You're so Vain, You Think this Song is About You ... Happy New 2016 Year

I  know I don't look like Warren Beatty.

Carly Simon could be right depending on how one reads her words.  As photographer Rodney Smith puts it, "It is simply part of the human condition to aspire to importance and power, when the truth is we feel powerless and unimportant." 

I got everything I wanted. The bills are paid. The dog got a bath, and Rose and I met up with our daughter in New York.  She smiles like her dad.  Or so I would like to think.  God is good.

This is my last blog for 2015.  I still need to play with all my toys.  The Lord willing, I hope I can still blog in 2016.  See you there.

Here's wishing a safe and prosperous year 2016 to all.  Yea, even to those people who disagreed with me. 

#RodneySmithQuote #HappyNewYearWish #IronyIsLikeWine

O'le

#StuffFromSpain #Collage #TravelPhotography

Advice from an Ex-groupie

Do I look fabulous, darling?

Soren:  My life is a vortex of negative thoughts and emotions.

Lady Pam:  Darling, you need to loosen up a bit.  Go and enjoy life.

Soren:   I'm trying.  But I believe I am predestined to live a meaningless life.

Lady Pam:  Darling, you are not Camus or Sisyphus.  You are free to do what you want.

Soren:  Yes, but I am only free to live a meaningless life.

Lady Pam:  Pour me another shot of that absinthe.  And don't bogart that joint.

#existentialism #philosophy #lifeismeaningless

Nostalgic on Blue Moon... uh-woooo (re-post)

After Midngiht

Shot on film camera at the district rooftop – my fave place to shoot. Not sure when I took this. I know it’s quite recent. That’s the thing with film photography. Sometimes I’ll finish a roll in one day but most of the time it takes me a while to go through the entire roll. Then I forgot what settings I used.

I’m almost sure I shot this at f8. The camera is a vintage Zeiss Ikon Nettar, which older than me. It takes up a medium format film but for this shot I hacked the camera to be able to take in a 35mm film spool. Because the medium format film is larger than the 35mm film, the camera was able to print on the sprocket holes of the 35mm film. Pretty neat effect, if you ask me.

The camera has no built in light meter so the shutter speed was based on guess work. There is also no focusing viewfinder, which is not a problem for this shot because I just set the focus to infinity. Everything about this image is done old school. Well, except for digitalizing the final print so I can share it electronically.

This is a double exposure photo. The first shot was the moon. For the second exposure, I made a mental note where the moon was and framed the hill accordingly. I could have shot two separate images and layer them in PS but old school photography is more challenging and rewarding. Besides, I can brag about it if the photo comes out okay.

I was able to get two decent photos out of the entire roll on this camera. Not bad, I think. I love shooting old school. 

Featured Comment:

aU:  Seriously, just kill me now... this image is too intense...  reminds me of a night with Shadow (my Pom) -

Oh but the moon was out in its full regalia last night.  Me and my Shadow sat out in the backyard, seeping cappucino, sniffing at the flowers - sneezing off the pollen afterwards, simply immersing in the moon glow.

Shadow has been gone for a few years now.  I bought a brick in his memory at the Animal Friends of the Valleys, on the brick, I wrote this -

   Together we are
   Constantly
   My Shadow and me


Thank you for a sweet, brief reverie... also the method you used was simply 'pure unadulterated creation'...  Just the thought of having a friend like you is outright insane...

Texas Bob

Oh what a happy man selling Tacos.

He is Austin's Taco Man.  You can find him every Saturday at the Austin Flea Market.  People love his Tacos that they always run out.

"Got some more Tacos, Bob?"

"Yup.  Ya can haft allya Tacos ya want but they are Veggie Tacos left.  Allya other Tacos are gone, amigo."

A reporter takes his time

Did you let the wine breathe?

The sun is exploding. The moon has turned into blood red.   I hear a revolution rising.  Are those real bullets?  Memo to self:  research how pipe bombs are made.  I need to check out what is outside.  But I want to finish my wine.  The soup requires my attention.  The chaos outside can wait.  I am a journalist par excellence.  I can wing it.

