Backbreaking Slumber

Much to my despair, I recently found out that there existed the term “backbreaking slumber”; pun intended. Every morning for the last few weeks or so, I have been waking up with an excruciating pain on my back.

Being a person with vivid imagination enriched by fairy tales from childhood, it crossed my mind to check under the mattress for the notorious pea. Unfortunately, I only managed to encounter some innocent-looking bed bugs, which unlikely were the culprit of my distress.

Of course, this would not serve as a plausible reason on my being late almost everyday to the office. I am not much of an early riser, and my visions are better at night. Having said that, I am really worried about this unexplainable pain.

Maybe I ought to have some exercise, like my folks always tell me to do. Maybe I should cut down on those delicious, mouth-watering red meat and seafood. Maybe I need to see a physiotherapist. Maybe I have a hidden, malicious, alien manifestation on my spinal tap. Or maybe I just need to buy new mattress and pillows.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special, someone who was left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent; her eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly, she breaks from the group, flying over the green grass, faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into into those trusting eyes, so long gone from your life, but never absent from your heart. Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together...


-Author Unknown-

Odd Koontz

As I turned the last page of Koontz’s Forever Odd, an inevitable comparison came to mind. Somehow, as usually the case with a sequel, Forever Odd is a bit less satisfying than Odd Thomas. It is still a good read, though.

A memorable excerpt from the novel: "beauty that steals the heart is often imperfect, suggests grace and kindness, and inspires tenderness more than it incites lust". Hmm, kind of reminds me of someone. =)

I have been reading Koontz for almost 5 years now, with more than 20 titles in collection and still counting. Koontz has an inimitable knack to keep me riveted to his pages, with his rich and smart vocabulary. I also enjoy his witty, sometimes black, sense of humor. Despite the fact that his books are usually placed on “Science Fiction/Thriller/Horror” shelves in major bookstores, reading any of Koontz books never fails to incite an occasional smile or delighted laughter. After all, reading is supposed to be something soothing, not depressing.

In essence, Koontz never fails to deliver because he stays true to the following features:

Koontz is an avid dog lover, and if you are a dog lover yourself, you should see Trixie, his golden retriever. Guaranteed to make you smile. Koontz’s “fatherly love” for dogs is also clearly highlighted in virtually all of his books: the book credits e.g. Forever Odd is dedicated to Trixie, “an angel on four feet”; the feature of canines as the protagonists in many of his books e.g. in Fear Nothing, The Taking, One Door Away from Heaven, and of course, Watchers; and the author’s jacket photograph that often features the grinning Trixie.

Cats, on the other hand, have often fared worse in his novels (I read that Mr. Koontz is allergic to felines). Though cats do appear occasionally, these are usually cameo roles and seldom the protagonists. Perhaps two notable exceptions would be the smart feline Mungojerrie in the Christopher Snow novels and Terrible Chester of the Pico Mundo. Hey, this brings up to mind an old question: What’s the difference between dogs, cats, and pigs? Answer: Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you, and pigs look you in the eyes and treat you as equal.

In addition, no matter how seemingly fantastic the novel begins, Koontz usually, more often than not, attempts to give plausible, logical, and consistent explanations. These elucidations often come in unique genetic traits or natal conditions. I am grateful for his efforts, as I'd hate to find his books on "Fantasy" section.

Koontz also believes in the ideal of that love and compassion can save one life from the apparent absurdities of existence and the cruelties of life. Perhaps Koontz suffers from an enduring naïveté, in which he insists on seeing the world as black and white; good and evil; joys and sorrows; above and below (yet another line from Forever Odd springs up: "ascending to the darkness"). Almost an oxymoron.

His "naïveté" also materializes in a “happy ending” for most of the main characters, which is one of the main reasons for me to keep reading his books. I mean, what's the point of laughing out loud throughout the book and brooding at the end?

The bottom line, I recommend Koontz’s novels if you either are:

- An upholder of dreams and perseverance.
- A naïve who has a strong belief in the eventual triumph of good over evil.
- A novel enthusiast with a taste for a good tale with a happy ending.
- A dog lover who wants to take the daring adventures of Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, or Snowy, to the next level.
- Just idling on a Saturday night and in need of a literary yet entertaining companion.
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Hope is the destination that we seek.
Love is the road that leads to hope.
Courage is the motor that drives us.
We travel out of darkness into faith.

The Book of Counted Sorrows, as quoted from Intensity.

The Weekend

Weekend..always brings hopes and dreams. Undying ones. I hope they still linger on Monday morning, with a big smile on my face.

À lundi, tout le monde.

A Not-So Beautiful Mind

Are you familiar with Game Theory? In rare cases that you are not, click here. Anyway, people have won Nobel Prize for this, people like John Nash. His name might ring a bell from the Academy Award-winning film, A Beautiful Mind.

Say, let’s imagine you’re hanging out at the local bar. Be it in a hip, upscale club or a shady, two-bit joint, the setup is always the same. The women are concentrated towards the center of any location while the men hover eagerly around the periphery, like vultures.

As you may already be aware by now, women don’t go out to the bars alone (or toilets, for that matter). There are always going to be at least 2 or 3 friends along with them. As they settle comfortably around the center, the men will encircle them and slowly come in for the kill. The nature will stipulate that they will prey on the most attractive women in the bar. Like clockwork, there will always be a woman that is clearly more attractive than all of her friends. Each man will make his approach at the attractive female, and one by one, they will all be rejected.

This should come as no surprise, as the most attractive woman is used to any kind of advance you might think of. By chasing the most attractive female, that male has automatically lost out on winning over her friends.

It’s not rocket science. (Though, to understand women, you’ll need much, much, more than rocket science).

Now, Nash states that rational self-interest hurts everyone, and instead, everyone wins through cooperative games. So if you’re out with a couple friends at a bar and you see that one attractive woman hanging around, remember that she has probably been hit on the entire night and already eluded some of the best. Sure we want the most attractive catch, but remember that there is only one of them and many of you. If everyone goes after the one girl, nobody will win because each will attempt to undermine the other. On the contrary, if you decide to go for her friends instead, everyone can come out a winner in the end.

Is that right?

That brings up the questions of the day (and don't worry, they're not about women):

1. How do you define a winner?
2. Will you settle for the number two, (or 3, 4, 5, .. for that matter) when you are just yearning and craving for the number one?

The two questions boil down to your own opinions and perceptions about what are usually taken for granted. Are you winning, when your prize is not the one that you aspire for? Are you feeling victorious, when the spoil you have secured is not the one that was on your dream?

I'll go for the dream every time. Chances are, I will fail more often than I thrive. Failures are failures. Despite what the quotes tell you, they are not deferred triumphs. But then again, how do you define a winner?

I'll share with you when I find the answers.


Disclaimer 1: The movie has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of Nash's life and schizophrenia as well as for the over-simplified representation of the famous Nash equilibrium. This was not the point put forth.

Disclaimer 2: Illustration using women in a bar was not meant to stereotype women. No woman was seriously hurt in the writing of this post.