Short story 101: Chekov

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

A few moments ago, I was reading a wall of text by a fellow blogger. To me, his post seemed irrelevant and short-sighted, but, like a small and beautiful isle in a sea of entropy, the quote above stood out above his mess. It is, as you may have guessed, a quote straight from the mouth of Russian playwright and master of the short story, Anton Chekov. Chances are you’ve never heard of him, as he isn’t that famous in non-literary circles, but you’re in luck, because at the end of this post, you will. Ain’t I the best?  

"You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible.”

You can read his Wikipedia entry for all the nit-picking details of his life, wife and drive; but that’s not what I’m here for. Let’s talk about his works. And yes, I created this paragraph solely to put in one more quote. And here’s some more filler.

“Love, friendship and respect do not unite people as much as a common hatred for something.”

Over the past year, I read a couple stories of his. I especially enjoyed The Lady with the Dog and Oysters, but most are good. Of course, his will not appeal to English speaking world as much as, say, Oscar Wilde’s writings will, but if you’re appealed by the strange, early 20^th century Russian way of life, the eccentric, almost Dostoevsky-an narrative style, and don’t mind the obviously flawed translations (reading the direct source material is of course always better – that’s why I’m a languages student), you should seriously chek him out. You won’t regret it.

 “If you are afraid of loneliness, do not marry.”

The Grim Goings-on

In the past week or so, I’ve seen a couple of movies dealing with the death of someone beloved, and the effects their death has on the living. I didn’t think much about it at first, until last night while dreaming, and this morning, while listening to Linkin Park’s Leave out all the Rest. But first: a small and interesting sidetrack:

In most cases, the fictional media tries to portray heaven and purgatory as a better world, one where you truly can be happy, right? The most pertinent, yet mostly ignored, question I think you can ask, is: why don’t we all, then, commit suicide en masse? We must die one day, and if we’re only gonna end up in a better world, why not today? Are we afraid there’s no afterlife – in which case, we’re only fooling ourselves by watching such movies? But why are they making those kinds of movies, then? And so on. Wow, what a chicken-or -egg kind of argument…

Back to last night. Instead of dozing off to the familiar cloud cuckoo land, I dreamed one of my friends died, and what effects this had on me. I’ve always been lucky in the sense that no one in my direct circle of friends and family has kicked the bucket yet. I’ve never had to go through the 5 steps of grief for this, and, even though I’ve gotten some outstandingly bad news in my day, can’t really wrap my mind around the finality of someone’s death. But last night, my mind tried to.

As much as I’d like to, I can’t describe my feelings in under the proper amount of words, but it was pretty bad. As you can guess: at first, a sensation of sadness, followed by thorough contemplation. Then, unnecessarily guiltiness, trying to preserve as many memories of that person as possible, chiding others for not ‘caring’ as much as I did, and feeling heartbroken for those who suffered more than me, etc. Are these the immense feelings of hurt you feel after someone passes away? I hope not, and, moreover, I sincerely hope that I won’t have to experience them for many, many years to come.

Luckily though, right then my alarm went off and minimized versions of those feelings took over.

(Please forgive me if this post seemed ‘incomplete’, but it was just too hard for me to go to relive that dream in full. I’ve even been contemplating whether I should put this up all day. Oh well.)

The Technical Travesty

If you’re not into technology, just skip this post. And no, I didn't have inspiration for the title.

Today, as I closed the morning newspaper after soaking in my daily recommended amount of news from all over the world (and France, too), my eye unconsciously fell on an ad for BNP Paribas (the ‘new’ Fortis, a bank). Click the pick to see it for yourself. Normally, I’m impervious to advertisements, as they promise an utopian and revolutionary dream world only to let me down time and again; I won’t bother you but in short, the only effect they usually have is annoying me worse than any mosquito ever could hope for. Oh yes André. I went there. Big whoop. Wanna fight ‘bout it?

Now, however, it wasn’t the prospect of an easier life, fabulous new inventions or great deals that attracted me, but rather a large matrix of seemingly incoherent blocks that could’ve escaped from your average Tetris game. I wouldn’t have thunk much of it if it wasn’t for a tingling in the back of my head, saying that this was a QR barcode or something (don’t ask) which could be scanned by my phone. So I fired up an app that can read those codes, went to town and literally 5 seconds later I was on the Fortis site, where I could check my bank account, read news and all that jazz.

