Extreme Ways — The Torpid Argent Perpetrates A Monthly Crime

I Had Always Heard Your Entire Life Flashes In Front Of Your Eyes The Second Before You Die.

2007-01-02T17:02:00.000+08:00

First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time. For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout Camp, watching falling stars. And yellow leaves, from the maple trees that lined our street. Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper. And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird. And Janie… and Janie. And… Carolyn. I guess I could be really pissed off about what happened to me, but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life.

You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry… you will someday.

Questioning Yet Another Enforced Absence.

2006-09-21T16:51:00.000+08:00

The WTO is an international organization of 134 member countries that is a forum for negotiating international trade agreements and the monitoring and regulating body for enforcing agreements. The WTO was created in 1995, by the passage of the provisions of the "Uruguay Round" of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Prior to the Uruguay Round, GATT focused on promoting world trade by pressuring countries to reduce tariffs. But with the creation of the WTO, this corporate-inspired agenda was significantly ratcheted up by targeting so-called "non-tariff barriers to trade"—essentially any national or local protective legislation that might be construed as impacting trade. The WTO is about protecting corporate ownership and monopoly over the patenting of plants, processes, seed varieties, drugs, software, and all capital, fostering its exchanges of goods despite any ill effects, and breaking down any protections of labor, the environment, health and safety, that might limit corporate profit making.

It Begins Today.

2006-08-19T11:02:00.000+08:00

Explaining The Absence.

2006-07-18T00:26:00.000+08:00

Life got in the way.

Fix Up For Yourself A Cookie.

2006-05-01T02:00:00.000+08:00

BBClone is a simple site counter program written in PHP that tracks visitors to websites. Though development seems to have kind of stalled lately, it is still very usable and useful in its current form, with many people all over the world using it daily. Do you want to know how to prevent BBClone from logging visits from specific machines (like development machines and what not)? There is a quite long-winded tutorial over at dullneon.com by Mohammed Jaffry Deen Jalal that describes how to use PHP to insert cookies that prevent BBClone from logging your own hits.

Flashlights And Sudden Explosions.

2006-04-05T00:01:00.000+08:00

Cocaine is an alkaloid found in leaves of the South American shrub Erythroxylon coca. It is a powerfully reinforcing psychostimulant. The drug induces a sense of exhilaration in the user primarily by blocking the reuptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the midbrain. If the predictions of The Hedonistic Imperative are vindicated, then future millennia will witness what Robert Anton Wilson once called "hedonic engineering". Mature enhancements of currently drug-induced states of euphoria will be transformed into a absolute presupposition of sentient existence. Life-long happiness will be genetically pre-programmed. "Peak experiences" will become a natural part of everyday mental health. Cocaine, alas, offers only a tragically delusive short-cut.

The Riches Are In The Niches.

2006-03-05T23:23:00.000+08:00

"I've become obsessed with producing doing work that doesn't necessarily start with a given template. I love traditional advertising and have built my career on it. However I think that is one option, not the only option. If some of it ends up in that space, fine so long as it does so because it's relevant to the desired outcome. However more and more ideas are three dimensional and experiential and don't just circle the fringes of pop culture, but rather create or influence it.

I'm not going to go after accounts from other agencies. My objective is to get in earlier in the food chain of where clients' decisions are made so I can actually get into their other budgets like R&D. Companies can either retrench their way to higher profits or think their way to higher profits. McKinsey is out there, and gets paid half a million dollars a week to go into companies and come back with a dozen rational solutions to building a stronger, better business. Why can't someone go in there and come in with logical, creative solutions?"

Spam, Soak, Wash and Rinse.

2006-01-02T21:42:00.000+08:00

Dear Friend,

Let me start by introducing myself. I am Mr. Cheung Pui director of operations of the Hang Seng Bank Ltd. I have an obscured business suggestion for you.Before the U.S and Iraqi war our client Major Fadi Basem who was with the Iraqi forces and also business man made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of Twenty Four million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars only in my branch.

Upon maturity several notice was sent to him, even during the war early this year. We later find out that the Major and his family had been killed during the war in bomb blast that hit their home. And he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank.So Twenty Four million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollar is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it.

Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to Major Fadi Basem so that you will be able to receive his funds.

I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful. I have contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary document that will back you up as the next of kin for you to provide me with your Full Names and Address so that the attorney can commence his job. There is no risk involved at all in the matteras we are going to adopt a legalized method and the attorney will prepare all the necessary documents. Once the funds have been transferred to your nominated bank account we shall share in the ratio of 70% for me, 30% for you . Should you be interested please send me your full names and current residential address and I will prefer you to reach me on the email address below.

Kind Regards,
Mr. Cheung Pui (che_pui3@yahoo.com.hk)

Everytime I Think Of Flying, I Have (Blur) Nightmares About It.

2005-12-04T00:45:00.000+08:00

We describe flying phobia as a mental disorder when the person takes extraordinary steps to avoid flying and the avoidance of flying has a serious impact on their life. There are many people who feel that not flying does not interfere with their lives and that not flying is a perfectly comfortable choice for them. If that were the case, we certainly would not diagnose that as a disorder. But if you start seeing animals when on a flight, you seriously need to have to get your head checked (by a jumbo jet).

