Harold & the Sunflower(s)

Monday, May 19, 2008

Harold is the only boy in his family, behind his pale colored skin and golden hairs he own, he's full of curiosity, brave, and like other kids in his age, a great dreamer. His older sister always told him not to be a dreamer. But still, Harold is an ordinary kid.

One day Harold caught a glimpse of beautiful wonderland on the world outside of his town from the clock tower which glows strange radiance when a festival occurred in the town. It was a dusk. With curiosity, Harold run outwards the town when her mom called him to watch an event in the festival.

Harold got himself inside a forest, definitely a strange forest, where sunflowers could be seen and living like human beings. A sunflower brought him to a giant mound inside the forest until he found out himself trapped in the vines of a very large sunflower who asked him "what are you doing here, son?". Harold replied innocently "umm.. just looking around.. do I bother you?". Living oak trees gathered underneath, ready to devour Harold anytime. The large sunflower speak in a threatening tone, "you son of humans dare to talk to me like that..." It vines grab Harold strictly until Harold scream and suddenly, he found nothing around him, he just felt wet on his feet. Then he continued to walk...

He couldn't find anything to eat, but it's strange, he didn't get hungry for 40 days, until he stopped near a river and found out how miserable he looks. Branches grows from his body and his skin tone turned brown. He screamed, he cried, and he shouted, but nobody's hearing, nobody listening, not even himself.

Harold wander through the forest, wanted to return to his home, no longer eager to see the outer world. Then he made some friends, living plants, just like what he is now.

It's been 20 years since Harold left home, with some helps from friends he made in the forest, he found a way to return, but he's not sure because he's no longer a human. He gathered all of his courage, and after one step outside from the forest, Harold found himself no longer a plant, but a human. He's in a delightedness even though it's been 20 years and he's an adult now. He just wanted to see his family back. It was a dusk.

Harold returned to the town, and knocked his house. Nobody answering. Harold remain silent, thinking of possibilities that his family might be had moved, or maybe already died. But who own the house now? it still looks the same when Harold left with his family to the festival. Does the new owner never ever renovated it? Twenty seconds in silence feels like twenty years inside the forest. Then Harold heard a voice from the inside, it was his sister voice, "hold on a bit, I'll open the door", his sister shouted. The the door opened and his sister surprised, watching a strange man in front of the door. "excuse me, who are you? we're going to the festival today, but I can't find Harold anywhere". Harold replied while wondered why does his sister still look the same before he left, "I'm Harold". "Oh, okay mister Harold, my brother also called Harold, and I couldn't find him, he might already gone to the festival" her sister replied uncomfortably, "And if you could excuse me, I'm going to lock the door, and I'm going to the festival". Harold stepped back, without throwing another word, letting his sister locked the door and leave. He concludes, he spent 20 years in the forest, but not a single day in the town, it's still the day when he leaves the town. He wanted to say that he is Harold and tell them the whole story, but nobody would believe him. Harold caught himself in a deep grief, can't believe what was and had happened. he cried a little, then he walks around the town.

He sat under a tree, while staring at the festival that held that day, until he saw a boy, staring at the clock tower for a while. The boy's mother called him, instead of listening to her mom, he turned to the town's gate and he saw Harold sat under the tree. Harold gazed at him deeply, and he frightened. The boy, with golden hairs and pale colored skin, ran towards his mother in the festival.

What's this..!?

Ehm, this is some short story I wrote quite a long time ago, I did some revisions from the earlier (and uglier) version of this story.. But, I still think that it's not quite good yet..

I moved it here from other blog I produced, and well.. enjoy..

Music was invented to confirm human loneliness

Monday, January 14, 2008

Well, I've watched a music video from an Icelandic band Sigur Rós, and the song is called Svefn-g-englar. The video is so beautiful, it's really a piece of art! And well, I examined some interesting quotes from few people about music in the music video. Let's say, English novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer, Lawrence Durrell, states that music was invented to confirm human loneliness. Interesting hypothesis. This was one of few speculated meanings of music in people's life.

Some says, music was the speech of the Angels 'cause it feels so divine and somewhat moved our minds, but some also said that Satan loves music and dances, therefore we should avoid listening too much to the music. Well that's what they say..

Now quit talking about mystics, but one things I concerned to is "how music came to be?". Music itself, produced from every humans vocal instrument. Even a person who cannot talk could produce sounds from it's vocal organs (except if it's caused by some kinds of shock). Then it is clear that music is the basic of the language itself.

Let's see, we can still enjoy music with foreign language aren't we?
Some songs might lack of vocals, and it exploits only the instruments and it still enjoyable.
In some cases, certain vocals, only produces gibberish language (or gibberish vocals, since gibberish language is not really a language) that doesn't have any literal meanings could still create something that is possible to understand.

Now let's back to what Lawrence Durrell stated. If we look back to the nature if the human, humans are social creatures who cant stand of loneliness, therefore, to interact to each other humans need some media, which grew into music, and languages, then it's clear what Lawrence Durrell states about "music was invented to confirm human loneliness", avoid the word "confirm" in the real meanings. And the answer will pop out!

note: I've done some readings, and I have a hypothesis. I think, music might be the basic of first human language in Jews and biblical mythology, which leads to the unification of humanity, and bring mankind to create a tower to reach God. Then God became angry by humans feeling of proud (by attempting to reach Him) and He destroys the tower with thunders and punishes humans with a sin called "language", so then human could hardly speak with each other. That's how language came to be.
The tower name was the Tower of Babel, which speculated as the Hanging Garden in old Babylonia that is ruled by tyrant king Nimrod.

Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Let's talk about money, coz I'm broke here! S.O.S. need money!! huhahaaha!!

There's a famous quote from Scott Adams, "accept that some days that you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue", which means we should have work hard while we have the time to (the pigeon days), coz we know that one day, there will be a time where we can't do much (the statue days).
It's just like the Islamic philosophy of time management.

And there are some good songs I'd like to talk about, it's about money as well (well, not all these songs actually talks about money). We Hate It When Our Friends Became Successful by Morrissey is a well speculated one, it could be pointed to Morrissey's ex-bandmates, after they sued Morrissey for The Smiths royalties. Morrissey even stated "I've been work so hard after the demise of The Smiths, and you.. how dare you to be successful!" or maybe, the song is pointed to himself, when his friends mocking him for being successful in his old ages.
Well, it's all caused by money, which in the other song that I'm talking, Swing Life Away by Rise Against, Tim McIlrath wrote a lyrics that he'd prefer had something that he even hardly knows called "friends" and he won't trade it for the world. That's the punkrock spirit!

Well honestly, if I'm being asked, to chose money or friends.. I tried not to be a hypocrite and I might choose money! (well..) BUT, as long as I could, I would always try not to throw away my friends, it's hard to get these days you know! Especially for a hard-to-socialize perfectionist like me.. well..