All day, I’ve been thinking about this phenomenon.  I mean, I saw an ad and seconds later, I was browsing the intended site on the internet. To me, it’s crazy how much cellphones have evolved the last couple of years. For instance, my very first phone, way back in ’04, didn’t even have a camera. Now I have a 5 MP camera that can shoot HD video! Last week, I read somewhere that Android can run SNES, Gameboy and even PlayStation (!) emulators, so I tried them out, and, sure enough, I was able to play some of their respective games. On my phone. Another app I tried out is one that can read your pulse. And, I’m sure, there are many other apps just as shockingly w-t-f coming our way.

Some ancient bearded crazy Greek dude (no one has figured out who, if any) is supposed to once have said that wonder is the beginning of all wisdom. Well, I’ve begun to get wise, because I sure as hell am wondering where this trend will end.

As for something completely different: if you haven’t yet heard Muse’s Knights of Cydonia, check it out. It’s been stuck in my head for days.

The Pokémon trading card game-effect

It’s funny how memories work. Some things you forget immediately, others you keep for some time, and, try as you might, some memories will never be banished from deep within your soul.

One such memory that probably will never fade is of trading Pokémon cards on the school playground when I was about 10 years old. Basically, you had to trade useless cards for better ones, removing duplicates and broadening your own collection.

The thing I remember most vividly about it is egging others on to trading: it didn't affect me, so my emotions were no factor and I could decide for my friends with a clear head, usually making the right decision. Other times, I was the center of attention when my cards were about to be traded. I had grown attached to my cards, so I wasn't gonna give ‘em away easily. Emotion ruled those decisions, and even though I can't remember it anymore, I probably refused some pretty great deals, and accepted even more lousy ones.

I've since found out life in many of its forms works in exactly the same ways. A thousand people can want something and encourage those concerned as much as they like, if those people who have to do it don't want to, it's a no go. There's probably some fancy psychological word for it, but that's what I like to call the Pokémon trading card game-effect (patent pending).

Sometimes, I wish those decision makers would let go of their worries more easily, and just do what their peers expect them to, because the difference between yes and no can sometimes come down to some crazy, nonsensical and impertinent emotion someone remotely involved suddenly has. I mean, we’ve all been cheated some great opportunities, haven’t we?

I guess what I’m trying to say here is that it annoys me sometimes that something everyone sees as right gets labeled as wrong by the only ones who really have a say in it.

OMG! Not another political post! Call your senator!

As I returned home by bus yesterday evening after a seemingly-endless-yet-filled-with-boatloads-of-fun day in Brussels, I saw an ad for the political party Vlaams Belang. It read “the Republic of Flanders” (translation mine).

All obligatory jokes, comments and assertions of madness aside, I began to reflect upon this slogan. Of course, splitting Belgium in smaller parts is not something I see happening for at least a score of years; but, reality and improbability aside, I couldn’t help but think “okay, so let’s say Belgium has split. Now what?”

First and foremost, which kind of republic are they talking of? Yes, there are two kinds: republic-republic and democrat-republic, the difference being how much the people truly have a say in matters. Next, who’s going to lead Flanders into a new, ‘better’ era? De Wever? Leterme? De Winter? Some other wannabe rock star? Will our government be based on the revolutionary ones e.g. America and France have? Or rather something like in Soviet Russia or contemporary North Korea, something I really can see happen if some or other VB-loony gets ahold of power. And, not in the least, what would happen with Brussels? These are just some of the pertinent questions that came to mind.

Also, if the VB was to be the leading party, which would be the case if they won the elections and separated Belgium, I could see them changing their rhetoric to target the ‘lesser’ provinces. What’s next? Separate Flanders and Limburg? Kick out West-Flanders too? Or maybe East-Flanders or Flemish-Brabant? Or, once its trade diminishes, stab Antwerp in the back as well? What’s gonna be left in the end? De Winter's village, effectively forming the smallest country in the world? Someone call the Guinness Book of Records already!

I could go on, but I think you get my point: the Republic of Flanders is not something inherently better, it’s just different. It may very well work out, it may crash and burn. But, as I've been saying for years about other political situations, don’t buy into this kind of rhetoric if you don’t know what exactly is gonna change!

Hey, Sony? Yeah, this is to you.

I’ve always been a Sony guy, from the original Walkman, over the Discman, to a number of PlayStation gaming machines, and for the past 3 years, mobile phones.  I had a W810i and, ever since that phone died, the Sony-Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro (that’s quite a handful now, isn’t it?).

It worked well enough for over a month, even with the obvious shortcomings, like a small screen and Android 1.6 (Google has released all but 4 (!) more major updates), but I knew that from the get-go.