Argentum.

2005-11-12T00:38:00.000+08:00

It has long been valued for its white metallic luster, its ability to be readily worked, and its resistance to the corrosive effects of moisture and oxygen. The luster of the pure metal is due to its electron configuration, which results in its reflecting all electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths shorter than 3000 angstroms. Since 3000 angstroms is in the ultraviolet range, all visible light is effectively reflected, thus conferring the white color.

How Could This Happen In Our Own Backyard.

2005-10-03T01:42:00.000+08:00

I wouldn't know; I was watching something else on TV at that time, as I always do.

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 430.

2005-09-04T20:26:00.000+08:00

Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said, "(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature's) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into him. So, a man amongst you may do (good deeds till there is only a cubit between him and Paradise and then what has been written for him decides his behavior and he starts doing (evil) deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire. And similarly a man amongst you may do (evil) deeds till there is only a cubit between him and the (Hell) Fire, and then what has been written for him decides his behavior, and he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise."

I’m Sure You’ve Heard It All Before But You Never Really Had A Doubt.

2005-08-04T10:56:00.000+08:00

Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

I Still Believe In Paradise.

2005-07-02T03:29:00.000+08:00

But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for. Because it’s not where you go; it’s how you feel for a moment in your life.

If you find that moment, it’ll last forever.

Thomas Paine [1737-1809].

2005-06-05T13:00:00.000+08:00

“Love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.

’Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

Do You Believe That The Way You Are Now Was Determined From The Day You Were Born Or Even Before?

2005-05-02T01:02:00.000+08:00

If fate were something that was pre-determined in its entirety from the off, it would follow that there would be no motivation for anyone who believed so to get off their asses to do anything. Because if your life has already been scripted, then what's the point of getting up and doing anything about it? But you have to say it is entirely possible that there is some invisible hand that shifts us along like pawns in a game of chess between the forces of good and evil. That sounded so lamely laughable that we shall pretend it wasn't even mentioned.

Let's take the other extreme and assume there is no such thing as fate. We've all heard of, or maybe even experienced, events that may only be described as miracles. What force or power predetermined such 'miracles'? A lucky break, maybe? Never mind God-sends but what exactly constitutes luck? What about flukes, coincidences and serendipity? Explaining such phenomena by invoking 'fate' may just be a simplistic solution, when instead maybe we should admit we don't yet have the ability to rationally explain such, shall we say, random activity. So there may be no such thing as fate.

I think of myself as someone who has a secular outlook and I also think I am someone who tries to adapt religion with the world around me. I think we are the result of our upbringing, the product of our actions and the sum of our experiences. I think of fate as a destination - it might be fated that we fail our exams, or break a bone, or lose a loved one prematurely. But the destination is always determinant on the journey. If I studied hard, I would have passed my exams. If I was paying attention, I would have avoided the accident and not broken a single bone. If I learnt from my past mistakes, I would have learnt to express my feelings better and not hurt people whom I care about. it is the journey that determines the destination we'll arrive at — bad weather (which we have no control over) may delay the journey, other people's actions (which we have no control over) may slow down the journey or it may even turn out the journey is the destination, but it is the journey that we must learn to control and master. The destination will take care of itself.

Birth and death are as inevitable as tomorrow. Everything else is within our grasp. They say luck favours the prepared mind. Maybe fate favours the learned one.

You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

2005-04-03T15:47:00.000+08:00

Daphne was Apollo's first true love. Apollo loved her, and longed to obtain her; and he who gives oracles to all the world was not wise enough to look into his own fortunes. He saw her hair flung loose over her shoulders, and said, "If so charming, in disorder, what would it be if arranged?" He saw her eyes bright as stars; he saw her lips, and was not satisfied with only seeing them. He admired her hands and arms, naked to the shoulder, and whatever was hidden from view he imagined more beautiful still. He followed her; she fled, swifter than the wind, and delayed not a moment at his entreaties. "Stay," said he, "daughter of Peneus; I am not a foe. Do not fly me as a lamb flies the wolf, or a dove the hawk. It is for love I pursue you. You make me miserable, for fear you should fall and hurt yourself on these stones, and I should be the cause. Pray run slower, and I will follow slower. I am no clown, no rude peasant. Jupiter is my father, and I am lord of Delphos and Tenedos, and know all things, present and future. I am the god of song and the lyre. My arrows fly true to the mark; but, alas! an arrow more fatal than mine has pierced my heart! I am the god of medicine, and know the virtues of all healing plants. Alas! I suffer a malady that no balm can cure!"

