Paladin

I was researching for one of my essays recently, which was on death & immortality. I came across the notion that "heroes" are very important in society. We need them as shining examples, and their brushes with death (war, protest etc) showcase the limits they are prepare to go to. This goes all the way back to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Moreover, the author stated that more than anything else, we all want to be heroes, because they are the highest of the high.

The Free Online Dictionary tells us that a hero is:

1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.

2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life

So beneath the HR managers, PR assistants and mortgage brokers, we all want to be Hercules (or Xena, Warrior Princess for the ladies). We all want to be admired and looked up to - for the right reasons - not for staying in a jungle with That Guy From Blue.

I don't know if "an inner hero" is an obvious concept, but for me it's true, and in my traditionally cheesey fashion, I think it's very nice. But what is stopping us from being the heroes we were all born to be - or at least, what's stopping us from being heroic? 

I have it in mind, at some point in my life to help/teach kids, and educate the masses about a few of the wrongs that exist in the world today through film. I'll have to think that one out a bit. But it's worth thinking about. Heroism. Corny, yes. Cliche, perhaps, but tell me one thing that's wrong with that?

I like this (click Paladin heading to see video if subscribing).

Four Years

As of Friday 1st of May 2009, I have been a free man. I have finished my degree at the University of Birmingham reading American & Canadian Studies.

Some people may (and indeed have) pooh-poohed my choice of degree; claiming that I didn't work as hard as other students, that it was not employer-friendly, that it was not valid compared to the likes of History or Law. 

Let me say right now, I am eternally thankful that I have had the chance to study this course, because it has given me so much. Over the past four years I have grown immensely. 

I have read some fantastic books that include "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin, and "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.

I've discovered some absolutely amazing historic authors including Melville, Whitman, and Hawthorne. I wholeheartedly encourage you to discover their works.

My passions for filmmaking and writing have grown exponentially: I have written for my student newspapers in Birmingham and California, I have shot a 16mm film and made my own documentary, which I am very proud of.

I have been inspired by some fantastic teachers, listened to John Cleese wax lyrical, been inside the private Pixar studios, and I have travelled up and down the wonderful West Coast of America. I've researched a paper inside the JFK library, getting exclusive access to CIA files, and seen Stevie Wonder live- for free.

I admit, my class hours were light to say the least, but I have been pushed and tested enough to warrant Honours like anyone else.

Finally, I have made so many truly spectacular lifelong friends who come from all corners of the world. Beat that.

Motortown Records

I haven't been able to listen to the radio or watch the TV the past week or so without a mention of the 50 year Motown Anniversary (I know the Anniversary is not that recent, but it's still being celebrated, and quite right too). My brother, how I love him so, often kids me about being an old man in a young man's body given my taste in music, but I don't think anyone can deny the genius that came out of that Record Label, hit after hit.

I don't really need to say anything about this, but I thought I'd have my two cents, and, well, just post some music here. It can pretty much speak for itself*. Please turn your speakers on with the bass turned way up. Feel free to sing along whatever you're doing. Especially if you're working.

Happy Tuesday.

(*Again if this has come to your email inbox, click the title to head to the blog web page to view the music videos).

Community

I'm about one month away from finishing my degree at Birmingham, and recently I decided to make a kind of video-yearbook thing. Asking my coursemates what they'll miss most about their time in Brum and why they chose to do the course in the first place, that kind of thing. It was really only after I interviewed about 10 of my coursemates that I started to get quite nostalgic. Then I interviewed our American Studies receptionists, who pretty much hold the department together, and are very affectionate towards us kids. I soon realised that over the years, I have been very fortunate to become part of a community.

Not much more than 40 like minded people- students and teachers alike, who I enjoy spending time with, who are kind, caring, wise, and literally very close. Our humble department is a small one, but one that I am proud to be part of. In Birmingham, I'm a 10 minute bike ride away from campus, and about a 5 minute ride to my furthest-placed friends. Such short distances reinforce the strength of the community that I have found at university.

This year, I've also encountered something very unusual in England, let alone Birmingham. It's a place called Canvas House; a Christian ministry (queue Jeremy Clarkson voice) ....with a twist. Inside, it looks like a giant coffee lounge, with THE most comfortable sofas in the world, and a stage for bands to play open mic nights. Now, I'm a Sikh, and I don't much fancy being converted to anything else just yet, but the guys there - get this- are normal. Their main focus is actually creating a solid community among the students of Brum. There's very little mention of their faith, and if you do ask them questions, they're very cool about it. Oh and they're American, which by default makes them more friendly and fun. So far I've gone there to see my friend Aaron play open mic and jam out, watched a couple of movies on their massive projector, played some Goldeneye, some foozball, hung out with a bunch of people, gone to a nice local bar for drinks, and generally had a good time. More of this needs to happen in the UK. Fast.

When I move back home to London, I would like to have a sense of community. My closest friend lives 45 minutes away by tube, and I don't feel like I really "belong" to anything back in the big smoke. My brother is fortunate to have a genuine community with his colleagues at work, but how many others can say that they wholeheartedly love and respect their workmates, and not just for after-work drinks?