#arrogance #brazenjournalism #lazydrivebymedia #TrafalgarInsider #Northernitaly #WineTastingAtBelagio

Swiss Clock Urban

Swiss time is running out ... I think we would lose the race.

An apt cool song quote from the Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water in a place where they make Swiss watches and cheese.  (Actually, I am not that sure about the cheese.)

I make it a point to shoot photos of clocks whenever I visit urban cities.  This one was shot at Lugano, a nice little place in southern Switzerland.  The folks here speak Italian.  But that doesn't mean much to me because I can't speak the language.  I do know how to properly say "Thank You" in Italian.  It's "grrra-zee-eh".

The place is memorable for me because my sciatica acted up when we were here.  I almost bought a walking cane because I could hardly take a step.  The wine and the Tylenols seem to alleviate the pain though.

When the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie ...  that's Amore.

#Lugano #urbanclock #swisstimeisrunningout #TrafalgarInsider

Don't stop the rain

She said I am the one ... But the kid is not my son.

Praying really hard this time.

#anotheroneofthosemacroshots #raindropskeepfallingonmyhead #noteasybeinggreen

Blue World

And we are without you.

Who are are?  We don't have a back bone.  We compromise all the time.  We try to live peaceable among men but then in the end we get kick around. We don't mind because we are jelly fish.  We cannot feel pain.  Not like other people do.  We are comfortably numb and don't care to fight and stand up for what we believe.  Because what we believe is all relative.  You say the world is blue, and we say right on.  You say that your car is red.  We say right on.  Even though it's white. We'll go wherever the waters will take us.

#jellyfish #truthisrelative #truthisrelativenot #existentialism

Faith in Idols

Must we allow the idolatry of art obscure issues of political significance?

Why are so many people drawn to idols?  The idols have ears but do they hear?  They have eyes but do they see?

#idols #faithinidols #Madonnaandchild #statueofsaintsquestioned

Do you think we're sexy?I

If you want our bodies, and you think we're sexy ... come on let us know.

We had a good year on our apple produce.  I blame it on global warming.

#globalwarming #climatechange #ifyouthinkwearesexy

Alone and the comfort in hoping

Alone again, naturally.

It’s about being alone or more accurately the emotion associated with being alone, which is common to all of us.

She is well aware of herself and her predicament. She is helpless, and all she can do is hope. Yes, even amidst the pain and loneliness of being alone, she hopes. Just like many of us, we at times feel so alone, and yet somewhere somehow we tell ourselves that there is always hope. This is the paradox of humanity. Our existence may seem meaningless, but by nature… because of our mannishness we find comfort in hoping.

#alone #mannishness #comfortinhoping #existentialism

Anticipation

Winning the Lotto would not change a thing.

What is life?  Just a fleeting moment that my Creator has loaned to me.  I am dying.  Perhaps, I would be gone by the time that you read this.  I am not bitter.  Such is life.  We go through it and take it for granted.  My bad.  I should have enjoyed life more.  But that is the way it goes.

#facingdeath #existentialism #deathcomes

Jackie 7078A

Can a smile truly launch a thousand ships?  It did for Helen of Troy.

Jackie's dad wanted a portrait of her daughter, and so this was one of the images that I took.  He asked if she needed to wear lots of make up.  I told him, yes - lots of lot as long as she is comfortable with it.

#happiness #youth #AsianModel #Smilethatlauncedathousandships

A Change of Heart

Do these fruits contain memories of what they once were?

"The transformation of the heart is such a wondrous thing,"  writes Singer/Songwriter Patti Smith.

#existentialism #transformationoftheheart

Got my Jaguar and I got my Tan

Inspired by Bob Dylan when he went electric.  Except he played a Strat.  But he did wear cowboy boots.

God is good.  The Surf Guitar arrived yesterday.  A Fender.  An American design.  Half an hour prior the pair of Lucchese 1883 Cowboy Boots came.  This pair is one of the last ones still made in the States.  I am a few days ahead of celebrating my birthday.  Oh whee, ride me high... down on the easy chair.