The nymph continued her flight, and left his plea half uttered. And even as she fled she charmed him. The wind blew her garments, and her unbound hair streamed loose behind her. The god grew impatient to find his wooings thrown away, and, sped by Cupid, gained upon her in the race. It was like a hound pursuing a hare, with open jaws ready to seize, while the feebler animal darts forward, slipping from the very grasp. So flew the god and the virgin - he on the wings of love, and she on those of fear. The pursuer is the more rapid, however, and gains upon her, and his panting breath blows upon her hair. Her strength begins to fail, and, ready to sink, she calls upon her father, the river god: "Help me, Peneus! Open the earth to enclose me, or change my form, which has brought me into this danger!" Scarcely had she spoken, when a stiffness seized all her limbs; her bosom began to be enclosed in a tender bark; her hair became leaves; her arms became branches; her foot stuck fast in the ground, as a root; her face became a tree-top, retaining nothing of its former self but its beauty, Apollo stood amazed.

He touched the stem, and felt the flesh tremble under the new bark. He embraced the branches, and lavished kisses on the wood. The branches shrank from his lips. "Since you cannot be my wife," said he, "you shall assuredly be my tree. I will wear you for my crown; I will decorate with you my harp and my quiver; and when the great Roman conquerors lead up the triumphal pomp to the Capitol, you shall be woven into wreaths for their brows. And, as eternal youth is mine, you also shall be always green, and your leaf know no decay." The nymph, now changed into a Laurel tree, bowed its head in grateful acknowledgment.

Are We Not Like Two Volumes Of The Same Book?

2005-03-05T03:23:00.000+08:00

I met up with some close friends a few nights ago. After a hard week at work, we meet up and we unwind with a few drinks and just talk.

We talked about a lot of things — we talked about finding new work, football tactics, running into ex-girlfriends, the role of errors, omisions and miscakes in daily life, government-sponsored welfare schemes for senior citizens… things like that.

But the long and short of it was that I realised that I wasn't sure if I liked my father at all.

I Could Be The Next To See.

2005-02-02T15:41:00.000+08:00

I couldn't make it stop. I had an episode at the party. I sat down on the couch. I pushed the magazine aside as a coaster. I can honestly tell you that I didn't wonder if I was suicidal too.

I was, of course, lying to myself.

I had flung my palm at the glass window and shattered it.

The music triggers it. Of all the things, it had to be music.

Love Will Tear Us Apart.

2005-01-02T17:07:00.000+08:00

But how do you cope with loss and grief that is beyond compensation & consolation? Who do you rebuild your life for when all that meant the most is gone?

Discordant And Agitated.

2004-12-14T18:29:00.000+08:00

The question is not when he's gonna stop,
But who's gonna stop him…

Why Do You Need Lists?

2004-11-06T17:54:00.000+08:00

You run it through the process
To change the way your body looks
You look at the tables and wonder what will happen to the strawberries
They can trip over each other to fund it
I read all of it but I pretend it doesn't exist
Because I walked off a fishing trawler

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures.

2004-10-01T17:39:00.000+08:00

senior aide no. 1:
Now what?

senior advisor:
We shut it down.

senior aide no. 3:
But it's also a negotiation. you don't shoot a duck for quacking...
...the quacking thing kinda gives it away, doesn't it?

deputy boss:
You know what they call a leader with no followers?
Just a guy taking a walk.

senior aide no. 2:
It'd be catastrophic if we don't fix this.

boss:
I want to be able to govern.

senior aide no. 2:
And nothing we've done has surprised him.

Some Velvet Morning When I’m Straight, I’m Gonna Open Up Your Gate.

2004-09-03T04:18:00.000+08:00

Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and daffodils
Learn from us very much
Look at us but do not touch

I’ve Got To Get To New Hampshire.

2004-08-04T04:18:00.000+08:00

“I identify with this guy's frustration and inability to control his fury at moments. I even identify with the way that this guy covers up a lot with humour. So yeah, it's interesting.”

Exterminate The Underground.

2004-07-03T19:38:00.000+08:00

Gun metal skies
Broken eyes
Claustrophobic concrete

Everyone's a prostitute

Damaged receptors

Nobody's listening

An Index.

2004-06-02T16:44:00.000+08:00

It doesn't reflect significant technical improvements like airbags in automobiles which increase the price of a car very slightly but provide a much better value to the consumer.

Scripted Lives.

2004-05-02T04:32:00.000+08:00

nurse :
The thing is I have a few patients, not many but I do have a couple of kids with alcohol poisoning. We're expecting more in a bit...

medic :
Left thigh, nerovasc intact.

agent:
Two shooters in that window, we got them both from the roof, but there was a signal. He's conscious and they're moving him to pre-op. He was hit in the side, entry and exit.

father:
She booted all over the back of her car. You know they're gonna bill me for that.

doctor:
We've got blood in the theroseal.

father:
I swear to God if I don't speak to my daughter in the next five minutes, I'm gonna attack someone.

[father looks out of the window, pensive...]

father:
Look what happened.

I Drift In Inner Space.

2004-04-03T09:26:00.000+08:00

Is it believing? Is it trusting? Or is it then about having a large slice of luck to go your way?

Is everything just an experiment? Is giving your all proportionately dependant on the probability of a successful outcome? Isn't the amount effort put into the endeavour that determines the outcome?

What I've got in me you can't buy, steal or borrow, with the smoke and light that fill me hollow.