The Subject Song

Having to pick through multiple songs to finally choose one song to represent a part of life is a lot harder than I first thought. One of my first obstacles I faced was to find the name of the (English) songs I liked listening to. Most of the songs I listen to are through the radio, so for most of time, I don’t know the singer or the name of the song (I only recognize the song itself). The second hurdle, was finalizing on ONE song to write on. With so many songs to choose from in the beginning, I wished to cut and paste certain parts of different songs into one to represent different parts of my life (that probably has something to do with listening to DJ Shadows recently). For this writing activity, quite a few different songs that came to mind at first, but since quite a few of them are sung in a different language, I was reluctant to use them. Music and song seem ‘relative’ to me; relative to the moment I choose it (kind of like cooking for me, when making one recipe, different amounts of different ingredients is used to match my expectation of the taste I am looking for at the time.) While I feel that they represent certain parts of my life. I finally decided on one of my favorite songs on the radio to describe my mode of life at this moment.

Wonderful World by Sam Cooke is one of my favorite ‘happy songs’. Hearing this song on the radio always brings a smile to my face. The song as a whole is really uplifting. Even listening to it now as I am writing, it is hard to describe exactly what it is that makes me smile. It is probably a combination of the music and the lyrics working together that makes this song so enjoyable. The beats seem to be at the correct tempo to make the song happy, but not fast enough to overcome the lyrics of the song. Somehow, just listening to the song seems to make everything feel better for me.

I remember hearing this song on the radio when I was younger. The lyrics of this song really caught my attention. Perhaps it can be the list of different school subjects that really made me pay more attention to this song than others. Having the different subjects in the song made it more relatable as a student (which lead to me unofficial name of the song to be ‘the subject song’). That and the fact that the lyrics admit that ‘I don’t claim to be an A student, but I’m tryin’ to be…’ got me to feel a little better about school as a whole. For the longest time, school was just something I had to go through because that is what is expected of me. So each school year, I would drag my way through all the subjects and do enough to just pass the class. After getting to meet some good teachers, knowing the reason behind school, and learning things that I had more interest in, got me liking my classes a lot more.

The focus of life for an individual is a reflection of different people’s (likes someone who they look up to) ideas of what is important in life. As a student, we have to get into certain classes and be able to pass with a certain grade. This song reminds me that grades are not the most important thing in life. Loving people, and having people love you back is really important too. Subjects are stressed too much sometimes in life. In high school, I took Spanish for my foreign language requirement (I was not really good at it, but did enough to pass the class with a descent grade). Now that I am in college, I can still remember some of the words and phrases I was taught, but most of it has been forgotten. As a student, a lot of the subjects and tool that are mentioned are important things to know (well, not a slide rule any more…), but as long as one has tried their best; and that should be the most important thing.

Being on the receiving end of love makes the world wonderful is true. This song seemed perfect for me right now. Midterms and tests are being given almost left and right recently (the subjects), and while I cannot say how well I did in them right now, I know that I tried my best. Just as the lyrics from above match up with my mood right now. The stress of tests, quizzes, and homework seems to lessen by the end of the day, and dramatically decrease when talking to loved ones. Wonderful World reminds me that knowing everything in life is not the most important (although being knowledgeable helps in life). The title of ‘most important thing’ saved for loved ones.

Part of me knows that this is a rather simple and naive way of looking at things, but it counters the other ways I live my life. After saying all of that, it is just one of the ways I try to live life. Just like how difficult it is to pick one song to describe the mode of life, it is hard to live life through one mode. While some modes are more unique than others, it is the different ways we combine them that makes us the unique people we are.

The Time of Change-Midnight

Music is a good way to get people’s attention. If it is catchy enough, it is able to get people’s attention to other things that we might not really notice if otherwise. To tell the truth, at first I did not really like the first few songs on the disk. It was not until the end of the disk, that I found myself liking different parts of the song, and later really got to enjoy the way the different pieces came together for the later songs.