#birthdaypresents #yousayitsyourbirthday #cowboyboots #surfgreenguitar

The Fleetingness of Time

We live in a universe driven by perpetual change leading to decay and rebirth.

"Is there anything we know more intimately than the fleetingness of time, a transience of each and every moment?"  asked Philosopher Rebecca Goldstein.

Transience.  Memory.  Moment.

Mundane anchors of constancy in an effort to satisfy that desire for permanency-  all but an illusion .

Memory for time itself.  Time is one thing we all feel in our very bones.  I wonder ... do other creatures have this sense like we do?  Do they understand that we are ephemeral creatures?  Do they know that there will come a time that they would no longer exist?

#existentialism #memory #permanency #fleetingnessoftime

When the cups and saucers are put away

"Soul to soul, our shadows roll, and I'll be with you when the deal goes down," sang Bob Dylan.

How many times have she heard me promised this to her?  Only for the promise to be broken.  If I was a poet, I would write a poem for my one true love.  But I got side tracked.  I was too busy with work.  Thinking I'll strike it big ... this time.  It never does.  So life goes on.  Until one day, the cups and saucers were put away.  Not even a trace of their shadows can I remember.  How does it feel? you may ask.  It takes a lot just to smile nowadays.  Selah.


#whenthedealgoesdown #bobdylanreference #ittakesalottosmile

I say a little prayer for you

The moment I wake up.  Just when I put on my make up.  I say a little prayer for you.

I've read the news today, oh boy.

#mantispraying #noteasybeinggreen #whatbigeyesyouhave

Three Geishas and their responses to authentication

Practical applications on the Tao of Radical Freedom.

One seemed content to be in the shadows.  The other upset.  And the other appeared high on Ecstasy or something.  Something for everyone.

"I'm a Geisha," said she.  "I am not supposed to feel anything.  For me. 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine really works well.  I could live through abuse and persecution - no problem.  When the neurotransmitters slow down, knock it down with pill.  The only thing is I can't stop talking... (blah blah blah)"

I asked the one at the end, "how about you?"

"I am fine.  I meditate."

"What do you meditate on?"

"I meditate on meditation."

The one in the middle had been silent, "why are you upset?"

She thought for a while.  "I am the shortest of all and I forgot to put on my dentures."

#crazydialogues #geisha #drugsandeelingnothing

The Sublime

Contemplating on the significance of the insignificance.

Only man can feel fear and awe at the same time.  The beast will only know fear for he has not forgotten his insignificance.  Man on the other hand have built monuments and shrines to give glory to himself.  In so doing, he has forgotten how insignificant he truly is compared to the sun, and moon and stars above him.  But when the angel of death comes for him, he remembers it all.  As he clings to his last breath, he realizes that his body and mind will be reduced to nothingness.  Selah.  He sees himself standing on the edge of a sword -  on the left side is the realm of living and on the right is dying.  At that moment, he sees his eminent death and he sees the insignificance of his life.  And at that moment, he experiences fear and awe ... at the same time.

#existentialism #sublime #livinganddying

Traces of Memories Lost

Bike Orange Box

Every Wednesday, Jack would deliver oranges to Mrs Frangipani.  Unlike his other delivery, he would not leave the fruits on the doorstep but would knock on the door to greet the woman.  She was special, and would always let him in for a cup of cappuccino.  She would always tell him about Mr Frangipani, who passed away many years ago.  The story was the same but it never bored Jack.  He loved hearing about the woman's husband.  How he serenaded her, when this was still the tradition of courting women.  How his voice was so lovely that other women envied her.  Mrs Frangipani would sometimes dance as she told her story.

"I will always remember your story, Mrs Frangipani," Jack responded.

This routine went on for two years.  Until one day, the inevitable happened.  No one answered the door.  Jack waited for almost half an hour.  One of the neighbors Mr Di Luca saw Jack waiting.  He came to the boy.

"Dear boy," the old man told him.  "She is no longer home."

Jack immediately realized what had happened.  And at that moment, his mind froze.  He could not remember how Mrs Frangipani looked like.  He tried to recall her voice but their was just silence on his head.  His mind search for the story that she had repeatedly told him.  There was only blank.  Jack thought of crying, but no tears fell from his eyes.  All he could feel was emptiness inside.  Why?  he thought.  Why could he not remember?  Those traces of memories of Mrs Frangipani were lost.

