I watched The Last Samurai today and liked it muchly. I think I liked the movie more for its theme than for its actual story (which was also quite good, by the way). It touches on a couple subjects that I'd like to talk about separately in more depth...

Honor & Principle. The samurai lived and died with honor. They would prefer death rather than suffer the shame of defeat. That's what motivates a man to fight valiantly to the death for a cause he deems fit, which I find highly admirable. The stand against impossible odds always stirs something in me. Katsumoto expressed admiration for General Custer, but I can't say I feel the same way. I think the main difference is that Custer was an aggressor- if you're defending something underpowered, it's quite honorable; if you're attacking something shorthanded, you're a fool.

Also along the lines of honor, the movie had flashbacks of Algren's past, slaughtering Native Americans as a soldier of the US. At one point, Algren asks, "Doesn't every soldier have nightmares?" To which Katsumoto replies along the lines of: "Only if he is ashamed of what he has done." I thought that was one of the most profound exchanges in the entire movie. It's inevitable that soldiers die in battle. In war, I suppose it's kill or be killed, but fighting dirty or showing no mercy (i.e. to civilians) would probably leave you with a bitter aftertaste. Even on the battlefield, you should conduct yourself with the utmost honor, so that you'll have nothing to regret afterwards. Bushido, if you will- a strict warriors' code of conduct. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Tradition vs. Progress. The movie highlights the eternal conflict between tradition and progress. There's nothing sadder than watching a way of life come to an end. But the end of a way doesn't have to mean the end of a people, I think. Progress is something that can't be stopped; it's as natural as human nature- the desire to be better than what you are now. And though old ways should never be forgotten, I think there are ways of honoring tradition that don't necessarily have to restrict change.

Times change, people change... society changes. And as surely as nations rise and fall, ways of life are swept away by the currents of time and replaced by new. Nothing can stay, nothing is permanent. But the now is special for right now. "Life in every breath, every cup of tea." It's in that brief, fleeting moment of the present, savoring an instant for all its ephemeral glory that happiness can be found. I think Katsumoto kinda hinted at that in his last words, "...they're all perfect." (Among numerous other interpretations...) The beauty of the cherry blossoms, everything at that instant overshadowed the imminence of his death; he was admiring how perfect things were now, despite the fact that it would all soon change. I think that's the essence of Zen... errrr, the general gist of one of the precepts at least. Anyways, I digress...

Are Samurai Really Extinct? From my understanding, the defeat of the samurai differed from that of the Native Americans in that it wasn't so much about the wholesale genocide of a people as it was about the passing of a lifestyle. So it wasn't like a bloodline had been ended. More "Last Emperor" and less "Last of the Mohicans," so to speak. But ya, I mean sure, we don't have guys walking around with swords on their belts these days, but I think the fact that the viewer classifies Algren as a samurai by the end of the movie suggests that the samurai were more than just a people but a mindset. Just as simply donning the armor and carrying the swords doesn't make you a samurai, I think taking away the swords and whatnot shouldn't "de-samurai" the samurai. (does that make any sense?) I mean, I guess it's not much consolation, but martial artists of today still honor bushido, the art of kendo is still around, and the notion of honorable death in combat isn't lost on today's soldiers. I think it's the ideas in your heart that underlie your actions that count. So yea, the samurai of the sword may have long since died out, but I think the way of the warrior still lives on.

I just watched School of Rock. It was pretty good; definitely worth the 50 cents. One of my favorite lines from the movie, and maybe even one of the central themes: "Rock is about sticking it to the Man." Hah, I loved that.

I think sticking it to the proverbial "Man" is quite a pivotal part of my mindset/ethos these days. And maybe it boils down to me just having a problem with authority. If given an order I disagree with, I'm usually not very inclined to obey, or at least not without making a big fuss over it first, haha. But I guess for me personally, the "Man" isn't just about authority, it's about being a part of the mainstream, it's about mindlessly following a system or ideology without giving it a second thought, it's about being stuck in the Matrix. Not being given a choice, or not evaluating the choices given to you. I despise the idea of being an unquestioning zealot to any cause, no matter how righteous the original intent. Humans are prone to corruption, as is our word, and only you in your heart can know what's truly right for you.

Also, I don't even know why, but something about being a part of the mainstream just irks me so; something about conforming to the norm and losing individuality. But then again, someone pointed out to me awhile back: "Everyone wants to be different these days. Since when did being different become the cool thing to do?" And in doing that, maybe this whole countercultur-esque movement has just defeated itself and stands on a paradox. I'm reminded of the phrase: "Yea, you're unique... just like everyone else!" But yea, when something indie goes mainstream, it kinda leaves its members with a crisis of identity. *sigh* a rat race by any other name... =/

*In other news, I also watched Return of the King. I thought it was comparable to the first two, if not slightly better. But it's sooo freaking long. And after reading those dang secret LotR diaries, I just can't sit through scenes with those long sentimental gazes without cracking up.

