Golden Globes...Not

What's next? No show at the Oscars?

Well, it looks like next week's Golden Globes won't be so golden after all. No actors in the Screen Actor's Guild will be showing up which leads us to assume that few if any will turn up. Oh boy. You have to pity the producers.

That said, can the same be said of the Academy Awards? Most likely not. No sane actor will want to miss that opportunity, especially if they stand a chance to win. I myself would be rather disappointed if the Oscars are ruined.

Speaking of the writer's strike (which is causing all of this), it's interesting to know what the AMPTP (i.e. their employers) are saying. See also the column on the right hand of the page, with a counting up of how much the WGA strike is costing other people. Also a rather curious comparison of how much an average writer makes as compared to a surgeon (the former, apparently, earns more).

They got WMD; They don't got WMD

Disarming Iraq is, in one sense, a viciously torpid book. It is one man's account of his part in the events leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it is so lacking in any sweeping claims (as made by many other books about this subject) and full of dispassionate assessments that indeed, it reminds you not of politics but academia.

The writer is Hans Blix, a Swedish diplomat and also the former head of UNMOVIC, the UN body tasked with inspecting Iraq for WMD. He was one of the key players (I didn't know him until I read this book, as I was 13 years old at that time and couldn't really bother with the news) in this whole affair, and this is his subjective account that, ironically, has a remarkable element of objectivity in it. There are no references here but himself.

And it is convincing. Blix displays a remarkable even-handedness: he may be a Swedish diplomat, but he was never averse to an armed intervention in Iraq (as he states). What he wanted was more time, and tried to make the point again and again, that war was a very serious and as of yet, unnecessary next step.

He recounts meetings with folks like Blair, Rice, Powell and Bush (and his impressions of them). And what are my impressions? That they are people with their own viewpoints, and the author understands that, too. He is surprisingly sympathetic (or perhaps empathetic, being a diplomat himself) while at the same time critical of what he sees as bad decisions.

Agree or disagree, this is one man's viewpoint. We all now know that no WMD have been found in Iraq (as of yet, but of course, many already can see that there is probably none at all). Thus, he and others of his perspective could be said to be vindicated.

Blix is also intelligent enough to not speculate beyond the US' prima facie reason for invading Iraq: that it had WMD. Not a single mention about oil, to which he must be thank (a reason that is unfounded at best).

Worth a read, but don't expect a gripping narrative. It is, rather, a slow and factual (despite being one man's recount) account of the US and UK's preparation for war with Iraq and their detractors, presented in an evenhanded and (almost) neutral manner. Blix does pepper the book throughout with his own opinions and conjectures, but of course, he can be forgiven. Most of what he guessed hasn't been refuted. Yet.

Mind games.

I'm not a puzzle person. I mean, Sudoku is okay, but it is hardly addictive. And when it gets too hard, I happily throw the towel. It's not worthy my time, laboring over filling blanks.

But ah, when we were introduced to such games as "Bang, Bang, Who Died?" (a game in which someone pretends to shoot another person by saying said phrase and the rest has to guess who died). It was the most annoying, tormenting puzzle that I ever bothered to think through. I normally don't have the patience, but that utterly bugged me. Thankfully, I finally figured it out (after two days), with lots and lots of help, of course.

Today I learned, in between accounting lessons, the game of "Snaps". Yes, I had a lot of help too. But I figured it out. And boy, is it a lovely puzzle to torment people with. Can't wait to try it out...hehehe.

Oh, and either my PC is infected with spyware (probably not, I'm too cautious) or someone knows my password. Hmm...

Edit: It was my brother, who sent some spam with my MSN account. Hmph.

Scandal.

What else did we discuss in college today but about our poor (former) Health Minister, who was kind enough to resign not too long after a video surfaced showing him and a personal friend having a good time. Poor old guy. Well, that's what we were talking about. I must say, I do not find it particularly tasteful to discuss about other people's sex lives, but what the hey. Everyone is doing, why not I?

I personally could not care less. Makes amusing reading though. At the very least, it's good to know, Malaysia is alive and well, muahahaha...

