Case for Christianity April 12, 2009

Today is Easter Sunday and I am typing this out and post it for the whole world to read. **May edit later for clarity and typos, keep your thoughts coming**

The title of this post is so hackneyed and at least one Christian apologist (who was ‘saved’ after his Atheism got a kick in the ass by Biblical truth) Lee Strobel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Strobel) has written a book with this title. I believe that an intellectually honest faith is a true and healthy faith. Generally there are two equally unpalatable camps regarding Christianity, one is of course of fundamentalist Christians who believe in the inerrancy of Bible and want schools to teach biblical Creationism and so on.

The other camp is full of bitter, mocking and fundamentalist atheists like Richard Dawkins. Unfortunately many literary figures have also tried their hand from time to time at Bible bashing for example Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer etc. It is easy to do so today than when writers like D.H. Lawrence did so and got banned everywhere. And in the case of what many consider father of the great American novel and great humorist Mark Twain, he considered it wise to keep his heretic and dissenting writings about Christianity in the closet. It was only recently that it was discovered how passionately Mark Twain rejected traditional Christian faith. (See this link for introduction of Twain’s views against organized religion:http://www.twainquotes.com/Religion.html )

Then there are lapsed Christians like former nun and now ‘secular’ writer Karen Armstrong(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong). Naturally she feels her years were robbed by Christianity and now by writing books that reveal the fallacies and contradictions in the Bible she is settling the scores in a way. And why shouldn’t she. She has every right to express her opinions and she is a very competent and engrossing researcher, scholar and writer. But then she also writes books on Islam, Koran and Mohammed and she gets into appeasement gear and takes sides and glosses over Muslim fundamentalism. This is hardly what can be remotely called intellectual honesty. This is deception, this is pandering. You punch holes in Christianity because Western world gives you the freedom to do so but you go soft on Islam because you fear backlash. That makes you- and others of your ilk- intellectually dishonest cowards.

Tolstoy’s Confession (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession) is a great resource about someone going through the crisis of faith and trying to find intellectually honest answers that agree with one’s conscience . It’s full text can be found for free on the internet from many sources including this one: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Confession. Another great Russian writer Dostoevsky dealt with issues of faith in his novels. I have not read Brothers Karamazov but love this quote ‘If there is no God, everything is permissible.’ It always rings true for me. I also love Kant’s quote ‘Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more seriously reflection concentrates upon them: the starry heaven above me and the moral law within me.’ Bible agrees with this kind of thought in a few places like in Luke 17:21 ‘‘Nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold the kingdom of God is within you.’’ (English Standard Version of Bible).

To cut the long story short in order to have an intellectually honest faith I find myself reading Bart D. Ehrman’s book ‘Misquoting Jesus: The story behind who changed the Bible and Why’. He is a Bible scholar who has extensively studied (and taught) Bible (especially New Testament) in original languages for years. This book’s content is not original but has been presented in a very easy to grasp format for a layman who wants to do some honest investigation into the Biblical text and history of the very early Christian church. One review of the book fired a passionate debate on Amazon.com and you can access it from this link: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3L9D4Y81NNVGY/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0060859512&nodeID=283155#wasThisHelpful

This only proves how Christian faith means different things to different people. I personally believe in being intellectually honest but at the same time agreeing with Immanuel Kant and Luke 21:17, the Ten Commandments, teachings of Christ to love all mankind and to love God. I also believe that the theology presented in the Book of Romans is a good introduction to Christian faith. I believe objective scholarly resources should be used only to have a healthy faith, for a progressive and open minded Christian.

