Chasing Bunnies

Super Mario Galaxy: The Bunnies

If you’ve never played Super Mario Galaxy before, here’s how the story begins. Bowser attacks Mario’s home planet, and Mario gets thrown off the planet…I forget exactly how that works out. But that’s not important. The only thing that matters, really, is that he wakes up on a strange, small planet in another region of the cosmos. A soft, grassy planet he has never visited, yet it feels vividly familiar to him. Like something from a dream. And all the while, his home planet is a far off twinkling star in the sky amongst the billions of others.

But of course, nothing’s too trippy for Mario, so he just gets right up and starts exploring the new world. Can you guess where this might lead? Of course…he runs into a bunny. A talking bunny, who says five words to him, and then hops away: “Catch me if you can!”

And so begins Mario’s grand quest to unlock the key to saving his former life, as well as to his destiny. For they say you must sometimes get lost in order to find yourself. What better and more spacious place to get lost than amongst the stars and comets?

I wrote about this song because it produces a very strong and difficult emotion to describe within me. It’s sort of like nostalgia and longing plus hindsight, with a slight tinge of helplessness mixed into it. It’s that feeling long after a big, big adventure in your life that really changed who you are has concluded, and you look back and think about the beginning of that adventure. How confusing it all was at the start. How new it was, how uncertain you felt. But then looking back, it’s so amazing how from that platform of not knowing what lay ahead, your adventure expanded into so many billions of different thoughts and ideas into your mind, such that it became your everything for some time. And now it’s over. That same exact thing will never happen to you again. It’s a wonderful but bittersweet acknowledgement that we sometimes desire to go against our very nature and oppose the expansion of time and space and this universe, impossible as it is.

Excuse me while I go cry.

….All alone?

Shenmue: Rain

Little Megumi standing beside the kitten’s box. Come rain or snow, she doesn’t move. She’s there – an angel, a guardian, a surrogate mother. And what’s more, she’s a symbol of innocence. Even Ryo, possessed by motives of vengeance and destructiveness in his heart, cannot stop for a moment to consider the contrast between himself and Megumi, and their circumstances. “I see…” he remarks quite profoundly.

Ryo treads softly in his shoes on this particular snowy morning in Yamanose. He hears the faint cry of a kitten from the nearby playground. “Huh?” he states out loud and stops for a second. His thoughts are interrupted, his quest is put on hold. He instinctively walks towards the shrine, and finds Megumi guarding a cardboard box. She’s standing directly in front of it, as if to hide an unpleasant truth. “You got a kitten in there?” Ryo asks.

She lowers her head in disgrace and stays silent a moment. “….You promise not to tell my mommy?” She pleads, and moves out of the way. It is indeed a kitten, grey with sparkling eyes and joyously radiating the freshness of new life. Seeing the kitten stirs something deep within him, something warm and fuzzy. “Is this your kitten?” Ryo inquires.

“Uh-uh,” Megumi responds. “But see, this kitty – she’s all alone!”

Ryo hesitates a moment. “…All alone?” he echoes.

“Yup. See, the other day when it rained…a car ran over her mommy!” Megumi exclaimed tearfully. “My big sister saw it – she said it was a big, black car!”

Pause. Slow motion. Ryo’s expression takes on a concerned, thoughtful frown. He doesn’t respond for about ten seconds. “….A black car?”

And then things were never the same. They couldn’t be, after what Ryo had seen and heard that morning. She was so tiny, but already an orphan! Ryo lost his father a few days ago, and had sworn revenge. His father’s killer was the driver of that black car which also ran over the kitten’s mother. It was an unspeakable horror – two consecutive murders by the same evildoer.

But the kitten could not blindly swear revenge. It could not kill in rage, or commit violence in response to such an injustice. She would never need to, so long as the love and compassion of a young girl who risked getting in trouble with her mommy persisted – and it always would. Ryo knew this as he watched her standing there in the cold. And in that moment, he felt a sort of connection with the kitten that he’d never felt before.

Golden Summer

I can taste Summer’s arrival announcement in the air,
Like honey dripping from Heaven onto an endless green mat.
Another stop on Destiny’s Island -
A far away bugle calls from the final shore.
My spirits lift as I recall something quite like it,
My soul’s longing memory of a golden past realm.
And through the thick, creamy stench of sunscreen,
And the bubbly warmth upon this pink beach at sunset,
I sense within me a summer I’ll never forget.

A Moment of Solitude

Shenmue: Memories of Iwao

Memories. Reflection. That’s what this song is about. I am sailing a daunting voyage across a vast ocean with no land around in me in sight, awaiting the appearance of a speck of land which will indicate that I am close to Destiny. But now the air grows chilly, the tides turbulent, and the night darker and foggier. I detach the sail from my ship, and my vessel gently glides to a stop, giving me a chance to look around.

