Hope The Saddle Is Still Comfortable

"Write something about me.."

Well, that's what she said.

It's been awhile since I wrote something. And I am just getting back into the groove. So when The Tiger asked me to write something about her, it came as a challenge.

And I'm not into challenges this past few years. Maybe it's time to change.

So pardon me for being rusty. I have to rev up this old rocking horse to a speed-crazy mustang. And it will take more than one post to wake the muse in me.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the write-up.

See a short while ago (during my radio guesting days), there was this wee little girl I met on the internet. And blah blah blah (I hate longish intros), we became good friends.

Of course as with good friends, there were high peaks and low peaks, good times and bad times, fallouts and get-back-togethers. It's like a long drawnout eternal coin flip where heads and tails just mash together.

Tired of that old love-hate, friend-nonfriend thing, I settled on the next best solution. The mocker-mockee friendship. That way, we are both at odds all the time that it doesn't matter since we, whatever the coin lands on, will still be friends.

She'd always insists that she is the perpetual mocker.

I'd let her think that way to avoid any complications.

Anyway, as friends, we get to share our problems, experience, and thoughts without the least bit of prejudice. She'd always try and slip in a mock or two, but overall it was and is a healthy friendship.

She has helped me out in a big way and I try to reciprocate with the most I can do. Little by other standards but I believe she sees the effort and the intent I put into it. Well, I really do believe that.

Antonette has been going thru a lot and I've seen her hit the lowest point. And it does pain me to see her like that. And after a long coping period, she's bounced back into the tiger cub that she is.

I'm happy that I was there during her recovery period. Happy that I was there to support her, understand her, and oh yeah, fulfill my role as mockee.

So to Antonette, the small girl with a big heart, thanks for everything Tiger.

If there's anything I can do, just holler, holler. Or is it roar, roar?

Oil Change

Suddenly woke up and can't sleep again. Having two jobs does takes it's (its?) toll.

For one, brain doesn't really work as well.

Anyway, helped my daughter, Lulu, with the Periodic Table yesterday. As a consequence, I can tell you the first 20 elements in order. Hope she does too.

These are just random thoughts. Just chucking em out. So many in my head.

Been having this feeling for more than a year that I'll be winning the lottey jackpot. Not sure if it's wishful thinking (on the desperate end) or a portent of things to come.

After 2 months, I finally got a haircut yesterday. Been looking like Animal from the Muppet Show sans the beard. Hmm.. maybe that's why all these random thoughts.. brain is being aerated more.

In the bank, when it was my turn after a twenty minute wait, the computer goes offline for thirty minutes. It was just a P2000 (approx USD50) check. Talk about my life in a nuthsell.

Watched Penn and Teller's Bullsh*t (about fast food) and Morgan Freeman's Through The Wormhole (about the creation of the universe). I'm feeling hungry and existential at the same time.

Started to read Stephen Hawking's lectures online. I seem to channel his electronic voice whenever I talk to someone now.

Friend told me she's not feeling well for a week. But she mentioned she's been taking medication for 3 months now. There seems to be a time disparity here.

Can't seem to think of anything to tweet. Should this activity be even in my to do list? Let's not even talk about facebook.

Four more days til I hit 42. According to Douglas Adams, that's the answer to life's question. Now, like countless others, I have a year to look for the question.

I'm not really making sense. Just chucking these thoughts out. Did I mention that already.

Got a bunch of topics I want to write about. Just couldn't get the right voice, tempo, and direction for it. I'll just let it simmer til I get it all right in my head.

Hmm.. maybe I'll try and get an hour's worth of sleep right now before I get ready for work. Oh wait, I don't even have an hour, dangit.

Scrambled Eggs

chaos
• noun 1 complete disorder and confusion. 2 the formless matter supposed to have existed before the creation of the universe.

— DERIVATIVES chaotic adjective chaotically adverb.

— ORIGIN Greek khaos ‘vast chasm, void’.

Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English

I love chaos.

Wait, let me rephrase that to be more specific.

I believe in the order that results from chaos.

I believe that there are two ways to handle things (by "things", I mean life, situations, problems, systems, etc. etc); simple way and the complex. Neither is better than the other. It's just when to know what to use.

But what's that got to do with chaos?

Well, our choices, whether simple or complicated, can result in chaos. Not all the time but there is a possibility it would. The beauty of it, in my own weird way of thinking, lies in the fact that no matter how chaotic "things" become, it will soon sort out in the end.

Imagine breaking an egg to cook an omelette. Simple for us but really chaotic for the egg if you think about it. The egg gets broken. The shells are thrown out. Its' insides are treated to massive beating, foreign objects are introduced to it, and then it's subjected to intense heat. Afterwards, what comes out is a beautiful delicious dish that is almost immediately ingested, digested and then expunged. But what happens after that?

Theoretically (and actually), it gets absorbed back to the earth as fertilizer and makes the grass grow. And then the grass gets eaten... and so on and so forth. But at the end of this cycle, the egg is now a cow.

Well, theoretically (but not actually).

That in a nutshell (or is it eggshell?), is how I think I can explain chaos.

Anyway...

I love chaos.

You just don't know what's going to happen next.

It just happens.

I love how it just blooms into my life at the most inopportune or unexpected time. Subjecting me to massive beatings, intense heat; to be digested by it then thrown out like a piece of crap. But I know in the end, some kind of order will come out of it. Rolling fields of green grass comes to mind. Sans cows, of course.

We don't know when a choice will FUBAR us to hell and back or not. All we can do is to understand that chaos happens. Ride it out til the end, knowing things will get back to calmer shores and maybe even greener pastures.

And that comes to the actual point of this blog.

My booklist.

Yep, all these things about chaos, choice, eggs, and cows, is just about books I'm reading at the moment and books I want to read (any generous souls out there?).

I was just thinking of just simply putting down the list but then again, chaos happens.

Soo.. here's the list;

Currently Reading
1. Why Does E=mc2? by Jeff Forshaw and Brian Cox (really really interesting that i'm recommending it to my kids)
2. Project Risk Management Guidelines by Cooper, Grey, Raymond, and Walker (work, work)

Want to read and get
1.God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World -and Why Their Differences Matter by Stephen Prothero (sooo intrigued i want to get this)
2. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (seems like a really good read)
2. The Lost City of Z by David Grann (years, man.. and still haven't got it)

Planning to reread
1. State of Fear by Michael Crichton (hehe.. my favorite talk over coffee subject)
2. 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I just want to get the timeline straight!)

I have it but still thinking about it
1. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (have to get psyched to start this)
2. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (depressing?)

Reading one or two of these books, you'd understand why I thought about chaos. Most if not all, I believe are good solid reads and will leave you thinking about life, love, eggs, and cows.


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Also check out my latest science blog: Quantum Day. It covers research material for technological breakthroughs such as stem cells, aerogels, and more!
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