It is hard to decide between the last three songs, but I think I will go with ‘Midnight in a Perfect World.’ For quite a few songs, I liked the beginning section of the song as a whole. The beginning of this song gave off a nice and calm feeling. Beats in this song seem to really catch my attention a lot more than the others. Subtle changes in the beats keep things interesting, enough to keep one’s attention but not so much that would alter the mood of the song. When the voices come in, it adds a earthily feel, and adds to the feeling of being in a ‘perfect’ environment (or at least a semi-heaven like one). One thing I really liked about this is the ending. The way midnight is the last spoken word, and followed by the sound of a clock ticking, reminds listeners that time plays a part in the song as a whole.

This disk as a whole was quite a surprise because at first I did not expect to really like any of the songs. So, it was a nice surprise to find some of the later songs on the disk.

The Path & Cave

It takes a long time for Phil to make the full transaction. The most obvious observation of this path, is how long, and time consuming it can be. Even when Phil knows what will happen on that one day it still takes him quite a few tries before he really gets it right (and only after he starts paying attention of other people around him). I feel that his path to enlightenment is a lot shorter in the movie, than it would be in reality. Part of what speeds up the process is the knowledge he has of the day. Whereas for most people, we have to get things right the first time since there is no chance for people to try again. The path of enlightenment is really similar to Plato’s cave and a lot can be used when looking at the two analogies.

Taking a step back, the path of enlightenment is filled with little dead ends, or smaller caves that trap people until they realize they are going in the wrong direction, and head by over to the correct path. When Phil first finds out that he is living the same day over and over again; at first he is in denial, that the day is happening again. That seems to be the point where he starts to realize that he is stuck in a cave. After thinking that he knows, he starts acting reckless before realizing that it is not what he really wants to do, then starts to work on his relationships with women. When he tries a few different approaches (with varying results) he seems to realize that it is not what he really wants, and changes his actions the next day. The reckless actions and his attempts to work on relationships are the side caves and dead ends people encounter when working to the path of enlightenment.

By the end of the movie, when he works on improving himself, and taking note of the needs of others on that day, he reaches the end of the path. Working to improve himself as a person is like reaching the mouth of the cave, and observing the world in a new perspective. Using the knowledge he has on the happenings of the day, Phil goes around town to help people, and that is the final and ultimate step when on the path of enlightenment.

Groundhog's Day

As a whole, I really like watching Phil's character develop through out the movie. He goes from a shallow character who is focused on himself, to someone who actually looks around, and cares for other people. My favorite scene in the movie, is towards the end; when he starts to help the people in the city. Since he knows so much, it was nice of him to go through and help who he can. I really liked that scene, because it is what sets every thing up for the end of the play. While it does not really say what he did to get the day to stop repeating, and the auction was a funny switch from the beginning.

Of Heights and Floating Stairs

When growing up, certain types of stairs and heights really scared me. Most stairs are more solid, and have something covering the distance between steps, but those are not the ones that terrified me. The ‘floating steps’ seemed as if they would move apart or closer to each other at any time. Combine that with the fear that the gaps between the steps would allow people’s hands to get through and drag me under the step, where I would fall and roll down the stairs. My fear of heights probably steamed from that fear. With heights, I was alright when standing on high solid ground. The fear only comes out when I am high off the ground, and can see what is under me. While I know where my fear of heights came from, I still don’t know why a specific type of stairs would scare me so much when I was younger.

Both fears stayed with me for a long time. Over time, I made attempts to overcome the fear and it took a lot longer for me to finally break free. That did not happen until high school; I really started breaking through the fear because I was really interested in the theater (the plays, dance ensembles, and musicals). While I did not like being on stage, I found that being on the technical crew for the performances were really fun and enjoyable. In the second performance of the school year, they needed a person to run the spotlight. The teacher who was running the show (and did not know about my fears) asked me if I was interested in working more with the lights, so I agreed (not knowing what I was getting myself into). Going up the first time, and walking over the catwalk (where the stage lights and spot light are placed), while being able to see all the chairs under me the first time was really nerve wrecking. I treated it more as a ‘if she can do it, then I can do it too’ moment since there was someone there to show me what is up there, and what I have to do. The first few times going up by myself felt like it took a lot longer than I expected. Climbing up really steep ‘floating stairs’ that you can see through, then passing through furnace room to get to the roof of the building before getting to the squeaky catwalk. After a while (I got to spend a lot of time after school there for a month or two), I started to really enjoy the catwalk. Looking down at the stage gave me an unblocked view of the stage, and because I was so isolated up there, I was given a headset to stay in contact with the stage manager. After running the spotlight that time, I found that I can go up the ‘floating stairs’ and heights were not a problem with me anymore.