2 weeks ago, on Monday, I suddenly and inexplicably couldn’t receive any texts anymore. Thankfully, Tuesday afternoon, that problem was unexpectedly solved. I didn’t think much of it, and went happily on my way. Until the next Saturday.

All of a sudden, that problem presented itself again, but now it didn’t fix itself like last time. Instead, days later, the problem still persevered. Only to get worse.

Last Wednesday, I tried rebooting it by turning it off and back on. It went no further than the initial splash-screen, all the while draining the battery like there’s no tomorrow.

So I went to scour the internet, and found a solution. I had to completely reset my phone, deleting all personal data. Yay. And, according to the solution, the problem is likely to present itself again. More yay. Luckily, I was able to save some stuff, like SIM contacts, but I’m severely disgruntled, to say the very least.

To everyone who tried to contact me and who I've blatantly 'ignored' last week: a heartfelt sorry!

I’ll sit out this ride (until the problems pop up again or it bricks), but it’s the last Sony device I’ll ever have spent my money on, guaranteed. I’m sick of it. I tried. I really did. But there simply is a line. And this is it. Go to hell, Sony, bye bye. Good riddance. 

126 days. And counting.

When you saw the title, what did you think of? Was it the number of days you and your significant other have been together? Or maybe it’s been that amount of days since your favorite soccer team won that important match? Or could it be 126 days ago, that blasted Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted?

Guess again. It’s the number of days Belgium hasn’t had a federal government.

What’s more, it seems I’m alone when I say that’s outrageous. I mean, why isn’t anybody talking about this anymore? Has it gotten boring, something that hit far to home (see what I did there?)? It shouldn’t be, for it’s a matter which concerns us all. Because the press isn’t making a fuss? We’re all adults capable to think for ourselves, we shouldn’t go with whatever the media wants us to think. Because this country is going to the crapper no matter what? Or because, whether we talk about it or not, we simply can’t change anything? Then let me ask you this: who put us in that predicament? Surely those of us who voted last June!

So: why is this a non-issue, and when will we finally get a new federal government? The way it’s looking right now, only time will tell…

Walt Kowalski? Valt Kovalski!

As stated in my very first post, I've been thinking a while about doing Polish at school.

We are required to choose 2 optional courses this year (my first choice being Spanish, but sadly we cannot register for that), and I don't want to study a tramontane 3rd language like German (yuck), Tukish (why would anyone?) or Lithuanian (?); nor economics (which I've never understood the logic of; I mean, I give you 2 bucks, you give me 2 bucks, and suddenly, we've got an economy?!?), and because some friends are doing it, I decided to give Polish a shot. Okay, okay, last year, the average grade was about 16/20, but I swear that had very little to do with it. If you catch my drift.

So today, I had my first lesson of Polish.

It was... interesting to say the least. The alphabet and the accompanying pronounciation are absolutely FUBAR, antediluvian words those peculiar Polacks picked up, like politika (try and guess the meaning of that one!), are treated like they're all shiny and new, and, if Polish were a guy, he'd certainly not be dressed to the nines. More like a dreary slumdog, with the obligatory wear, tear and rust on his torn clothes. Kinda like Limburgian.

But apart from all that, those 4 hours seemed to fly by, and I'm quite happy I went for it. It doesn't really have the typical feel of an academic course, but rather a summer course. I don't know how long that feeling will last (in my experience, about 2-3 weeks, followed by a sudden and sickening realization that you should pick up the studying pace by about 4,000%), yet there seems to be something inherently right about it all.

I wonder if that will stay the same. But in the meantime, I'll take that wonderment as a yes.

(Note: if you're wondering, the title refers to both the great movie Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, hell yeah!), and the fact that /w/ is pronounced as [v] in Polish.)

Meta-blog Blogger blog (that sure is a lot of blog)

I’ve had this blog now for about 4 weeks, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts about it.

- For one, I feel like I overuse the pronouns I and it. You may not feel that way, but only because when I write, I revise constantly, and continually try to erase them. But the amount of times I’ve pressed that accursed i button on my laptop are way too many.

- As I’ve stated in my introductory post, this essentially is a school assignment, so you can expect blogs of classmates to rise out of the ground and their respective authors to update them frequently. This, however, is not the case: I’ve been looking around at their blogs, and mine really is unique in the sense that I put up a lot, and personal info for that assignment. (Though I’m not saying that others should write down longer/more personal texts!)

- Even though you may think I put up sensitive and personal information, I don’t mind. It’s the only thing I would write about even if I didn’t want to. I just can’t write about one hobby or one continuous topic. It’s just not in me, because I've always felt like I'm so much more than that. I know a something of everything, that's who I am, and my blog will reflect that multifacetedness of my soul, whether anyone likes it or not.