Where to go from here? I can hear from a distance the sweet notes of past times and happy memories, smiling people and faces, magical places and circumstances. A sorrowful weight of lead sits at the bottom of my heart as I remember, as everything comes back to me. The lessons. The laughs. The difficult times. The absurdities. Even the challenges and unbearable things of the past…they too seem like distant friends to me now, friends who have bid me farewell and stood at the shore looking after me as I set sail for a far away land. And not until that moment did I see in their eyes a sort of familiarity – the culmination of all the days we spent together, happy and painful – never before was it so transparent. Their eyes also displayed the sadness of parting, but also a strong resolution on my behalf, that I was to go forth and make conquests elsewhere.

But every now and then, when the wind changes direction and picks up speed, and the clouds briefly obscure the moon, I wonder about the twisted route that Destiny has mapped for me. The subtle but vital clues that have been scattered throughout several different continents. The hints and leads that I must piece together to ultimately figure out where I am going. Why do I see the wrecks of so many other ships that sailed here before me? Was it nothing more than their loss of direction that destroyed them? Or was it their obsession with landing at Destiny’s shore that made them forget to steer properly, leading to their demise?

A sobering reflection. But as I feel the ocean breeze across my face and I glance at the twinkling stars, the power of faith is renewed within me, and I allow the winds at my back to set the ship in motion once more. I stand at the bow, resuming my cautious look out for friend or foe on the horizon. But in a strange way, I appreciate this moment of silence and solitude for the time being.

The Eleven Plus Forces of Inspiration

El Condor Pasa

I was reflecting on the key elements in my life that provide inspiration. I’ve been studying the cause and effect relationship between everyday phenomena and their links to the “spiritual world” or the workings of higher forms of intelligence. In other words, when you are moved by a deeply inspiring piece of music, how is this similar/different to when you are captivated by the beauty of a majestic sunset? My incomplete theory (which is not at all unique) is that these, and an infinite number of other phenomena are unified under the spiritual sphere (that which transcends our five physical senses). I do not believe in a single, conscious entity called God – man has misused and polluted this concept throughout history. But I have another name for that which “God” was originally intended to represent, in its full purity: Profundity.

I’ve attempted to place the forces of inspiration in my own life, as I perceive them, into roughly ten categories (actually eleven). It’s certainly not a complete list, and is not in any particular order. It obviously differs from the list that any other person would generate.

1. Flying (aviation)
Including learning to fly, traveling by plane, the experience of flying, dreaming about flying and spaceflight.

2. Video Games
Most notably: Shenmue, Zelda (Link to the Past and others), Mario (Mario Galaxy, 64, NES games, etc.), WarioWare, DS, many others. Also includes the music from these games.

3. The Nature of Mankind
And our place in this world, and our ever-increasing ability to answer questions about ourselves and this universe. Also includes conquests, triumphs, and amazing endeavours and feats by individuals or by groups of humans throughout history. Also, specific philosophies and systems of belief invented by man loosely fall in this category, such as Buddhism, and the Law of Attraction.

4. Relationships with Others
Friends and family, and the nature of each unique relationship as a new “being” or entity in itself that is born and reborn many times in many different forms.

5. Weather
Weather phenomena, including rain, clouds, sunshine, snow, etc. The beauty of these phenomena and the nature of change itself as exhbited by weather.

6. Music
Ranging from: songs from my favorite bands, to other completely random songs, to music themes for movies, cartoons, and video games, to classical music and so on…

7. Profound Works of Fiction
Films or books that have been deeply inspiring, ranging from 101 Dalmatians to Catch-22, to the Graduate. The essence distilled in these works that produce a unique feeling.

8. Technology and Science
Such things as lasers, physics, computers, robots, modern forms of transportation, biology (especially
the human mind and body), etc. Mathematics also holds a prominent position in this category. Nature also falls in this category: i.e. the stars, space, the ocean, the mountains, the moon, etc.

9. Traveling by train
Includes subways, rapid transits, and long railroad journeys. Pleasure roadtrips can also be placed in this category.

10. Animals
Animal behavior and cuteness found in mammals, such as cats, dogs, marsupials, etc. Also the intricacies of animal life (example: the behavior of ant colonies). Overlaps with #7 (science).

11. Reflection and Introspection
On topics such as the nature of life, the nature of being and self, as well as such explorations into the profundity of this world as this one. Attempting to understand myself and my own journey in terms of those who came before me, those who are my contemporaries, and those who are fictional but still important (such as Ryo Hazuki from the video game Shenmue or Luke Skywalker from Star Wars).

Interlude

There are those of us who have always looked towards  the skies for inspiration. The vast expanse of deep blue holds promises of wild and magical adventures to those seeking to escape earthly sorrows. The fluffy white clouds drift carelessly above, continuously being molded into new shapes by the hand of a profoundly sloppy and unpredictable sculptor hovering over the earth’s surface. Are they ever lonely? Are the “heavens” above really a separate and forbidden zone, a sphere of isolation and dark, murky mystery to us ordinary humans? Or are they a place for delightful encounters, ultimate freedom and extraordinary passion, and fantastic adventures for those who brave the risk? A thousand tales of love, hope, and inspiration are waiting to be told.

 

A profound moment of friendship in the skies.

