Fight Club

Deterministic Universe

"Clare: Do you think I wanted this life, this husband that disappears? Who would want that?

Henry: You have a choice.

Clare: I never had a choice."


Tristan, Dude, I just watched the youtube trailer of the novel I blogged about weeks ago. I just realized the whole thing is a deterministic interpretation of the universe. It practically means that time is just like a circle: What happens now has already happened and the future lies not only ahead but also in the past. Every decision we made about our lives was already pre-determined. We have no control over it. Just like what Clare said, we had no choice... Einstein was the last Physicist who believed in a deterministic universe. Just like Clare he probably also believed we had no choice. That the future is predictable. And that we are so helpless we can not do anything to change it.

Einstein was wrong.

It is important for you and your sisters to believe that our future has yet to be written, to believe that no living person on earth has a magical gift to see the future. Otherwise you may become gullible victims of Con men who pass themselves off as "Manghuhula."

I wrote the blog entry below 2 years ago (during the last few days of JULY 2006). Thanks to PrinsesaMusang's comment, I remembered it yesterday (Thanks, RN!)

"When a person hears self-proclaimed psychic or psychic promoters like jimmy lichauco, rene mariano and madame auring, he hears people who speak of things he does not understand. He may rightfully think that what these people are saying is CRAP. BUT... Out of ignorance and lack of education, he may also think that GOD is mysterious and beyond understanding. So he may erroneously think that these people are speaking the language of GOD.

Politicians use these gullibility to their advantage. You know why Nostradamus became famous in the first place? A certain adolf hitler used the writing of this obscure french guy to make a self serving prediction. He used a Quartrain (a part of the french guy's book) to say that nostradamus predicted that he will be victorious in his war against the allied powers. It was purely psychological warfare.

What's hilarious is that the allied powers used THE SAME BOOK OF THAT FRENCH GUY to predict that they will win their war against the axis.

What is not funny anymore is that when the allies won the war, people actually started believing the propaganda of the allies about nostradamus-- they forgot that his quartrains are so vague, even hitler USED them in his own propaganda to predict a victory that NEVER WAS.

Please don't believe the propaganda of tyrants about so called psychics. They are as clueless about the future as everyone else.

The God who loves each and everyone so much is the God of Logic, of Mathematics, of Science, of TRUTH. His ways and language is mysterious BUT please remember that self proclaimed psychics DO NOT SPEAK for him.

There is a really, really stupid game show out there called "deal or no deal". It does not test any skill that the contestant may have. whether one wins or lose depends on Mathematical probability (dumb people call it "luck")

Thank God he found a way to use even a lowly game show like this to enlighten us and warn us about believing in abominations called "psychics". They are abominations because I think I've read somewhere in Jeremiah that these people (Psychics/false prophets) "prophecy of things they have not seen"-- which means they are abominations in the eyes of God not because they have demonic powers but because they PRETEND they have supernatural/demonic capabilities.

Somebody should sue them for fraud.

Anyway, back to the game show, a so-called "psychic" (rene mariano) was dumb enought to accept the invitation to be one of the contestants. Everybody, especially the very gullible gameshow hostess, thought that being PSYCHIC he would win 2 MILLION BUCKS. He ended up with 75 PESOS and a deeply red face as if tomatoes were thrown at him by the audience. See how foolish it is to entrust one's faith in somebody who PRETENDS he can see the future."

WE have a choice.

July 22 Eclipse

Dear Sage, This morning while on our way to school, I told you guys “Hey, there will be an eclipse today: An eclipse is when the Sun gets slowly eaten by a giant dragon in the sky. But because it is so hot the dragon eventually spits it out after few minutes of trying to swallow it.” You guys were unimpressed and told me “We know what an eclipse is. We studied it in school.”

Smart ass.

Usually, nothing comes between the rays of the sun and the Earth (Just like Brooke Shields and her Calvin Klein Jeans.) But in regular intervals, the moon crosses the path in the sky in front of the sun. The shadow it casts on the Earth is the one we view as an eclipse. Depending on where you view this event, the moon’s shadow may totally blot out the sun from the sky (total eclipse) or you may just see a part of the sun darkened by the moon’s shadow (partial eclipse)

I have yet to witness a Total Eclipse. But it really is a cool event. It’s like the night descending in the middle of the day and staying briefly for a visit, then slowly yielding the heavens again to the light of day. During that brief interval, the chickens roost and the stars become visible.

During one total eclipse that happened in the early part of the 20th century, a prominent astronomer was able to observe that the position of the stars near the sun appear to be different during a total eclipse.