I had so much fun that time that I volunteered to run the spotlights when ever needed. Thinking back to it, if the teacher did not ask me to go up there, I would have been missing out on a really interesting learning experience. Going up there taught me a lot about the different lights that are used in a performance, and to challenge myself when possible. After getting that little nudge to face my fears, I was able to find how much I liked working the lights, and got a glimpse into what I was missing because of my fears. Looking back, I am glad that I did not step down from the offer.

The Truths Around Me

The discussion about true person, true love, and hard truth in class today got me to change some of my thoughts this post. I really like Abraham Lincoln’s quote “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed but I am bound to live the best life that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right and part from him when he goes wrong.” The quote itself reminds me of the Special Olympics. For the Special Olympics, people prepare themselves for their events, just like how athletes prepare for the Olympics. Although the participants do not necessarily win in the same way as other people, they still try their best to participative as best they can. Through the process, the athletes seem to be able to enjoy their lives to the best of their abilities. Watching people I know try as hard as they can in these kinds of events, along with the dedication of their helpers and the organizers of the event reminds me of some of the qualities I think are needed to become a ‘true person’. Being around people, who are so dedicated and positive, really makes my day sometimes.

When it comes to the quote, “The pursuit of truth will set you free; even if you never catch up with it” by Clarence S. Darrow, I choose to interpret the quote a little differently. For the idea I have in my head right now, I am taking ‘the pursuit of truth’ as digging for the truth or more information in this case. With that in mind, the saying can be used in a lot of different contexts. There were a few times when I tried to look up information about my family as a side project that started from a school project a while back. It is a lot of fun when I find out new things about my family. Part of me knows that I will never find out everything about my family; because as the family grows, and some of the older documents and facts get lost and forgotten, it makes me feel like I will never ‘catch up with it.’ Or, when taking the quote a little more literally, for an innocent person who is accused of a crime, when the truth of the situation is found, they are set free.

This post is really got me thinking, and looking more closely at the words and events around me. When thinking about these quotes in a deeper level, it reminds me of how many things I take for granted a lot of times. Combining these two quotes, and some of my own life experiences, I remember how important it is to live the best life that I have.

Some Truths About Me (original post-ignorable)

While reading over the quotes on the page, I was surprised to see a quote that I can relate to easily, and another one that describes what I want to do. After breaking up the quote into smaller parts, and taking some parts more literally than others (and even ignoring some parts of the quote), for the quote “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed but I am bound to live the best life that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right and part from him when he goes wrong.’ When I was younger, it was pretty much a fact that I will never win any of the competitions the teacher gives the class. For ‘true’ in the quote, I took it as meaning not cheating, even if the authority figure in the situation is not paying attention. Out of the whole quote, I feel that the second sentence relates the strongest to a personal experience for me. Although we might be limited, and might not succeed in what we originally set out to do, I feel that it is more important to enjoy and learn from the process. Going back to the physical education class, the hurdles were my nightmare. When I was younger, I twisted my ankle, but it never really healed properly, so a lot of times when I have to do hurdles, I would end up getting injured. Even though hurdles meant my down fall, it was something I tried my best at doing. It is interesting to see how this quote is similar to how I want to live my life.

For the next quote, ‘The pursuit of truth will set you free; even if you never catch up with it’ by Clarence S. Darrow, I am choosing to interpret the quote a little. There were a few times when I tried to look up information about my family as a side project. It is a lot of fun when I find out new things about my family, but part of me knows that I will not be able to truly find out everything I want to for my project. I know that this project will never be completed in a way; because as the family grows, and some of the older documents and facts get lost and forgotten, pretty much making it an impossible project to finish.