Indulgence

2 friends and then Atlas Shrugged

Jean-Luc Godard
All you need to make a film is a girl and a gun.

How strange... I have 2 friends who I never met but I regard them as good friends. It's these damned internet community sites like Friendster. All of a sudden, I've got good friends whom I never really met.

I don't know if I'm complaining or what... One of my friends I always catch on-line and we chat. We've been chatting for a while now and it's fun to talk to him. He's from Denmark and he shares with me the stuff that happens to him there and it's great because I don't know much about Denmark. Funny to, he burst out laughing when I thought that Holland and Denmark were the same place. He kept typing Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha over and over. He was obviously amused. Okay, my mistake. I didn't know there was a difference. For all my reading and watching foreign films and listening to conversations -- apparently, the fact that Holland and Denmark escaped me. But he's a fun guy to talk to. And I'm glad he's there because when we talk, there is this quality of distance that I treasure. He can't judge me completely and vice versa. And that's where we find a comfort zone.

The other friend I have is in Barcelona. He's traveled the world and right now is living with family and finishing his studies in Spain. We don't chat often; he's really busy with school but we write each other e-mails all the time, updating each other on what's going on in our lives. What's great about this guy is that he's got such a wide world view and he's seen a lot of stuff and when he sends me pictures of the places he's been and tells stories about things, I kind of get a faint taste of what it would be like if I went there.

Yesterday, I was chatting with the both of them and it was so cool. I have two friends in Europe and we were talking about personal things and we didn't really know each other. It was strange yet fun.

But there is no real attachment because we really don't know each other, you know? At the same time, you really listen hard because then there's no pressure to impress. So what we talk about seems like the most natural thing in the world. There are no put-ons or pretensions or anything. It was cool, you know? It was fun.

And now, I'm going through Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. A copy of the book found its way into my library a long time ago and before I got to read it my Dad told me he didn't like the book and I probably wouldn't either but it is required reading. It's something you have to have read, he said. Looking for something to read as of late because the last 2 books I borrowed from Jaypee were just not my cup of tea, my friend Berna suggested Atlas Shrugged. She said it will make you think; just don't take it too seriously. With a disclaimer like that, why wouldn't I give it a try, right?

I was in a meeting today and I brought the book with me for the transit from home to the meeting and since the book is thick (1,000+ pages long) it was in front of me on the table. It can't fit in my bag. My producer saw it and said you're reading that now? I nodded yes and she said that before the end of the book, I'll end up throwing it at the wall and will have a different way of looking at people. She then looked me over from head to foot then said well, I think you're ready for it; it won't piss you off that much.

How strange! What strange reactions regarding one book. Now I feel more encouraged to finish it. It's funny sometimes where you find your drive, huh?

posted by wanggo @ 9:35 PM