#story #bicyclechronicle #existentialism

Hoop Der Hopelo

Hoop Der Hopelo, Church of Our Lady, Bruges, Belgium.

"What's a sweetheart like you doing in the dump like this?" asked Bob Dylan.

As a Calvinist, I have always struggled with icons as works of art.  For Rome, which considered me accursed because of my Protestant view, the icons of their canonized saints are subjects of obsessive adulation.  Yet as an artist, I can't help but admire the masterful techniques of the artists who made these fascinating icons.  Consider the Lady in this image.  Is she about to bow down in reverence and humility to her Creator?  Or is she welcoming the faithful people who have asked for her intercession?  Or both?  I wonder.


#HoopDerHopelo #Antwerp #Madonna #LadyofHope #Statue #TrafalgarInsider #LensFlare

Architecture along canal in Bruges

Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, is distinguished by its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings. 

Bruges was probably the best city we enjoyed when we visited Benelux last spring.  Simple and quiet.  It has the semblance of Amsterdam but it is more laid back.  (One does not have to watch out for those crazy cyclists unlike in Amsterdam.). The whole town can be toured in a day.  The nice spring time weather was the icing on the cake.  Lovely.

#Benelux #Bruges #TrafalgarInsider

Negotiating with a Giant

Druon Antigoon is a Flemish folkloric character. He was a mythical giant who lived in Antwerp, Belgium.  Guarding a bridge on the Scheldt River, he exacted a toll from those crossing the river. For those who refused, he severed one of their hands and threw it into the river.

Tourists:  Can we have a photo with you?

Giant:  That would cost each of you five shekels.

Tourists:  Let us see ... that would be about a dollar fifty in today's currency.  Good deal.

Giant:  Wait ... I can't live on dollar fifty.

Tourists:  A deal is a deal.

#antwerp #belgium #DruonAntigoon #TrafalgarInsider #antwerpgiant

This is not your grandmother's bike

I love to ride my bicycle.

This is no ordinary bike.  It has 64 automatic speed, anti-skid steering, air lock brakes, dual airbags, 200 foot pound torque, retro styling and many more.  Voice activated GPS navigation is standard feature.  The bike comes with 7 year 100,000 miles bumper to bumper guarantee.  This is definitely not your grandmother's bike.  Unless of course if your grandmother is Wonder Woman.  See your authorized local bike dealer for more details.  

#superbike #urbannecessities #retro #trafalgarinsider #bruges #alley #benelux

The Problem with Jean-Paul Sartre's Radical Freedom

To be or not to be.

Heron:  I am imprisoned.  Therefore, I have no choice but to stay here.

Sartre:  Everyone has a choice.

Heron:  How is that?

Sartre:  You can always choose to kill yourself.

Sartre's notion of 'radical freedom' said that everyone always has a choice, and every act is a free act. When people say they have 'no choice' but to do something, they are lying to themselves. He would point out situations such as a group of hikers who encounter a boulder blocking their path, leaving them 'no choice' but to turn back. Sartre claimed this was wrong, as they also could fling themselves off the mountain, killing themselves. (from Existential Comics)

#existentialism #philosophicaldifficulties #sartre #radicalfreedom

Gregorio The Cook

Would that be with peanut butter or cheese?

There was a time when God tested me and said to me, "take Isaac, your only son, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering on the mountain that I shall show you." I had a choice to complete the task or to refuse to comply with God's orders.  I was resigned that I would loose my only son.  And then the inevitable happened.  God provided a substitute.  A perfect ram that would take the place of the offering.  I realized that the God who called me had validated my existence by virtue of my faith.  A faith born not out of myself - for my spirit was bound up to give up whatever and whoever I love.  A faith not from within but from without.  

"Son,"  I said, "Are you in a mood for Lamb Chop?"

Nowadays, I am just content to cook crepes for my neighbors.

#fearandtrembling #faith #storyogabraham #faith

Here they laid ...

