Thank God for bus drivers

Thank God for bus drivers, those humble, unsung heroes of this world. In a strange foreign land, bus drivers (at least good, friendly ones) open their arms to you and make the entire place seem a lot less intimidating. Be it a tiring day, heavy rain, or a tough errand, bus drivers make the job so much easier.

That's amazingly true for those in Urbana-Champaign, who impressed me with their wonderful mannerisms and patience. Without them, life at the university would have been miserable. Again, thank you.

The "joys" of flying

I simply hate flying. It is tiring, frustrating, and time-wasting. Although I may have adored every moment of staring at the clouds through the cabin windows as a kid, the shocking reality of adult flying responsibilities have ignited within me a strong dislike for flying. I glower with impatience at having to comply with the discriminating check-in baggage limitations. I tire at having to wait long lines or having to battle inefficient computers just to check-in. I am sick of having to spend hours at the departure gates just waiting to enter an airplane. I am disgusted by inconsiderate passengers who push and fight their way to their seats. I am frustrated at how long international flights take and how taxing they are.

However, it is not these little peculiarities and regulations of flying that really overwhelm me. Ultimately, it's the sad goodbyes, the sinking feelings, the fighting emotions that make me detest flying at the heart of my soul. It's having to part with a life of blissful contentment, familiarity, and joy. It's having to convince yourself about the so-called “bright future” and “exciting times” arguments.

Yes, I know that by all reasoning and logic, it is the best road to take. But since when were humans logical beings? We were given feelings and emotions unquantifiable and unexplainable by science. Despite many centuries of knowledge accumulation, we still cannot convincingly persuade ourselves that emotions can be logically understood.

I've often said that my dream was to soar through the clouds, much like Peter Pan did in his marvelous adventures. Reality sucks, doesn't it?

Princess Mononoke

My sister recently bought an entire Studio Ghibli collection from Speedy for quite a good bargain. We've been watching a few films now and I might (depending on my diligence or lack of) be reviewing some of those movies. First up is:

PRINCESS MONONOKE

"What exactly are you here for?"
"To see with eyes unclouded by hate."

The title, Princess Mononoke, initially brought up images of heavenly beauties with astounding gracefulness and femininity. Imagine my surprise when official artwork and my subsequent viewing of the film showed me that the titular princess was a rough, savage girl who fought with such primal ferocity that Tarzan would simply seem docile in comparison. Indeed, one of the most admirable traits in anime movies, and Studio Ghibli productions in particular, is the tendency to defy genre stereotypes.


Princess Mononoke is a feral child, raised by wolves and sworn to the protection of her forest homeland. The film tells of uneasy conflicts between the supernatural spirit guardians of the said forest and the humans, whose industrial progress demands the consumption of the forest's resources. Of course, humans being humans, there are constant skirmishes between rival factions as well. All of this is seen by an outsider, Ashitaka, a prince from a banished, distant tribe who must remove a curse laid upon him by a demon.

The unique thing that I observed about Princess Mononoke was that it was a very “shades of gray” type of film. None of the factions, not even the forest spirits, were indisputably good and free from error. For example, while it was admirable that the forest's boar and wolf guardians fight for the protection of their homeland, it eventually became clear that they were driven more by pride and revenge than for the love of their forest. This was also seen in the greedy Lady Eboshi, who despite her excessive industriousness, was still portrayed as a kind lady who took in lepers, prostitutes and other outcasts and gave them food, jobs and opportunities. The film's characters are difficult to assign labels of good or evil to and ultimately it is probably a reflection of how reality really is.

Take that, Edward Cullen

At the core of this film are director Hayao Miyazaki's strong anti-war and environmental themes which are also featured in his other films such as Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Studio Ghibli's trademark animation brought devastating scenes of death and destruction to life in a way that was previously only thought possible to be done by live-action. Princess Mononoke was perhaps notorious for being the only (I think) film by Hayao Miyazaki to contain explicit scenes of violence, but I feel that any child mature enough can watch this movie with proper parental guidance.

Studio Ghibli really is proven to be the Pixar of the east. Princess Mononoke is another brilliant film that is well worth watching.


Images are copyrighted by Studio Ghibli, Miramax, and whoever else involved.