The importance of a ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ January 28, 2007
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Yesterday I finally defeated my lazyness and decided to spend some time to bring a bit of my good body shape back. That is to say I went to the gym.
Sitting on a turning chair for hours and hours, typing frenzly on a 40X15 keyboard seem to have become my favouritite activities over last months. Few doubt that all this involves the death of the phisical shape along with the born of every forms of back pain. All the specialists suggest to do at least few excercises a day to keep the body trained and the mind refreshed. Indeed ancient Romans didn’t use to say “mens sana in corpore sano” for nothing.
Last year by the time I was working on my first degree thesis I began to complain a slipping pain in my back. Well, I had been sitting for hours keeping up the hard work. But that’s not it. It was 3 years since I had almost quitted – or carfully avoided – any kind of sport activities. Yes ladies and gents I had become a sloth. Finally I decided to see an orthopedic doctor and from the X-rays I came to know I had a slipped disc. My god, that was quite depressing for a 22-year-old girl. My grandmother, 78, was definitely still able to hop like a cricket, whereas I was close to walk around with the help of a stick. I couldn’l allow my lazyness to jeopardize my health. Therefore I swore to my self I would start to do some sport activities and I entered a swimming pool. My doctor suggested to go swimming at least twice a week. And that’s what I did for the first month. Afterwards my lazyness prevail and I didn’t do anything not to be overwhelmed by it.
During these last pre-term days I have been expiriencing also how mind and body are intimately connected to one another. I actually was feeling quite depressed because of several reasons; indeed couldn’t get anything done, being too overwhelmed by an annoying sluggishness. The dulling of my mind of course affected my body and viceversa. But then I forced my self to the student gym. While sweating and toiling I remember how good was to train. All the clouds towering over my head magically disappeared, all the negativities that had affected me since one hour before just dissolved and I began to feel another person. Two quids given for a new revival of both my muscles and my soul.
Thoughts of a depressing day. January 24, 2007
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Human relations are sometimes so complicated and difficult to handle that you would like to escape on the top of Everest moutain and live there for the rest of your life. Just not to have to do with people you don’t know how to cope with.
While building relationships we set up a complex system of fragile balances. The slightest thing is likely to compromise them. It’s like shanghai sticks. When you let them fall they combine them selves accidentally. Yet if you try to pick one up you might move all the rest and change their asset. In the same way, we should be carful of how we act and behave towards people because a wrong action can sometimes lead to unsettle the whole.
Good intention for the New Year: do not procrastinate! January 16, 2007
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Here we go. Although it felt like it has lasted for ages, the long period of holidays is almost over. Yes, it’s true that since January 8th all MAIJ students are supposed to be back on the tracks of work already, I’d dare to say, immersed within that important process of reading which in few weeks will climax with the first step in the draft of the final dissertation. That is the literature review.
Even so, it’s quite known and proved that among students the “taking it easy” philosophy tends to prevail whether there’s no deadline hanging over their heads. My head, for its part, is still wandering in the clouds a bit. However the flight ticket on my desk reminds me that within few days I will be flying over the Channel and setting off for Cardiff again.
The first semester flew away in a jiffy. I still remeber the kind of hilarious feeling that raised in me by late September when Gary, Howard and co. told us about the assessed assignements due by middle December. It really felt like we had plenty of time to work on them. And it’s not only me who felt that way. I can assure that the majority of people I came to talk with shared the same feeling. Nevertheless time began to pass. Time is strange. When I first began to settle in my new life in Cardiff by middle September, it dropped so slowly. I knew no one yet, spent my time all alone while getting to know the place and waiting to meet people to make friends with. By then it really felt like days lasted ages.
As I was saying by the beginning of the semester I wrongly thought I’d have had plenty of time to reasonably accomplish the tasks. I should have known I was wrong. Indeed at that point I should have learnt from my past student’s life, having already exprienced that procrastinating is not the right thing to do. They don’t say “don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today” for nothing.
“How could I have forgotten that saying again”, I found my self thinking while sitting in front of my laptop, 3 am, a steaming-hot coffe on the desk, Financial Times cuttings all over tha place and violet bags below my tired eyes, working on my assignements.
Attending classes every day, studying at night, we barely had time for socialize. During the last month and a half before Christmas my mind was entirely focused on working hard. Assignements was the first thought in the morning, assignement the last before switching off the light late in the night.
However by the end, when all the homeworks were handed in, although exausted I felt I had done something good. Setting aside the actual quality of my works, I think all my efforts to create a valuable piece of work made me more confident in my capabilities. I acquired a number of skills that might be useful in my working life. Therefore I felt like I was proud of me eventually.