The Recap Entry:

So exams this semester kicked my butt. I didn't think they did at the time, but after I got my grades, found out that they really did. One of those "you're so lost you don't even realize your butt's been kicked" kinda butt-kickings. Quite the beefstick, I say, quite. So yea, it's kinda funny how the tests you think are gonna be so easy turn out to be hard, and vice versa. On Spacecraft Dynamics and Vector Calc, I walked out of both of those thinking man, I am SUCH a scoobydoo, I wouldn't be surprised if I get a 4.0 this semester, mwahahaha! Little did I know, the joke was on me. =( I musta been borderline A/B in both of those classes. I guess the B in Space-D (that's the slang we use in the aerospace dept.) was kinda to be expected since I was struggling so much in that class, but I really thought the final woulda put me over the top. =/ But yea, the B in Vector Calc was totally out of nowhere. When I saw my grade I was like, "WTF!?!?!?" out loud almost as a reflex (, and I rarely curse out loud, so that meant I was freaking pissed). And those were the first 2 classes that I got grades for, which already dropped my GPA significantly. At that point I was pretty worried, cuz I was in serious fear of losing my scholarship(s). (I don't know the exact conditions, but I think it's if I drop below a 3.5 any semester, at least one of 'em goes away.) And I was scared, cuz I was kind of expecting to get a B in my EE class. So yea, that's been the cause of much stress recently. It wasn't until a couple days into the break back at home that I found out I got an A in EE. So yea, I think I keep the scholarship, and I'm still "University Honors"... which at first I was like, hey, that's kinda cool... but then I realized that means they're gonna send a complimentary grade report to my house where my parents'll see my B's, and then I was like NoooOOooOoOOO...

Ok, so another story from exam time: the day of the triple sheisting. So the day before my Space-D final, I woke up a little late, but I still wanted to grab some lunch from Kinsolving, so I get over there at 1:57 and they're supposed to be open for like another 3 minutes, but nope, the door is closed already. So I had to find myself lunch somewhere else. Sheisty. Then, the Space-D TA's had sent out an e-mail saying they'd be in the office all day that day, so I was taking my time, thinking up questions to ask. (And it's actually quite a big step for me to gather up the nerve to even want to go to office hours. I guess I've still got it in my mind that office hours are for the dumb kids who can't pass otherwise. But I guess the first step to getting better is admitting you need help. =/ Maybe I've become one of those aforementioned "dumb kids.") Anyways, so I go into the office at like 3:30 and wait around for like half an hour before a TA for another class tells me that my TA left at 3:00. Sheisted. So later, to take the edge off of my day, I decide I wanna relax with a dinner at the Kismet Cafe, so I swing by there at like 8:something, and according to their hours, they're clearly supposed to be open, but they're not. 3 sheistings in one day, that's crazy. My karma must be really bad right now or something. =/

Also, Terry got me addicted to a new anime series, right in the middle of exams, hahaha. One Piece- it's about pirates, and y'all know how I love pirates. I don't think they're done translating it yet though, so I guess I'll be sitting around every week to get the latest episode, just like for Naruto, hahaha. Also, I finished up the Gundam Seed series. It was ok I guess; in the grand scheme of things, I think pretty much all the Gundam series turn out to be kinda duds.

And here's some links I've been meaning to post for some time: a UCSD rendition of a music video for the opening theme of Meteor Garden. (via Allen) I thought it was pretty amusing. The first time through, I was like dude, is that white guy really singing in Chinese!?!? Heheh. And also, in the spirit of exams, this is your brain on CAFFEINE! That's definitely way up there among my favorite Strongbad eps. And finally, WanderJive, a new webcomic I stumbled onto (via Sleepy). I love the dark jazzy feel of it, and the story's not half bad either. Good stuff.

Today was my brother's 21st birthday, and also the 100th anniversary of flight (; the Wright brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk, to be exact). Partied it up at my brother's place last night- needed it muchly- had a desire to "forget" this semester, haha. Yea, had a good bit of firewater- I realized that chasers up my intake limit by like 300%. I don't remember much of the night; woke up at my brother's place in the morning, tossed my cookies when I got home. Left UT for Plano today; stopped off in Waco for a bit before arriving back home. Time for some much needed R&R.

Ok, I'm soooo freaking full right now. We went to McDonald's, and Me & Allen downed a 50 tub of chicken nuggets... EACH! It was so hoss. And we had Michael, Tony, and Sammy there as witnesses. It's funny how the first 10 or so taste so good, and it gradually degrades to a feeling of utter disgust towards the end. Also funny how at the beginning, a nugget only takes 2 bites, but towards the end it takes like 5. To tell the truth, I honestly didn't think I'd finish- right around 35, you're like there's no freaking way... Allen was leading up until the very end, and that was like my sole motivation to keep going- just not to get shown up. And then I stole the lead with about 5 left to go. But yea, I guess it was more like teamwork than competition- we had to keep encouraging each other to keep going. Like, "20 more," "10 more," "5 more." And your mouth just keeps chewing, but you just don't want to swallow anymore, haha. It took over an hour to finally finish. It got so painful towards the end, but I don't regret it. Pain is temporary, bragging rights are forever!

I went to the GB house party tonight. It was pretty good, I thought. Not as good as an Omega house party, but better than a Lambda. It was the first time I've been to their house- very cramped passages. But yea, it was good to party one last time before finals... to get it out of my system.

I went to Plucker's for all-you-can-eat Monday tonight with my original kung fu crew: Michael, Ken, and Jason. Back home, we trained together for some 3 or 4 years before we went our separate ways. Over dinner, we reminisced about the old days and caught up on all sorts of stuff. But yea, more than anything else, I guess it's funny how your interests/passions change over time and rivalries fade. Kinda makes you a bit nostalgic... =/

Anyways, we ate for like 2 hours. We had to wait like 30 minutes for Jason to show up originally though- heh, I guess some things never change, hahaha. And we laughed it up about how we're such cheap asians who won't even pay 35 cents for more celery. And when we saw our bill and how they charged us 1 cent for a "refill" of wings, we were all like, "man, ask for your one cent back!" Hah, our mothers would be proud. =P