If I had a say in anything, I'd take the stand that time is about the most precious thing in existence.
Time that is one's own to spend, of course.
Imagine! If one had sufficient time on one's hand, one could do any conceiveable (or inconceiveable, for that matter) in the universe. One could achieve the impossible: earn a zillion bucks, conquer a trillion worlds, write a billion books, or be at a million parties, and still have the time for much more beside!
But for me, my week of free time was (sadly) insufficient for all these and had to be spent on more mundane activities.
Dont get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for the time given to me to do such things. In fact, this week inspired me to appreciate the freedom that time-even a little time- gave me.
So this was mostly a week to my own- a week away from the harsh rigidity of military life. Started with cell dinner in town, then a movie called Domino (dumb show, that) and a stroll with Nair through CityLink, talking about the whole complexity of South East Asian civilisations, the way they assimilated Hinduism , Buddhism, Islam, and Imperialization in so short a span of time. The way history and art (re Asians writing in English like VS Naipul and the like) were unseperable, and how it all blended together to produce the melange of culture and politics and society that we have.
Come to think about it, South East Asian history is more dynamic than I thought. I suppose its history would be relatively inconsequential, especially when compared to the Earth-shaking epic events in the western world, from the Crusades to the Renaissance to the French Revolutions to the American War of Independence and KleinDeutschland, and the 20th century and its Triple Entente and World Wars and Cold War paroxysms. Now those were the real driving forces of history.
But I guess South East Asian history, whilst lacking in relative importance, is no less dynamic and full of surprises.
And for that matter of historical significance, I guess event that would change as the gravity of the world-politcally and economically- shifts east.
There will be a day when events like the Confrontation would have more weight upon the present world than the good old French Rev, because that present day's main happenings would be in Asia and not elsewhere. As the main gravity of current events shifts from region A to region B, so too would the importance of region A's history diminish in concordance and accordance with the rise in stature of region B's recorded past. That which changes the present inter-regional (ie global) situation also changes the different statuses accorded to each region's past.
Forgive the excessive academia, but this is the resulting backlash of an intellect brutally suppressed by that brutal system of conscription. And to this day I hold not the slightest loyalty to that state which I have sworn to defend. Because all those pledges of fealty and loyalty and obediance and patriotism to it have not once come from my free will, but under the foreign force and compulsion of the state, and its ruling familee. Patriotic feelings? The only emotions I have on National Day are uttermost contempt and simmering resentment. To balls with housing programmes and efficient ports and recycled water. What is humanity when it is not free of compulsion? Beasts of labour, thats what.
But enough. More rants will come in due time. In any case the situation for the Arsenal in the EPL is most deplorable. Most deplorable indeed! When Wenger sold Viera I think he sold his good sense as well. If anything, Henry is Highbury's messiah. And as to the Stamford Bridge Scum:
"When you give success to stupid people (ie Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich), it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent"
Now Wenger was spot on in saying that one!
I'd rather Arsenal have gone out of the Champs league at the group stage and be leading the EPL by 17 points, instead of the reverse situation that is reality. Nuts. They cant win the Champs league- all they beat in the group stage were rank amateurs! Ok maybe not Ajax, but my point stands.
Oh well- here's to Manchester Un-Tied this Sunday. I really hope they trash Chelsea.