American Cemetery in Luxembourg

American soldiers died defending Europe.  They are more appreciated there than in the States.  A stone's throw away is where General George S. Patton is buried.  Selah.

#AmericanCemetery #GeneralGeorgeSPatton

Blurring the line between contentment and happiness

Pursuing an illusion?

Why is it that there are hardly anything written about the pursuit of failure?  By nature, man does not want to fail.  And yet, successful pursuits do not always lead to happiness.  Is happiness then just an illusion?  Or as some scientists posit that happiness is nothing but a chemical reaction resulting in feelings of joy and elation?  Or are we happy because we choose to be happy?  As in being content and being happy with the state we are in.

#happiness #existentialism #philosophy #contentment #despair

Man as Machine

Man as mechanistic materialist.

Did man really evolve from dead matter?  If so, there should be no distinction between living and dead matter.  Is the mental process caused by the material body or is there such a thing as a soul that is separate and immaterial from the body?  Perhaps, man is just a computer - programmed to behave in certain ways.  If this were so, who programmed man?  Perhaps, another machine programmed man.  Who programed the programmer?

#manasmachine #JulienOffraydeLaMettrie 

Two bikes and fragments of memories

Perhaps, the sun had refused to shine today.

Once there were two bikes that were used at the same time.  But now the other one has collected dust.   Maybe a bit of rust here and there.  Day by day, it seems to fade away.  Yet it is still there.  A stark reminder that Fred was gone.  Can there be a continuity between the past and the present?   Patricia thought about it for the longest time.  She now leads a life that has been transformed.  An inevitable loss for sure.  She mourns.  She contemplates.  She catches fragments of memories.  She realized that time has slipped away.  And tomorrow... yes, and tomorrow will just be another day.

#existentialism #transformation #timetranscience #twobikesandfragmentsofmemories  

Mr Dudamel, you're my biggest fan

But the song remains the same.

The concert was about an hour and half away.  So, there we were at the Vespaio bar ... Rose nursing her Chardonnay, while I was alternating between a Pinot Noir and a shot of Cragganmore.  Suddenly, the Dude sat next to me.  The Great Conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

Juzno (nervous):  Senor Dudamel?

Dudamel:  Si?

Juzno (more nervous):  I just want to t-t-ell you ...  that you're ... m-m-y biggest fan.

Dudamel (laughing):  My friend, you should not drink wine over whiskey.

#GustavoDudamel #WaltDisneyConcertHall #RiteofSpring #IgorStravinsly #HangingOutWithAFamousConductor #MixingWhiskeyWithWine

In the year 2525

Lose those fats in 20 minutes.

In the year 2525, the human race would be replaced by highly sophisticated dummies.  They do not need to eat or exercise.  They are always fashionably fit.  They do have an insatiable appetite for trendy clothing so they live mostly in Russia and Georgia where most of the high end garments are manufactured.  They do not need to think because they have no brains.  They have no need for MTV and YouTube because they have no  eyes or ears.  Yet they can communicate using advanced mindless technology implanted in their heads.  The implants get updated periodically through iCloud, which causes all internet connection and all computer activities to crash.  The next update will occur in ten minutes from the time this blog is read.  Please back up your work now.

#dummies #MindlessTechnology #future #ImprobablePredictions

Objections to Lemon Grass

You think this is art?

Dear Ms Stewart,

Can I call you Martha?  I would rather not be too formal.  I am a big fan of your show Martha Bakes, and have been following your instructions to the tee.  Unfortunately, there was one episode concerning baking a chicken that you mentioned about the use of Lemon Grass as stuffing inside a chicken.  As a quasi-animal rights proponent, I kind of find this a bit disturbing.  I have a lot of respect for chickens.  So, I feel that stuffing a foreign object inside them is objectionable for reason that it is downright degrading and racist.  In the south where I grew up, we always treated our chickens with respect.  At least, before we kill and cook them.  Having said that, I hope you will reconsider your recipe for the Chicken Bake as it is not only a turn-off but offensive to folks like us.