My favorite Movie quotes November 3, 2008

I do believe that both TV and Movie industry produces literature. Of course, it has to be turned into an audio-visual product but behind every TV show (be it drama, Sitcom, Talk shows or even reality TV there are writers) I have watched some movies and remembered them just because of their extremely well done and concise dialogue. Here are a few I can remember randomly. I would update it later but it is worthwhile mentioning a few of my most beloved quotes:

1.) I don’t wanna be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me. (Spoken as opening lines in the movie, The Departed)

2.) But this is what we do, who we are. Live for nothing or die for something. (Spoken by Sylvester Stallone in the Rambo (2008))

3.) The shit piled up so fast in Vietnam you needed wings to stay above it. (Spoken by Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now)

4.) Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. (By Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption)

5.) These walls are funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized. (Spoken by Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption)

Ohh and almost everything in the movie Cold Mountain. This in my opinion is one of the most visually stunning movie that has dialogue as vivid and beautiful as the images in it. Here are a few quotes:

6.) Dear Mr. Inman, I began by counting the days, then the months. I don’t count on anything anymore except the hope that you will return, and the silent fear that in the years since we saw each other, this war, this awful war, will have changed us both beyond all reckoning. (Spoken by Nicole Kidman

7.) If you could see my inside, or whatever you want to name it; my spirit, that’s what I fear. I think I’m ruined. They kept trying to put me in the ground but I wasn’t ready. But if I had… if I had goodness, I lost it. If I had anything tender in me, I shot it dead! How could I write to you after what I’d done? What I’d seen? (Spoken by Jude Law)

8.) If you are fighting, stop fighting. If you are marching, stop marching. Come back to me. Come back to me is my request. (Spoken by Nicole Kidman)

9.) Lureen Newsome (a character): Do you think I’m going too fast? Maybe I should put on the brakes?

Jack Twist (Character): Fast or slow I like the direction you’re going. (Brokeback Mountain)

10.) Jack Twist: I wish I knew how to quit you. (Brokeback Mountain)

Suicide Notes- an excellent article on suicide. July 9, 2008

Well, the only purpose of this post is to present and share with you the wonderful article I read in the magazine section of New York Times. Not only it is very beautifully written but also it is informative and points towards some of the common myths about suicide, the prominent being that there is not much we can do for people who are intent on committing suicide. Most suicide attempts reach ”completion” because the dark impulse of a suicidal mind meets ease and convenience of the method of ending one’s life.

Another theme of this article that is not really pointed out is that some places act as hypnotic traps for a suicidal mind. The Golden gate bridge in San Francisco is given as an example. I have read an excellent book by Tom Hunt called ”Cliffs of despair” that explores Britain’s Beachy head chalk headlands as such spot that lures suicidal people from all over the country.

Here’s the article from The New York Times,

”The Urge to End It All”

Recent Readings, Bumpy rides of Internet: from Lust to Learning. March 22, 2008

What brings me to write this crude post with a crude title? I’ve been reading a bit of Tolstoy and he inspires me to tell the truth and be truthful. In the past two months I have read three classic writers that I’d always managed to avoid: D.H. Lawrence (The Rainbow), Charles Dickens ( Christmas Carol, Great expectations) and Leo Tolstoy (Death of Ivan Ilych and now reading ”Confession”) I avoided reading them because I grow to hate everything that has too much hoopla about it. If everyone yells it is VERRRY GOOD, then it must be bad; that’s my philosophy. Of course this rule does not always turn out to be true, but mostly it is. But well, I did read these three writers and I was quite impressed by D.H. Lawrence’s beautiful language and immensely candid thoughts about sex, lust, death, religion, spirituality etc. Many of his thoughts about Christianity were the ones I myself have secretly pondered over. But seems like the bastard clearly beat me to it. Well, good on him. I might be a teetotaler but I will still toast a black coffee to his blessed soul. May he rest in peace.

 

 

Charles Dickens is gooey and wordy. But his genius does shine in his humor, characterizations and of course story telling. I’m not sure if I would be reading more of his work though I must go through David Copperfield sometime in future.

