I finally finished The Brothers Karamazov two nights ago, all 730 pages. By far, the thickest novel I’ve read in years. Been so ridiculously busy lately, I could only read snatches of the book on the train, in the toilet and just before I sleep. That’s definitely not the way to read a novel as intricate as The Brothers Karamazov. Thought I took about two months to finish the book when I in fact took only a month. Well, I finally killed a “to read” from 8 years ago!

I hope to post some interesting passages from the book.

Man, I hate 12 hour days in the office, all the time sitting on my butt. Ouch!

Another quote from The Brothers Karamazov (taken quite out of context, but it’s nice out of context anyway) on love in action versus love in dreams. Father Zossima (my most quoted character to date) speaking to Madame Hohlakov:

...For love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed and in the sight of all. Men will even give their lives if only the ordeal does not last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on the stage. But active love is labor and fortitude, and for some people too, perhaps, a complete science.

When he was 20 years old, Benjamin Franklin formulated a plan to regulate his future conduct by practising these 13 virtues:

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Franklin tracked his progress via a little book, where dots were used to record the faults he had committed with respect to each virtue. This was done every evening after he had reviewed the day. He followed the plan “pretty faithfully” even to the age of 79 (when he wrote about it), and he was even more determined to stick with it for his remaining days because of the happiness he had enjoyed so far by following it.

Remarkable.

Link via 43 Folders.

Went to watch Quidam last night with my girlfriend. Tickets, merchandise and food were so expensive! But it was quite a good experience I must say. Comedy, circus, surrealism, absurdity and multi-cultural art forms all rolled into one show. There’s really something awe-inspiring and beautiful about how discipline, aspiration, commitment, coordination, grace and concentration can make the human figure a work of art.

My favourite acts:

Statues – Vice Versa

Diablos

Banquine

It’s been more than two weeks since I decided that I would complete section 3.1 of Enderton and the first chapter of Smullyan’s Godel’s Incompleteness Theorems and blog about them. I also wanted to blog about Dummett’s Wang’s paradox. Dummett’s paper is going to take more effort than I anticipated and I’m toying with the idea of using a wiki to attempt an exposition of his paper. Sad to say, all these things I’ve decided but not delivered. I was so caught up with work and girlfriend that I barely had time to use the computer at home.

I also did not manage to record the day I read one of the most famous chapters in the history of the novel: The Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov. But I shall be blogging about the problem of evil and the strongest argument I know against Utilitarianism, if time permits.

On Sunday night, I had a freaky experience when returning the rented car to Bukit Gombak. My car found itself behind a lorry with eerie green and blue lights in the middle of a procession that contained two characters from the Chinese underworld (as in hell, not Mafia), 黑白无常. First time, damn scary! With girlfriend some more! Not romantic at all! But very unforgettable. But all her colleagues say we very lucky, should go and buy 4D, they want to bump into such a procession also got no chance. Hmmm, I must remember to go and buy the license plate of the lorry or our vehicle. But won’t tell you all the number lah, wait you all strike but didn’t have to experience what we experienced, then how? Unfair right?

I just returned from The Bar At Buena Vista with my girlfriend.

I witnessed an art form that is probably dying out, the kind of singing that can only be performed by Cuban singers of Ibrahim Ferrer’s generation.

I also bore witness to something very rare, in fact something I’ve not seen before at the Victoria Theatre: a standing audience that danced and clapped to the infectious grooves of the music.

It was amazing, to see an old man, almost 90 years old, dancing away and singing with so much passion and feeling. I got the feeling that only an old man can sing like that, with all the bittersweet tenderness and defiant vitality in the face of nostalgic reminisces, expressing and recalling what seems to be emotions from a life filled with hardship, all the time in view of approaching mortality. It was amazing to see the amount of vitality and energy in an old man. The old man I’m talking about is Reynaldo Creagh.

His singing reminded me of Ibraim Ferrer (whom the band dedicates their remaining tour to after Ferrer’s passing away on 7 August 2005)

and gave me goosebumps immediately. He’s my favourite performer of the night. The dancers were amazing too! Everything was so tight, from the rhythms to the dancing to the singing. Remarkable. The music I heard tonight was sexy, groovy, romantic, and life-affirming. Makes me just wanna get up and boogie with abandon. It’s the kind of music that makes you forget your troubles. Also, the nostalgia expressed by the performers was intoxicating. Only someone with the weight of many decades could make nostalgia so intoxicating and yet so bittersweet. Siomara Valdes was also excellent! I love the congos and drums too! Hell, they were all good, including the trumpeter, Julio Padron; they got everyone dancing. In the Victoria Theatre, of all places, mind you! I love everything!

One of the performers said that the secret to a long and happy life is music and dancing. I agree, judging from Creagh’s fine example.

One more picture; of Maestro Rubalcaba, also known as in Cuba as the “Hands of Gold” (Don’t you just love the nickname?).

I have a special name for a feeling that is never very far away from me. It’s called “unreasonable depression”. Some of my friends understand what I mean, it’s an affliction that slowly creeps up and gnaws at you. There is no reason and no rhyme.

From one perspective, it’s purely a form of self-indulgent navel-gazing. From another perspective, it’s an affliction that is as unreasonable and real as it is trivial.

From Mind Cymru Art Gallery 2005, a site displaying the artistic works of people experiencing mental distress. Via Mindhacks.

My girlfriend went jogging with me today! Yay! Her health has improved lots, she covered an impressive distance today. I covered about 4 km, in three parts. Damn unfit. Hope to jog again tomorrow!