Yours truly,
Colonel Sanders

#lemongrassasart #stilllifewithlemongrass #MarthaStewart #ColonelSanders #chickenbake #MarthaBakes

Corregidor Today

What is left of the Officers Quarters in Corregidor, Philippines

The war ravaged building used be the quarters for Officers in the island of Corregidor, Philippines.  On May 6, 1942, Japanese troops forced the surrender of American and Filipino soldiers.

The building has not been restored in reverence to the American and Filipino soldiers who died there.

#history #corregidor #officersquarters #worldwarII #fallofcorregidor #ruins

The problem with diversity

Bartender in Austin, Texas.

Juzno:  Hey, bud.  Can I get a beer?

Miguel:  No beer.  Only tequila.

Juzno:  Okay, can I have coke with that?

Miguel:  No Cokes.  Only Pepsis.

Juzno:  Okay, can I have a pork slider with that?

Miguel:  No porks.  Only hamburgers.

Juzno:  Can I have cheese with that?

Miguel:  No cheese.  Only queso.

Juzno:  Isn't that the same?

Miguel:  No.  Cheese no good.  Queso better.

#diversity #austinbar #blackandwhiteisworththefight #iloveBnW #bar #beer #adultbeverages #politicallyincorrect

Time is on my side

Yes, it is.

Dear Swiss Watchmaker,

I just saw the most wonderful urban watch on display at Lugano.  I am sure you know what I am talking about.  It had some real sleek dial and the face is something to behold.  I am prepared to pay whatever sum for the purchase of a similar watch.  Money is no option.  Please advise estimated delivery time.  I would prefer that it gets delivered before the Republican primaries as it would match my theme "My Time is Money".

Yours truly,
Donald Trump

#Lugano #Timeisonmyside #southernswitzerland #watch #clock #urban #parody #satire

The Windmill of his mind

Dulcinea is coming to Kinderdijk.

One night, Don Quixote woke up.  "Sancho, where are we?" he cried.

Sancho half asleep replied, "we are in Amsterdam."

"How the heck did we get here?" asked Don Quixote.

"Don't you remember?  You kept complaining that there was no windmill in Spain."

#windmill #donquixote #amsterdam #kinderdijk #parody #humor

Soda Can Philosophy

"A penny for your thought?  Sure, just place it on the soda can."

I have never quite understood it.  "Beer over whisky, mighty risky.  Whiskey over beer, have no fear."  People have passed this sort of saying as truth.  Perhaps, because it has stood the test of experience.  Okay, now.  Let me see what happens when I add soda to the mix.

#philosophicalthoughts #sodacanphilosohy #beeroverwhiskyisrisky #whiskeyoverfearhavenofear

No te preocupes por mi

Don't worry about me.

Dear Mom,

I won't bother you with my usual apologies for the lateness of my letter.  And perhaps for once, I can write without going through a defeating motion of trying to explain why I chose to be here.  The terrible truth is I have not been responding to many of the letters that other people have sent me since the time I got into an altercation with the son of the Police Chief.  There are many uncertainties and a lot of things may no longer be unavoidable.  Everything that is happening here is depressing - with maybe an extreme rare case when Pope Francis came to visit the island.  He may be our one last hope to redeem this tyrannical country.  Viva Il Papa.  I have tried to smuggle a note to him through one of his bodyguards though I would not be able to ascertain that it will even reach him.  In my letter, I have tried to explain that since the economic atom bomb had exploded years ago, ramifications beyond the ken of any normal man have far expanded.  Blah.  Blah.  Blah.  I wonder if my politically loaded monograph will make sense to him.  It had to.  The Pope grew up in a place where tyranny was the norm.  But I can't say for certain that he would even read my letter.  Anyways, I can only regard this sort of thing as another chapter in my continuing education of politics and human depravity.  I got to go, mom.  I can hear the sounds of revving engine from the outside.  That has got to be the truck of the same military thugs who roam the streets every week.  Hence, it is lights out in a few minutes.  So, I'll say goodnight and sign off.

Love,
Wang

#lettertomother #militarymadness #economicatombomd #humandepravity #PopeFrancis

Man with Pink Bow Tie

"I hope my sister won't mind that I borrowed her bow tie."

