Smoke and Ashes

I've been hooked with Tracy Chapman's music eversince I can remember. I can listen to her non-stop. It's a given so just don't let me explain. She is the female counterpart of Eddie Vedder in my list of all-time favorite musicians and lyricists. Vedder will also get his chance of discussion in this blog sometime =)

Anyhoooo...I have partly finished restoring my music library after my laptop crashed. Supposedly, i'll have it reformatted after making the necesary back-ups but it died all-too-suddenly. It left nothing at all for me. It took away all my research works and initial draft for my baby project. I hurt. Until now. I am still waiting for things to move so to speak. And waiting sucks. And don't ask, I just can't make things move now. I just can't...

Yup, the music library is a must, to sustain me, so I am trrrrryyyinggggg. And that's how I have gotten back to Chapman. And to her Smoke and Ashes song (in New Beginning released on November, 1995 but also in her TC Collection album released recently).

I've been hearing and humming that song forever. But only now that I look up the lyrics that I get to finally sing along correctly (lol). Man alive! What a mockery it is. Probably why I love the song even more (wide, wide, mischievous grin).

I just love references to fire. And I love how she puts it: a red hot heart. coolness! "passion fanning love's flame"? Hmmm...it's always a matter of how long you can keep the fire burning, eh? Sheeeessshhhh...you must have a lifelong supply of coal or log. Even solar energy isn't a guarantee. Cause you see, what struck me is something like ahhh...the sun that gives warmth is the very same sun that can leave you wilted?

Life's like that. For every action, there is always an equal or opposite reaction. Newton's law of motion, isn't it? Anyway, that makes life more worthwhile I'd say. And then you always have to find the balance so you could get going. You live, you learn.

Hmmm..opposites. Yup, how can you not love both fire and ice? I do. No matter what.

Oh well...at the end of the day, you could only hope that like a phoenix, you would be able to rise from your own ashes...

Interconnectedness or the lack of it

Rarely that I get affected by news. I hardly read nor watch it. But the news on Virginia Tech shooting is something that isn't hard to miss. None of them I know, but I feel bad just the same. It draws several issues all at once: South Korea fearing a political backlash; 'Asians' fearing discrimination; campus security; the issue on gun control and gun laws in the US, etc. etc.

Random thoughts:

I respect that people have their own reason(s) for wanting to own/get one, but I really am not for gun ownership. I watched the Bowling for Columbine documentary by Michael Moore way way back. There, he not only talked about the Columbine HS massacre but pointed out the numbers on gun-related crimes in the U.S. compared to other developed countries. Ah, to grasp the 'complexity' of gun politics...Or, can we choose the simple economics of it? Like, it's all about the money. There is demand, so there is supply. Tell me about it again...

In a perfect world, South Koreans must not be scared of any backlash whatsoever. The offender's act reportedly was his alone and should not reflect the state of mind of the entire South Korean popluation here or in their home country. Hmmm....what perfect world again?

Campus security...life's like that. It just cheats on you sometimes, leaving you flat dead! I remember Nino Calinao. Shot in broad daylight too. Pointblank. Inside UP Campus, while waiting for our Econ 101 class (if i'm not mistaken) that was cancelled that day anyway. A case of mistaken identity relating to frat war daw. I mean, it's really sad. You go to school and then you die. Is it his fate? Is there really a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Profile of an offender....loner? never speaks? just by himself all the time? no friends? You ever heard of that cliche, we should hear what people are not saying?

Oh well. keep the spirit stranger!