Now a new semester is to become. Everyone seemed to promise it will be not less than tough. I’m already shaking about it. A good warning I give to my self as a good intention for the New Year just that has just begun: do what you can today. Never ever procrastinate again. You bet!
If drawing “The bow” doesn’t lead to hit the mark December 27, 2006
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Dominated as it is by famous American and European filmmakers, western cinema might not know Kim Ki Duk. Yet, although appriciated by an audience keen on elitish movies mostly, I believe South Korean Ki Duk is lately becoming one of the most remarkable directors on the international cinema survey. Films such as 3-Iron (2003) and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2004), have introduced him to the western audience. Some of the Asian magic has been brought to the western cinema landscape, which often grants a privilege to something spectacular to the detriment of its contents (shame on American colossals).
Back from Christmas celebrations and blowouts, yesterday I decided to purge my self with a light dinner and rest. I granted my tried body with a warm bath. Plunged into soap bubbles I decided I would watch a movie. The choice fell on The bow by one of my favourite filmmakers; Kim Ki Duk precisely. Its second-last movie The Bow tells the surreal story of a 16-year-old young lady who has been spending the last 10 years of her life on a boat into high seas with an old fisherman. This latter planned to marry her when she had turned 17; in the meanwhile he took care of her and the two of them lived together peacefully. Tranquilliy is interrupted as life takes its course. Events change it. None of the two characters can either help it or interfere with destiny’s decisions.
Shot in a typical Kim Ki Duk’s zen style, with few and essential cues, The bow takes off promisingly. It is permeated by a sense of peace. A ship that floates unanchored off Korea’s western coast. The sunshine, the sea, the young actress’ fresh beauty. Few and simple framings capture small jewels. Within the last 15 minutes, though, the movie fizzles out. From a cetrain point on all the magic turns into something disappointingly improbable. By the end a series of confusing scenes follows one another climaxing up to a questionable conclusion. So that overall the film fails to satisfy.
With The bow Kim Ki Duk shoots an arrow that doesn’t hit the target. Pity.
Earth, Earth burning bright. January 22, 2007
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Some days ago I went for a walk in my town in Italy wearing a thin jacket. It was middle January. That is full winter. Nevertheless I wasn’t cold at all, and had a nice lukewarm walk, enjoying a sun which definetely reminded me of late spring. When I came back I switched on the news and heard that an odd hurrican had hit central Europe with unprecedented strenght. We are now used to hear about massive typhoons that hit the US shores annually. Besides Florida, Lousiana and other countries in the South East are dramatically accustomed to those hurricanes that almost on a fixed basis turn on them violently and make a clean sweep of everything. But now suddenly hurricanes begin to hit Europe as well along with odd metereological phenomenons. Few doubt that climate changes are beginning to make themself felt strongly. According to several scientists the Earth hadn’t experienced such a warm winter since early 19th century. Opposite as well as frightening phenomenon occure: big glaciers are melting at an incredible speed, while several areas are threatened by incipient drought due to the reduced number of rainfalls. And I’m not talking about Africa. This latter is already done for. To get nearer Italy, for instance, is likely to become a sort of desert in its souther part. Let’s prepare to say farewell to art cities such as Venice and Florence. Indeed they might be flooded in the near future.
A documentary is being spreading into the cinemas around the world. It is called “An inconvenient truth” and it’s by “former-futur president” of the US Al Gore, as he laughingly define himself. Mr Gore aims to inform people on the state of health of the Earth, which is at least worrying. Governements are so concerned about the terroristic menace but there won’t be any terrorist to fight nor anything else once the Earth will be destroyed by human selfishness. Therefore the early we all human being realize that, the best will be for everybody. That’s the message Gore tries to launch. Although I’m aware that this documentary might be magnificent advertising expedient for a possible (even if not so probable) campaign in sight of next year presidential election, I believe Al Gore’s “An inconvinient truth” deserves a reasonable respect. It highlight simply and clearly an awful matter which, like or not, we all are goint to cope with extremely soon, and which we are already having a tasting of.
I found myself thinking of what it would have happened if Al Gore had become US president instead of George Bush. The former isn’t of course free from critics, I’m not implying that. However, I’m wondering with a few regrets whether a world where the United States with the highest emissions of greenhouse gases and no signs on the Kyoto protocol are the first contributors to the Earth pollution, wouldn’t have liked better that the president of the leading world power had at least a high dose of careness about environmental matters.