The perfect lighting.
The appropriate environment.
The Scandinavian gent.
A young Max Von Sydow.
Serendipity.
All I had to do was click the camera.

Sometimes things just happen in street photography.  I was standing near a coffee bar at the Grand Central Market in LA when this young man with a pink bow tie stepped in to order a cup of some pretentious Latte with Pumpkin spice.  From his attire, he could have been a fashion model, an actor or a maître d' for Pink's Hot Dog.

"Ursäkta, may I take your picture?"

"Vad fasa.  You insignificant peasant.  How dare you?"

"In that case, I suppose you are not signing any model release then."

#streetphotography #manwithpinkbowtie #fashionista #swedishpretentiousness #PinksHotDog #GrandCentralMarket #metro #hipster #waitingforcoffee

Together Through Life (Part 2)

Will you still love me when I'm 84?

Gertrude:  Honey, did you not clean the mirror?  I can see ourselves with all kinds of lints and scratches.

Conrad:  Oh, I thought that was just our natural wrinkles.

#togetherthroughlife #oldcouplelovingeachother 

Probably The Most Expensive Snack I Paid For

At least the chips are certified gluten-free.

Half Size Bottle of Wine 
     and Potato Chips                                                 $44

Plastic Cups for the wine                                           Free

One ticket to see Gustavo Dudamel
     conducts Simon Bolivar Orchestra                        $48

Another ticket of the same concert                             $48

Fee for buying tickets                                                $15

Parking at Disney Concert Hall                                   $ 9

Listen to Beethoven's 3rd and 4th Symphonies            Priceless

Our first concert for this season.

#concert #Beethoven #3rdand4thsymphonies #GustavoDudamel #DisneyConcertHall #SimonBolivarOrchestra #wine #tickets #snack #expensivesnack

The Illusion of Free Will

If we truly have a free will, then why is it that we are bound by moral imperatives?

Why did you make that move?

I wanted to see if it can move.

No, I mean was there any other reason since you are playing this game?

I am?  I thought I was playing chess?

You are.  Chess is a game.

Then, why the heck did I choose to make that move?


#beingandnothingness #existentialism

How to deal with irate neighbors

"Yes, you are a piece of insignificant matter that is ruining my day."

"My neighbor came to me to complain that my tree is causing rain water to run off to his backyard, which was ruining his garden.  I told him I can't do anything, and that he should complain to God."

#mindlesscomplaints #retrolook #americana

Finding Peace

Contemplating on the dialectical. 

Once she thought she got the answer, then the answer no longer addresses the question.  The vast sea of knowledge appears indefinite, while the dry land of wisdom is so constricted.  Why do people keep trying to mix land and water, as though to get rid of all the mystery of this freaking earth?  She could not grasp the unfathomable final meaning of life and truth.  And at that one apparent and momentary lapse of angst, she found peace.

#existentialism #nihilism #philosophy

Slaves for Sale

Add your own caption here.

We are mannequins.  Since the beginning, we were conceived to be slaves.  Yet the very people who conceived us have argued that in order to make life worth living you got to be free, and you can't be free if the other people are not free too.  What's up with that?

Is Freedom truly based on equality?  Yet some of us are sold for a dollar, while others are worth much more from the perspective of a prospective buyer.

Or consider the metaphysics of forces that guide people who think all is fine, walk about their daily life, and yet turn a blind eye on a homeless person.   No, no, they would argue, "but you see this homeless person has freewill and can transcend from his destitute state if he so desire."  Well, sir, that is precisely my point.  We are not free.  Are we then in a better situation than this homeless person?

#philosophy #nihilism #existentialism

Nihilism from the Perspective of a Dog

Look at me the cute little dog.

From our perspective as canine society, if Nihilism is the absence of any ultimate values, and so many of us canines speak with the rhetoric of creating values for our human servants, or committing them to values, then how do we make sense that there are those who deny values and yet impose values on others in the name of advancing tolerance or democracy?  Or, should we as dogs even care whether humans are nihilistic or not?

#nihilism #meaning #meaningless #philosophy