It's been quite a few days since I wrote anything in this blog. Nay, its been a long while since I actually wrote for the sake of writing. Put it down to a case of wanting to do something different or perhaps its a good sign for the consultancy part of my work that I'm somehow making enough money in there for me not to have the inspiration to write all sorts of articles on all sorts of stupid things.
Anyway, I've been hit by one of those crazy quandary moods and so here I am blogging, trying to inflict my personality on the rest of the world for the sake of...well having nothing better to do or perhaps just losing myself to ...well nothing in particular....but a lost heart, I suppose.
Perhaps we should start with the 11th of November or Armristice Day. This was an event that I used to take quite seriously when I lived in the UK, but have since let dissapear into the realms of insignificance. I'm trying to revive some private meaning for myself on this day but somehow it becomes more difficult as the years go by and I get more and more caught up with the perks of modern living.
It's a shame that I've started to feel that way. Armristice Day marks a day when millions of young men in Europe died in what was the world's most horrible war (WWI). While, World War II saw more casualites in absolute numbers, it has become something of a sanitised legend. We have been drawn into a world of Hollywood Romance about a pretty horrendous occasion. World War I on the other hand reminded ...bloody....messy and pretty much forgotten and in that very fact, I think we forget something very precious ..... the reality of war today is that although we are told that Wars (especially when Americans are involved) have a romantic and heroic significance, the reality remains that war is a messy, senseless act of old men sending young men to their deaths for no particular reason.
What was World War I other than a family fude between Europe's Royals? Cousin George in Britain along with his cousin Nicky in Russia couldn't hack it that Cousin William of Germany needed to march his troops accross a bit of land that they coveted for themselves. Because a couple of inbreed blue bloods couldn't settle a family quarell in a civilised manner -millions of young men spent too many years of their lives shooting at each other in trenches and not advancing at all.
Today, we have something pretty similliar. We are forgetting the fact that its young men like me, my friends and probably the children that we are having (yes, I'm now at the age of mass reproduction) who pay the price of the fantasies of a few wimps....Little Georgie who didn't have the balls to be a solider himself needs to play solider with.....other people's lives.
I believe soliders themselves are nobel people doing a sometimes necessary and always unpleasent job. I just despise politicians who don't have the balls to do the job themselves sending the boys in for the sake of it. Seriously, Iraq is like World War One ...the fantasy of a man with no balls playing with the lives of other people because....well the lives at stake are not his and those of his gang. To be fair to him, we as ordinary people have done precious little to stop the nonsense but then again....hey......its not our lives that are being lost for no good reason.
After Armristice Day on the 11th, the 12th was spent in more mundane fashion. Went and got my client interviewed twice...hip, hip, horray. Then I went home and who should I run into but Dad who was visiting the old ladies.
Actually, it was good I ran into him. For once, I took the initiative to call him and invite him out to dinner. He's looking bloody good for a man who is about to turn 60. Ended-up picking up the tab for dinner, which pissed me off imensely, because I wanted to make a change to take him out. But then again, he had alot of fun telling me to get my life sorted out. But at least this time it was done in a somewhat optimistic atmosphere. He's suddenly discovering he's happy again. Its like he working and he loves his work and that's given him the energy that he had before business went to the piglets the first time round.
My Dad has never been much of a cuddly character. I mean, my mother needs to speak to me every week, while I barely speak to the old man except on special occasions (His birthday, mine and Chinese New Year). The lack of communication seems to suit both of us just fine. And yet, just because we keep our communications to a minimum....I'm actually starting to appreciate the time I get to spend with him. I think certain gaps in life do get filled up when I hear side of the story.
Anyway, I managed to speak to Han Li in Vietnam today. Didn't get a chance to speak to Thui today but God Willing I'll get to speak to her within the month. The idea of doing a Bangkok-Hanoi trip this December actually seems quite nice.
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