We Gotta Work Together

Right Right Now Now – Beastie Boys

MCA (Beastie Boys) slaps down the political rhyme: “Trajectories from the past are taking their toll and, what we do now is future moulding – Columbine bowling, childhood stolen – we need a bit more gun controllin…” Three nerdy white guys rapping in Times Square, the so called “center of the universe.” This made my day and provided me with the inspiration I was looking for.

Smells like Crickets, Tastes like Chicken

Age of Empires II Soundtrack

Why do I always provide links to video game music in my blog? Am I that much of a geek? Well, there’s the short answer (yes) and the long answer to that. You see, when you’re playing a video game like The Legend of Zelda or Age of Empires II, you’re focused on the mission or task at hand, whether it be saving the princess and slaying three-headed dragons, or launching a ground offensive against the enemy. Sometimes you just can’t consciously focus on the music. But it’s there, and your subconscious mind is totally digging it while you’re owning Agahnim with his own evil magic energy by reflecting it with your master sword.

What am I getting at? Sometimes video game music speaks straight to the heart, because of its simplicity. There’s immense profundity…in its simplicity. This particular song is called, “Smells like Crickets, Tastes Like Chicken.” Why is it called that? I have no idea! But who really cares? When I listen to this, my heart lightens as I recall the many hours I spent building my civilization (I usually played as the Japanese), raising an army, and setting out on major conquests. I don’t think words – I think feelings, and nostalgia. That’s the point, words aren’t important with this type of music. I have appropriated the music as something special connected with my past; hence it’s a part of me, and no one else will hear the same thing I do when I listen to it.

But music is not just about the past. This song not only makes me nostalgic and remember my virtual conquests on the PC, but it lights a spark, and sells a bigger inspiration. An inspiration to conquer my dreams with the same determination and courage as the brave general who conquered his enemy in an epic battle. And forever behold and absorb this beautiful process of growth and learning known as life.

Vacation

Vitamin C: Vacation

It may be difficult to understand what is the connection between the songs I post in my blog entries and what I write. That is because music is special and unique to each of us. What one song reminds me of will likely be totally different than the images it evokes in your mind. This particular song and its silly little video in anime-fashion unexpectedly called forth something incredible, a whirlwind of emotion inside of me. There’s something about certain types of music that extends to a dimension that our senses alone cannot perceive, something spiritual. Something that appeals to our primal nature…almost as if we were recalling a powerful memory from a past life.

I was overcome with the sensation of wanting to fall in love. I can imagine myself being swept away by a force as strong as a hurricane, falling deep into another realm. I see the two of us, just the two of us in the whole world, sitting side by side. The mystical purple of the sunset over the warm, bubbly beach, the soft crashing of the waves on the sand a gentle melody. I look into your eyes and find there everything I’ve ever been searching for. We’ll go together, to the ends of this earth. We’ll see everything that’s made for us to see, and the magic of this moment will never fade. You are my counterpart in another world; you are the anti-matter to my matter, and together we’ll fuse explosively and do what has never been done before. You are the key to my lock, and you and I will live forever.

What Could be Better?

Arrested Development: Come Clean With You

So Arrested Development has made it to the top of my favorite TV shows list, becoming the first show to surpass South Park, ever. Mind you, it’s a pretty short list, considering how little TV I watch. In fact, it’s really only 3 items long:

1. Arrested Development

2. South Park

3. The Office

And considering that I don’t even like The Office that much, this says something about what I think of the majority of shows on TV today. My brain is like a separate nation with a very authoritarian government that issues immigration laws severely restricting the type of media that enters it. In order for a TV show or movie to be allowed entrance into my mind, it has to have a Visitor’s Visa, which can only be obtained by numerous recommendations from friends whose opinions I value. If I do let the media into my brain, and it turns out to be acceptable, that TV show or movie is granted a Permanent Resident visa. This is a highly influential status, as this means that the said medium has the potential to influence my thoughts, beliefs, and actions (and ultimately my life). So wouldn’t you also be careful about what you let into your brain?

With that said, Arrested Development has definitely impacted how I view society and my perceived place in society. Of course I love the comedy, the ridicule, and the satire. But what also inspires me is the genuine message or driving force behind each of the characters. Michael is portrayed as someone successful and hard working who is spending every ounce of his effort to keep his family together – but he is also shown to be light-hearted and fun-loving, as well as an imperfect human being and protagonist who is on his own learning adventure in life.  The others, including Tobias and Gob, are all looking for something or striving for what they believe is their purpose, although their flawed logic, immaturity, and frivolity cause more than a few misadventures and keep them from their goals. But everyone seems to be having fun more often than not, whether or not it is fun at the expense of others.

It has truly made me reflect on how life is never fully satisfying, and the need to put aside our continuous wanting and desiring and accept life’s imperfections, and just share some laughs and silly moments with the people who matter. It has helped to dispel the dark childhood image I’ve had of success as a solitary and merciless pursuit, where the object is to surpass everyone else with a vengeance and never look back. Now I realize, more than ever, that success is only worthwhile if I can share it with the people I care about, and let those people be the inspiration for my success.