Good morning, 2008.

Good morning, I said to myself as I woke up. It's 2008. It doesn't feel like a New Year at all. It is, after all, not a special, natural phenomena, a New Year. It's a man made figment of imagination, if you will. An invention of convenience. On different planets a New Year comes rather early. So, nothing special.

Obligatory cynicism done with, I'm excited over the New Year. What lays in store? What new things are there, just waiting to be discovered? I can't wait. My policy of optimism stays. No, it's not that kind of smily face retarded cheerfulness you see in a retarded person (excuse my lack of PCness, but typing out "people with special and/or different mental abilities" is a tad bit too long) who smiles away without a worry in a world. Well, they usually do.

No, my optimism is a one grounded in the fact that doomsday hasn't come yet despite predictions that it is just a few years away, since the beginning of civilization. 2012 is the next big date, and 2008 means there is (gasp) only four more years to go! Sell your house, lose your virginity (speaking of sex, our Health Minister realizes that time is short! Follow his healthy example!)...quickly, people!

But ah, four more years is a long time. There will be time for at least two more James Bond movies (and Transformers 2, thank goodness). A lot of time to enjoy life. So, best be starting on your enjoying yourself. Eat, drink and be merry (but not too much, because we're not dying just yet).

Oh, but I've digressed.

New Year's Eve passed, and I was sitting there at the stroke of midnight, listening to a sermon. What better way, after all, than to celebrate the New Year in the house of the Lord? A very nice place to be if the rapture happened. But, sadly, it didn't. There's always next year, though.

Okay, now to mellow down a bit.

Have I made any New Year's resolutions? Sure I have. But I never keep them anyway. One of them would be to write one post for every day of the year this year. But I'm not sure if I can do that. Well, I'll at least try for double the amount I wrote last year. That's still quite a sum, but I must still try.

And to my horror and frustration, I realized I haven't narrowed down a specialized field of interest to study in yet. I think my worst fears are beginning to come true: I'm interested in everything and anything. Well, not quite everything. But a whole lot of stuff. Right now I'm currently...um...reading in the field of history, along with a dash of classical lit. And I fine the former absolutely fascinating. I think I wanna be a historian or something (good grief). The last thing I want to be known as is a jack-of-all-trades. Sounds so retarded, since I'm gonna be a master of none (Of course, that saying may very well be bull's excrement. Who knows?)

One more thing I've noticed in my pysche: I'm started to lose touch with my so called "spiritual self" a.k.a. inner man a.k.a. spirit man (depending on what pentecostal chuch you're attending). This is not to say I'm losing my faith. Maybe I am, but I hope not. Is this what happens when you are an INTJ (darn profiling)? I hope not.

Suffer, if you will, for a brief sermon. No wait. Don't suffer. Sermon's need not inflict torture. They are a useful tool, and I say to myself why don't we just preach the gospel as Jesus preached it (repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand) rather than pouring down the 4 Steps (er...something like that) and Sinner's Prayer schlock down people's throats.

Of course, our modern day teenagers raised up on whatever you wish to call it (MTV, Facebook, Starbucks, Honey Stars etc.) will be unable to comprehend a "literal" presentation of the gospel and any of its soteriological content whatsoever. That said, Cliff's Notes ain't the real thing. In fact, it's not even the original Cliff's Notes. It's the dumbed down, chopped up, wishy washy, squish squash, tish tosh version of it (And I got that from someone. I don't make up such ludicrously childish sentences, believe me).

For God so loved the world ergo he gave his son to die ergo believe him ergo you will be saved. I'm sorry, but that's just not quite enough to sum up the religion you're about to associate yourself with. It's much more complex. Membership forms for cyber cafes contain way more clauses and caveats. Good grief.

Irony of a non-religious person sermonizing aside, perhaps we should start thinking a little bit more. Critical thinking (and common sense, if you must) would be helpful, it that's not too much to ask. We have been endowed with brains by God, no?

Oh, I have written too much but said too little. Next time. As I try to hit 366 posts for this year. Wish me luck. And a Blessed New Year.

Soli Deo Gloria!