 

 

Tolstoy, I find admirably truthful. As I previously thought he was no vegetarian saint but a totally flawed man who confesses in his memoirs that he has been ”adulterous in many ways”, lied, cheated, been violent, murdered people indiscriminately in battles as a soldier and so goes his list of sins. But to his credit he confesses to have no special authority on the meaning of life thing. I do not like him much as a writer and Anna Karenina slumbers on by book shelf not far from War and Peace, both unread. I find Tolstoy dull and sulky despite his genius and honesty. I cannot find any vibrancy or humor in his writings. Besides, translations always make the original writing more dull. So, Anna Karenina will be picked up if Ember gets reeeelly desperate, wink wink

 

 

And now to the second topic. I have been wondering what uses intelligent and responsible people have for internet. Is it normal for normal people to spend so much time on the internet? I mean turn the clocks about 10 or 20 years back there was no such thing as internet as we know it now. I for one got the Net bug from age 19 and I have never left it. It has blessed me in many ways. I can remember my first email (in late 1999) that got a reply was from some 30 year old girl in Sault Sainte Marie in Ontario Canada (very close to the border of Michigan, U.S.A.) who also taught me to pronounce it right (Sue saint Marie) How else indeed could I have learned so much about the world beyond my reach? As a nerdy 19 year old I spent hours reading foreign coverage of New York Times, International Herald Tribune and Washington Post. I can clearly remember some of the articles I read in 1999 and 2000 that I could never access all my life before.

 

 

Along with these good learning pursuits also came the junk. Porn that was never to be sought but was always there, thrown at me through innocent misguided searches, in emails and all over really. Also, useless time sucking internet chats, love affairs etc. etc. were to infest a teeny young man that I was. Fortunately I got rid of most of the obsessive chats and online romances by the age of 24. But still much of the internet clutter keeps boring into my mind to this day. Sometimes I am trying to research something and all I do is to be stuck in never never land for hours and learn nothing but end up signing up here and there or downloading new softwares and programs!

 

 

My favorite author Gore Vidal does not use internet or computer for that matter. Maybe that’s why he managed to retain a sparkling intellect, delightful humor and eloquent speech well up to his 80th year? Noam Chomsky who is considered by many to be greatest living genius of our times who has developed groundbreaking theories in the field of Linguistics and who has written most well researched and provocative articles on U.S. foreign policy, world politics considers internet ”a great waste” and does not bother to go online even as much of his works are available on the internet. Hmmmmmmmm…..

 

 

On the surface, this leads me to believe that no serious writer or scientist or intellectual would bother with the internet but it is not quite so. Even most of the aging legends have internet presence and are joyously hooked on the internet.

 

 

So my verdict in the end is that I will stick to it! My blog posts are mostly read by people who search things like , ”Sex”, ”big penis”, ”how to get white women” But once in a while people drop by and compliment me on my writing, get provoked by my views on religion and politics, leave some incisive comments. So, in the end my blog gets its due rewards. When I say my blog I mean my WordPress Blog because that’s where I mostly write the most dull, boring and political stuff that I do not wish to inflict on my social networking folks all the time. lol.

 

 

At last I would mention something interesting… one example how internet provides a nerd like me to do weird things. I often listen to radio stations (news, talk, politics, BBC, NPR) on the internet. The other day I managed to tune into BBC London which is FM station run by BBC in London. There is a talk show that runs from 2am to 6am British time. I managed to listen to it live one evening (it is exactly evening in New Zealand when it is morning in UK). It being me, I could not help sending an email on a flaming political topic. 10 minutes later it was read by the talk host as I listened to it live on the internet through my headphones. My name and email was broadcast all over wintry foggy London in early morning Hmmmmm….. It may not mean anything to you but I call it Nerd Bliss.

 

What you think of any of the issues raised in this post: literature, internet etc. If you have any opinions or feelings about it, feel free to write. TTFN as in ta ta for now.

Bad news sells: What is so appealing about tragedies and sadness? November 30, 2007

Why all bad news is good news?

 

 

USA: Diabolical government and CIA, Conspiracy theories, illegal immigration from Latinos and Muslims, Neo Imperialism, Freemasons, New World Order, corruption, TERRORISM, racism, poverty, drug trafficking, breaking out of all sorts of illnesses and falling economy.

