight "Health being the less likely--" more fighting.
"I captain barbosa now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the--" he has to jump down and fight some more "You may kiss...." more fighting. "Just kiss!"
I love it. <3
walk the waters of eternity,
swim amongst the sands of time
and there is where you'll find me.
Encased within an isle of water,
buried beneath a heart of fire
burning in the land of death,
throbbing with the blaze of desire.
Sing a song of purity
with the blackest of hearts,
tell a tale of solemnity
with laughter from the start.
Find me, free me, ask me a boon;
tell me, taunt me, give me your sword;
hate me, love me, burn from within--
only then will I give you my word.
Tell you the secrets you crave,
the knowledge I have seen,
what you want, what you need;
where you have been.
Every boon must have a price,
and every price must be paid
for what is lost should be replaced,
else nothing but sorrow will be gained.
So wary, ever wary,
ever cautious must you be,
if you seek the land of death
to ask a boon of me.
Written shortly after watching pirates of the carribean three -- awesome movie, a must see I reckon, solely for the marriage scene. They're on this ship, fighting, Will asks Elizabeth to marry him.
"I don't think now's the time."
"Now may be the ONLY time." Clash, clang, sword fighting fishery sailors.
"So what's your answer? Will you marry me?" <-- still will.
"Barbosa!" <-- Elizabeth
"What?"
"Marry us!"
"I'm a little BUSY." See, Barbosa is fighting off the Flying Dutchman's fishy crew as well.
"NOW." Don't argue with elizabeth.
Barbosa jumps up on the bit of wood before the wheel and says "Dearly beloved, we're gathere here --" Clash, sword slice, Will and Elizabeth fight hand in hand, twirling around each other and stuff "Will, do you take her--"
"I, will turner, take Elizabeth swan to be my wife."
More fighting.
"Elizabeth, do you..." more fighting by barbosa
"I Elizabeth Swan, take you to be my husband in sickness and in health" sword swing fight fight "Health being the less likely--" more fighting.
"I captain barbosa now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the--" he has to jump down and fight some more "You may kiss...." more fighting. "Just kiss!"
I love it. <3
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