If you're lucky to have it, hold on to it. I will miss having so many likeable people around me on campus and in Selly Oak, but I will find a way to replicate it to the best of my abilities.

(If you subscribe to this blog, you'll have to click the "Community" title to view the videos below)

Here's a really weird video with the loveable morph. A laugh a day...

I try to put music up here every now and again, and this girl is simply awesome:

Play Time

How are you today? I'm feeling pretty great, I'm in my dressing gown eating Petit Filous and a banana, and I'm taking a short break from my dissertation to write an overdue blog post.

Life's Good.


Anyway. Play time. Fun time. I am of the firm belief that having fun is a human necessity. I try to live by the motto "work hard, play hard", which I'm sure many of you do as well. It's that balance of having fun and working that's important.

Whether you have a boring job, or if you're lucky enough to enjoy and be creative at your work, I would still encourage you to take time out and just get silly every now and again. Have fun with your friends, do things that will make you feel good, because feeling good is great . Go throw a frisbee in a park, play some drinking games, swing a yo-yo, write a poem, sing karaoke badly and love it!

I think even if you do love your job, the idea of having some fun in a totally different environment can be very beneficial for your mental health. Kids shouldn't be the only ones who are allowed to play when they get home.

As I said though, there's a balance. I know far too many people who play video games or enjoy certain vices just for the sake of it. When there's no real end product and you're just indulging for the sake of it, you're not striking that balance. Indulging. That's a good word. Only you can truly know the difference between having productive fun and being overly indulgent. If your days are whizzing by and not much is getting done, ask yourself why. Analyse how you're spending your time. Stop yourself from getting bored and stop yourself from not living.

Life is good and bad; rough and smooth; work and play. Embrace it, and you'll have a lot more fun along the way.

Thanks to my friend Gallane for this, possibly the best video on YouTube:

Verbal Diarrhoea...

I've wanted to write a post for a few days now, but I feel like whatever I write should be important or significant or somehow meaningful. A lot of thoughts have been buzzing around in my head, so here's a few snippets:

I like to give advice to other people. I enjoy mediating and, at the risk of sounding dramatic, negotiating. In doing so, I strive to "be right" and to give "correct" advice. With 22 years on this planet and relatively little experience of people, relationships, the world, politics and life in general, I sometimes doubt myself. As noble as I aim to be, I feel like I can never know if I'm truly giving the best advice. I will to an extent, be forever limited by my own paradigm, because that is how I see the world. How broad and open that paradigm is depends on how open minded and flexible I am willing to be. I will have to overcome that feeling of uncertainty and be content with who I am, and that I am at least trying to be the best I can for other people.

I've read and watched quite a few particularly interesting things this week. I caught one article by David Baddiel in which he noted how society's mark of intelligence is more often than not a simple case of who has the best memory. Exams. Pub Quizzes. Reading the news. Mastermind. If you can remember something and then regurgitate that back to society, my word you're smart. He concluded that "original thought" could be a contender for how we can tell who's got brains. The theory has its flaws, but it's nice to know that some people are actually thinking.

How can I go about altering the foundations of Western Education and still pursue my passions for filmmaking, writing and giving advice to people? And if/when the current misguided education system is reformed, what will it create? What the hell is society going to look like with all these young people who are actually learning and doing what they want instead of wasting the first 18 years of their lives?

I'm keeping up with the TED Talks that are free to watch on YouTube. This week Barry Schwartz talked about how rules and incentives can quite often stifle society, and that people need to bend the rules sometimes, much like how a jazz musician doesn't stick to the notes on a score sheet; he improvises to make up an altered, more personal melody. Schwartz gave an example of how State Kindergartens in Chicago have appallingly lengthy regulation guides on how to read books to kids, because these days teachers can't be trusted to teach without some sort of insurance policy. Have you heard of anything more ludicrous?

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all" - Oscar Wilde

Spontaneous you say?

It seems that someone important was reading to my last post, because I think literally the day after, IT SNOWED!! For us Britons who don't see it too often, the snow is so wonderful and magical. For me, despite travel difficulties, it's so nice purely because it looks so clean and amazingly innocent. After I got home from uni, I convinced my housemates to come and have fun in the street, so we had a snowball fight and a couple of us even sledded down our hill on a grill tray, which, while not the speed of light, was still SO COOL.

It snowed again today, which was lovely and white. I am fortunate enough not to care about going into work or worrying about icy roads. My bike Audrey serves me well from getting to nearby places. I've stayed in my PJ's all day editing my film, fixing my computer and discovering new food recipes. I have also decided to start learning the keyboard, courtesy of my friend James, who never uses his. The amazing piece of kit now sits in my room temporarily while I figure out how to use my fingers in a musical manner. It hurts, but it's bloody fantastic!

To quote my favourite radio station's jingle, "Love Life, Love Music, Smooth Radio"

Maybe one day I will be able to play whole songs, but for now, here's a bit of "Heart & Soul" and the Intro of "Hey Bulldog"... I know. This was like an hour after I got it. Early days yet, early days.