 

Europe: World Wars, Holocaust, falling birth rates, dying out of White race, moral decadence, loss of values and Christian morals, invasion of immigrants and Muslims, spread of Islam into Europe, crippling social security systems, declining economies, rise of the right wing, xenophobia, rise of anarchy, crime and dictatorships in the Central, Eastern Europe and Russia.

 

Asia, Africa, Arab world and the rest: Huge natural calamities, disasters, death tolls, horrendous corruption, wars, genocide, AIDS, Fundamentalism, Female genital mutilation, Poverty, sex tourism industries for Western people fulfilling their every sexual fantasy including pedophilia, ever looming threats of big scale wars that may erupt any time and maybe engulf the whole world in a Third World War.

 

 

 

I have been trying to find the answer to this question since the time I realized, while reading literature, that the greatest novels considered ”classics” are mostly tragic and sad. Not only that, the authors or artists who happen to have a tragic life or commit suicide often see the sales of their works shoot sky-high, after they’re lowered into the grave. Later while studying media, I realized that anything newsworthy must be ominous. If you have some interest in literature then you may not have necessarily read but would have heard about the great Greek tragedies, Shakespearean tragedies etc.

 

 

The writers who have written extensively end up writing their ”masterpieces” that are tragic. Charles Dickens’ greatest novels are not the likes of Pickwick Papers but David Copperfield. Shakespeare’s tragedies far outweigh the critical praise and popularity of his comedies. Here are two quotes to consider about human love affair with sadness or the romance of sorrow (Despite the ever resounding slogans urging people, ”Hey! You should laugh lots and you should stay happy man!” and ”Don’t worry be happy”):

 

 

 

“For the Great Gaels of Ireland

Are the men that God made mad,

For all their wars are merry

And all their songs are sad.”

From Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. Chesterton.

 

 

And here is the second one

”Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.”

By English poet P.B. Shelley

So…? What’s the idea? Is it a great international conspiracy (or hypocrisy) to urge everyone to be happy but at the same time to be in love with sorrow, secretly?

Censorship: Are there any taboos left for novels and books? November 28, 2007

WARNING:

 

 

 

Mature content please DO NOT read further if easily offended for personal or religious reasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the history of novel writing, the 20th century has seen the revolution as fas as breaking the taboos is concerned. Novels containing taboo themes (openly challenging religious, political authorities and their systems, explicit adultery, incest, illicit sexual affairs), taboo words (fuck, cunt, shit plus so many other swear words and phrases… though it remains interesting how some words are gaining taboo status like nigger, fag, dyke.. READ Wikipedia article on Profanity), taboo subject matter (explicit, graphic and gratuitous violence, rape, killing, necrophilia) etc. were published. Here are some of the ground breaking novels and widely recognized as the ”firsts” and pioneers in their groundbreaking or taboo breaking. All titles contain links to their Amazon.com page where you can read other reviews or buy the book.

 

 

 

 

 

1.) Ulysses by James Joyce. First published in 1922 in Paris, banned in UK and USA. Contains irreverent or obscene scoffing of religion, explicit sexuality, fetishes, obscene language or expletives, scatological material and possibly coprophilia.

 

 

 

2.) Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence. Written and published privately in 1928 in Florence, Italy. Contains graphic and taboo, adulterous sexual affair shown in a sort of positive and gratuitous light, four letter expletives.

 

 

 

3.) Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. Published in Paris in 1934. Ground breaking in its frankness and directness of describing sexual affairs, sexual intercourse, genitalia etc. No novel had gone to such limits before in portraying graphic sex. Usually critic opinions range from ”trash” to ”one of the greatest novels” of 20th century.

 

 

 

 

4.) City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal. Published in 1948. Known as the first frank ”gay” novel that has a love affair between two young men as its plot. Gore Vidal often reminisces how even The New York Times had refused to review the novel because it was considered immoral or objectionable bythe ”liberal” newspaper at that time.