- I didn’t expect this to be so much fun: I can essentially write what I want, and that’s a good outlet of some of my thoughts. I really like that, even though I know no-one will ever get to know me just by reading this blog (or no-one reads this drab drivel, for that matter).

- I try to write as clear and informative as possible (as I believe that’s the true role of the author), but that’s not easy. Yes, I’m an unreliable narrator. Yes, I twist and turn stories. Yes, there are things I don’t, or can’t know about. Yes, some of my thoughts don’t translate well into written language. Yes, there are things I expect my readers to know, even though sometimes they don’t. Yes, you, the reader, have, and will, make faulty conclusions from reading my blog. All that results in a fallible view of the world I present to you. And there’s little anyone can do to correct it.

- Much more personal: I've noticed the attention one of my posts (and, more specifically, one particular line), has been getting, and have considered many a time deleting it. Either you know what I'm talking about (good for you), or you don't (in which case you won't). But seriously, that situation had the bad luck of presenting itself in that particular moment in time. I didn't, and don't, 'mean' anything by it other than stated right there. So stop that rumor-mill, if you please!

The egregious Monday

I didn’t really want to write anything new for today, so for this post, I’ll just put up a short story I wrote one restless summer night. Forgive the random, sometimes overemphasizing kid's point of view, and the unusual (i.e. experimental) narrative style. When I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that, often, the actual story is not too present; instead, you see something entirely different that ultimately intertwines with that bigger storyline. Just think of Jack & Rose vs the Titanic, or Frodo vs. the War for the Ring, or Cpt. John H. Miller's company vs. WWII, etc. This makes a huge event more 'human' and accesible. Well, I tried to emulate this kind of style to the extreme (i.e. you barely get any information on what’s actually going on), and the following is what came out.

Note: if you really don’t get it, go to the Rot 13 site, and copy-paste the following:

Gur zra va gur oynpx pne ner tbireazrag bssvpvnyf jub pnzr gb vasbez gur snzvyl gung gur sngure unq qvrq va gur nggnpx ba Crney Uneobe, ba Qrprzore 7gu, 1941. Gur ‘vasnzl’ ersref gb gur ‘Qrprzore 7gu, n qngr juvpu jvyy yvir va vasnzl’ fcrrpu ol Cerfvqrag S.Q. Ebbfriryg.

 

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December 8th, 1941

Dear diary,

Today was a great day. Although I woke up with a headache, it was soon gone and I could happily play in the garden. It’s beginning to look really good. I only wish Daddy was here to see it. But, Mommy works hard on it. We ate candy and played in the sun with Bronco. That silly dog, I love him! I want to build him a new doghouse, but it’s too expensive. Mommy says I have to have 20 dollars, but making money is not easy! Oh well, my 9^th birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, so Bronco maybe is going to get his new doghouse after all, shiny and new!

In the afternoon, the strangest thing happened. A car stopped in front of our house. It was black, and the people in it looked so unfriendly. They came inside and Mommy said we had to go upstairs to our bedrooms. But Richard convinced us to eavesdrop. That was so cool! I felt like one of the Hardy Boys! We couldn’t overhear much, but we thought we heard Mommy cry and the men didn’t seem to care. They were so cold and empty. I wonder if that’s what it’s like to be an adult. But those are worries for later, because Daddy always used to say I’d need to eat a lot more cabbage before I can be an adult. When those men were gone, we went back downstairs, but Mommy was all right. She held Jane in her arms and told us not to worry, because everything was going to be all right. Strange thing to say at that moment, don’t you think, dear Diary? I wonder what Daddy would make of it.

I miss him. I wish he was here. It’s been six months since he left in that shiny new coat. I wonder where he is now. Last week, Mommy said he will come home in a few months. I can’t wait to show him the tricks I taught Bronco, and my grades! They’ve been great, with all the As and Bs I’ve been getting!

Oh, before I forget, I looked up “infamy” in the dictionary today. It’s the same as famous, only negative. I wonder why that man said it on the radio and the newspaper has repeated that same line? Richard says I’m too young to understand, but I don’t think he understands it either, and Mommy doesn’t want to talk much. The past few days she’s been awfully quiet. Well, I suppose that will pas over time...

I have to go to sleep now sweet Diary, Richard is bugging me again to put out the lights. Good thing I have such a smart older brother who knows best. I love my life, my family, and Bronco. Yes, I love that good old dog twice!

Much love,

Edward