 

 

 

 

After and between the publication of these novels, so many writers and novels touched upon taboo subjects. Too many to name or remember probably. I would mention just one that stood out in 1990s and could be considered precursor of the sorts the modern shock novelists are writing today.

 

 

 

 

 

5.) American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. Published in 1991. This novel packed– I suppose, with the apparent intention to shock and sell– graphic violence, rape, sexual violence against women, gratuitous killing, Sadism, necrophilia and even cannibalism.

 

 

 

 

But here is one question: What you think remains taboo today?? My personal reading of American Psycho was that, after a while you get bored with this genre. Maybe that’s the reason these are not categorized as classics. Now these novels are quite generic though they do sell well at times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is second question: Please mention books and writers that I omitted and you think they must be there in the list. Also, give me reasons why they’re taboo breakers? You can nominate your taboo books from any language, country or culture as long as you give me good references to the work.

Robert Frost’s poem October 20, 2007

Picture: Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Well, reading a friend’s blog I came up with this idea to post a poem by my favorite poet, Robert Frost. He is my favorite poet for his marvelous gift for conveying great irony, philosophy, humor or provocative ideas through deft weaving of rather simple words. He was an Atheist but still he had warm humor towards the ideas of God. Here is one example:

”Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee

And I’ll forgive Thy great big one on me.”
Another thing that I love about him was his depiction of rural New England and its wilderness in his poems: woods, frosts, snows, storms, birches, farms and what not… All beautiful stuff. I have several of his poems as my favorites but here is just one, ”The Road not taken”:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

On books (book buying rather), Fakers and how it feels to have your testicles removed. September 21, 2007

Picture: There are some people I would love to strangle… but then there maybe people who want to strangle me…. The latter threat kills the former urge…

I am still on ”vacation”.. Umm no. I am on 360 quarantine. partial quarantine?… Well, simply and honestly put I am engrossed in more and more things, including some useless, life sucking, stressful events that require so much time and energy. It is a part of life. But I would rather fight my demons than be on the internet, gulp beer or coffee and pretend the world does not exist. I am no escapist though I am not fond of fighting forever either. lol. We’ll see.

 

This blog-post is not about recounting some great adventures but only to update briefly on my life (the only bits I want to reveal, I do have copyright over my life, including the fact that I pee in shower. But then who doesn’t?) and some thoughts that crossed my mind. So here we go:

Book buying binge– I have no idea where it came from. I am obsessive compulsive (a point often made in my blogs) and also extremely impulsive. I am a book lover, of serious, grave, ‘classic’, sombre, educative, provocative, intellectual, informative books; fiction or non fiction. But I always borrowed books from library. And let me boast I have, in this wonderful city of Christchurch, New Zealand, probably one of the BEST PUBLIC LIBRARY networks in the world. I know, rarely anybody in NZ reads my blog (most of active internet creatures that I keep on befriending are North Americans and British crooks, which I am very comfortable with because I AM interested in them) But I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Christchurch City Council that runs, maintains and constantly upgrades these libraries and their extensive services.

 

I am in the gypsy mode, not knowing where I will reside forever and call that place home. Honestly, maybe I would never like to reside anywhere and will keep moving in my life, i.e. whenever I have the freedom. I will not talk of this more. Let’s come to the books. Hmmm.. so yeah, this almost supernatural impulse hit me. I was on NZ’s online trading site (local version of Ebay) and I started buying second hand books from all over NZ, mostly ‘classics’ of English literature but basically anything from Complete works of Shakespeare, Gore Vidal, Paul Theroux and also bits of Thomas Harris (I just spelled him as Robert Harris and made correction, showing this is not my usual terrain….do I hear Hannibal chattering his teeth?) This book buying madness was true to my obsessive compulsive nature. Despite my poverty I have amassed about $400 of second hand books. Some of them in very new and awesome condition, others musty, tatty and well browned. I enjoyed welcoming all of them as they came to me, one by one, from all over New Zealand.

 

But here is the thing. In the last 3 weeks, I have been so obsessed with this binge that I hardly read a single book. This is in contrast to my library borrowing days when I often did read at least a couple of books every week. lol But still, these books are here for my perusing and perused they will be. That’s a promise. The other two subjects of this blog revolve around this 3 week book buying binge.

Fakers- This happened yesterday. Quite a few books that I bought online were from Christchurch sellers and I went to their places to pick them up. I bid on 3 books on American politics (Iran-Contra affair, Memoirs of Ronald Reagon and Bob Woodward’s book on the first gulf war and the inside workings of Pentagon, Bush (the senior) administration). So I went to this guy’s house. I knock on the door. No reply. It is 7:30pm and is already dark. There is complete silence around me save the occasional cars whispering past the house, on the road. I knock some more. No reply. I get impatient. I get out my cell and ring his phone. He picks up. A very polite and civilized voice. I tell him I’m outside his door. The door is opened by a handsome man with a very warm, broad smile and twinkling, intelligent eyes. We exchange hellos.

 

He hands me the books, I put money on his palm and am about to go. He asks me with a warm, friendly smile, ”Just curious, why do you want all these books on America?” I say, ”Ummm.. I am very interested in politics and America. That’s all.” I do have plans to go for American studies sometime in future but I choose not to reveal this and depart. But he beams and adds, ”Me too! I love America. I am interested in all their presidents. I was studying about America about 10 years back. That’s when I bought these books. O, you must read this one about Nixon. I love it.” I appreciate his feedback, ”Yeah? Cool. I will read it as soon as I can. So, you like the Nixon one huh?” He beams more, ”Yeah! yeah! I love Nixon.” My jaw kinda drops, my very tired eyes twitch more and in a confused, tired and husky voice I manage to utter, ”You…. LIKE?…Nixon??.” His smile becomes a bit insecure but retains the warmth, ”Yep… yep. I like Nixon.” I give it a thought for two seconds and say, ”Ok…?..”

 

Then I left and while I drove back home I wondered if there really are people who actually like Nixon? This really amused me. I thought I would Google this unknown phenomenon, especially spread to Kiwis (New Zealander) who generally hate anything that Republican America represents (Let’s not get into the King of Watergate, I am not going to insult or challenge your intelligence and am deliberately obscure because if you don’t know what I am talking about, don’t read further.)

 

I take a look at the books. Very nice, hardbacks. Almost in new conditon, considering they are at least 10 years old! I go over their table of contents. Something strikes me. NONE OF THEM is about Nixon… not even partially. I bought (the comments) ,”Read that one about Nixon” thing because actually I did bid on one book about Nixon and I was confused that it was from him. It wasn’t. He was just faking intelligence and understanding of America and American politics. I mean…. not even dressing up partial understanding…. but faking it from the core to the exterior facade. This is comparable to someone not knowing the difference between Bush and bush. You know? How can people be so… well… empty?.. Fake…?

 

As for me, as I was telling some other friend, I can be proud of the fact that I never fake. I never dressed up my reality before both my online or offline friends that I am poor. I am a loser. And sometimes I may not say it directly but you do know that I am a psycho.

My balls removed because I cannot afford (or am shy of) broadband internet– This story also is related to my book
buying binge. The very last book that I bid on obsessively was Russka by Edward Rutherword. A vast historical novel about Russia and its history. I was leading the bid to the last minute. It was a hardback in excellent new condition. I could get it for as cheap as $6 (including postage). At the very last minute I got an email. I though, ”Voohoo! I won it!” I used my crawling dial up internet to check my email that told me I was outbid by someone else by 50 cents and I need to make a fresh bid within one minute. I was stunned and hurriedly typed the website address. My dial-up took its crawling time and revealed the page to me in about 30 seconds. I click ”bid” and new page emerges as if a cockroach is sauntering from one shit-pile to another. The page opens and it tells me that my bid cannot be placed because the auction has been won by another bidder called, ”Sexybitch”. I fought back tears of frustration. I never felt such gnawing helplessness in my life since my very young days.

 

Probably I went through similar feelings when as a kid of 6 some older boys would repeatedly peel my shorts down and laugh in groups at the look of my naked butt and the wee-wee. I wanted to stop them but I could not… and it happened so suddenly that I could not check it in real time. And once the harm was done, it was done forever. I felt so…. emasculated as in having my testicles chopped off.

 

Update and afterword- Broadband internet in NZ has been expensive and heavily capped. I hate all capped things that limit my freedom. I don’t want broadband and then some email telling me I exceeded my limit. Plus, they need one year contract and I am a gypsy. But well, just found an ISP that slows users down to dial up once the cap is exceeded. And there is $100 fine for breaching contract. It sounds reasonable. Maybe I will go broad. I won’t let any Sexybitch beat me by 50 cents. This is not to be tolerated.

The Romance of adolescent years. August 12, 2007

Picture: Pretty Megan Follows (in 1985) as the orphan girl Anne Shirley; aka, Anne of Green Gables, Anne with the ”e” and ”Carrots”

Beginning of this weekend was a wonderful disovery of Anne of Green Gables when I decided to watch Anne of Green Gables DVD of the wonderful 1985 movie/TV adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s book. This movie was made, aptly, in Canada by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) in conjunction with other national broadcasters, PBS of America and ZDF of Germany.

 

 

 

I had heard a lot about Anne of Green Gables and even seen bits of some of the TV adaptations of the series of Anne books but never really got into it. I never read the book or completely knew the plot or story. I was aware that it was set in idyllic Prince Edward Island and lots of people with romantic disposition swooned over it. But after watching the series I realized how charming it really is. Moreover, as I trained my eyes on the book, I find it is full of beautiful writing, sweeping emotions, and wonderful humor. What else? ROMANCE. Yeah. So, I will try to read at least the first 3 of the Anne books in the near future. Great stuff.

 

 

 

This leads me to conclude I am overwhelmingly attracted to the well written stories of childhood years with all the ADVENTURES, QUIRKS, DISCOVERIES and ROMANCE. Anne of Green Gables resonates with the same strain of charming writing about young folks as portrayed in my favourite books: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, To Kill a Mockingbird and to some extent Gone with the Wind. So, I encourage you to dip into some of this stuff and delight in it.

 

 

 

For now, I am posting a collage (Anne/ Gilbert romance) of some of the scenes from Anne of Green Gables’ 1985 TV adaptation which captures the magic of the book.

 

 

Gilbert teases Anne of Green Gables on her first day in school.

Anne ignores and Gilbert persists….

Gilbert calls her ”Carrots” because of her red hair (that she is really ashamed of/she wants ”Raven Black” hair) …Moreover, Gilbert gives her the tug.

Short tempered Anne gets mad.

She breaks a slate over Gilbert’s head.

 

This is at the very end of the movie, LOTS of things have occured and LOTS of water has gone under the bridge. Gilbert comes to Anne across a vast expanse of green grass, riding on a black horse and gives her a good news. He again calls her ”Carrots” and Miss. Anne Shirley is angry no more.

 

 Anne’s god- mother, guardian and best friend Marrila wonders how come she warmed up to Gilbert and Anne replies. Here is a sweet original dialogue from the book:

 

 

 

“I didn’t think you and Gilbert Blythe were such good

 

friends that you’d stand for half an hour at the gate

 

talking to him,” said Marilla with a dry smile.

 

“We haven’t been–we’ve been good enemies. But we

 

have decided that it will be much more sensible to be

 

good friends in the future. Were we really there half an

 

hour? It seemed just a few minutes. But, you see, we have

 

five years’ lost conversations to catch up with, Marilla.”