This simple observation proved the accuracy of General Relativity. The erstwhile crazy theory that a massive object (like the sun) can actually bend space finally gained acceptance among the world’s astrophysicists. A massive object like the sun can distort the “Flat” surface of space. In doing so, the lights from the stars that pass by its vicinity are "bent" because they have to travel a curved path instead of going straight to Earth. Which explains why the stars near the sun in a Total Eclipse appear to have changed position.

Remember at the basement of SM mega mall? There is this huge, black, circular funnel where we let coins spin around it until it reaches the center where it eventually drops out of sight? like in the youtube video below...



It is a good illustration of General Relativity. It actually represents a very massive, very dense singularity. The density of a singularity is so… huge (when you grow up, you will chastise me for this understatement) that it does not just bend light when it passes by its vicinity, it actually sucks it into the hole and does not let it escape. That's why a singularity is also know by another name, "Black Hole."

I bet they have yet to teach you that in 4th grade, huh? Huh?

Karma

Dear Tristan, more than once I came across people who, after learning that I have three daughters, always call them my “pambayad utang.” And they always add that I should not fool around because my daughters are the ones who will suffer the consequence of KARMA. The fact that those stupid fools are still breathing is proof that anger management does work.

Let me get this straight- There is no such thing as Karma.

Karma is an illusion.

Nature may have a mechanism to seek balance in Physics, in Chemistry, in Biology. But the laws of men and human relationship are inherently unfair-- Always have, always will.

Injustice rules. Equality is an exception. How else can you explain the good fortune of Erap. How else can you explain the fact that the world is still mourning the death of a singer while glossing over the passing of Walter Cronkite or the fact that it is not outraged by the death of that Iranian girl, Neda, in the brutal hands of a totalitarian state.

Even if I go whoring, my daughters will not suffer because of Karma. Simply because:

KARMA DOES NOT EXIST. GODDAMNIT!

It was not fear of Karma that’s why I chose not go whoring. It was Choice.

I chose to go against the norm. I chose to recognize the fact that chicks need dignity and decency to live. Just like me, they need to realize their real worth. Just like me they should not let any man look down on them. Just like when I chose not to smoke because I knew that halitosis will not endear me to chicks, or when I chose not to love drinking alcoholic beverages (because there is no other drug more satisfying than sex) it was borne out of simple CHOICE.

Karma has no scientific basis. That is why in human relationships it is HARDER to choose what is right. It is harder to let go, to walk away to let yourself be wounded rather than see her in tears. That is why we need strength from God. This means, every time we make the right choice…

it is nothing short of a Miracle.

JULY 19 and JULY 20

Yesterday, July 19, we went to church at CTK (thank God JJ wasn't around because the mass was for late morning). In the pew just infront of us was a baby around 6 months old in the arms of her Mom. Sadie, you and Ate Sabine played peekaboo with her. You made her laugh and giggle. You also sang twinkle twinkle little star for her. later I had to take you and Ate Sabine outside. There is a series of small puddles which you guys used like a hopscotch board.

Today, July 20, looking at the picture reminds me of the famous line first uttered 40 years ago today by Neil Armstrong...

"That's one small step for (a) man,
One giant leap for mankind."


itutuloy

after JULY 4... Dad, Noey and Whatshername

Taken two weeks ago in Baguio. Soiree right after 4th of July. With a President named Hussein Obama and a hip Ambassador like her, I don't see how Ka Satur or Ka Teddy can sustain their crusade against what Iran's Dictators call the Great... You know who.

JULY 18

Im Test driving the video capture capability of Ayheen's Nokia 5800. We just got it today. GRand Dy was with us at the Megamall and he spent the weekend here too. He wasn't in the frame when the shot was taken though.

The Kids are watching Discovery Channel (Evolution of dinosaurs.) Later Sage asked me "how did they know there were scorpions 1 meter long and that they feed on fish?", "how did they know that the fish is our ancestor?"

I wanted to say that it's because of the fossil record. but come to think of it, everything that they've seen in that discovery channel special is just scientific guess work, Sage. Maybe one of you guys will look at the fossil records someday and say, "You got it WRONG discovery channel. This is what really happened during the pre-cambrian period..."

b4 JULY

Taken during the PCP convention at MOA-SMX.


You both skate better than me.


I love this shot.


Sadie is too young to try Ice skating so we rode the carousel instead.


I don't know when this was taken. last month I guess. You guys are starting to learn to kick some ass.


Sabine's first few days in Miriam.


Sleepy head. but you perked up after.


Taken last week. we bought new furniture at Mandaue's storage building. They will be delivered tomorrow.

JULY 15

Dear Tristan, yesterday was your 7th Month. You are a quiet kid who regards people and you smile indiscriminately. Every morning when your sisters wake up, the first thing they do is pat you in the pate or gently rub your head and say "aaahhh, you are so cute." You are still breastfed but your Mom started weaning you. We were not around when you had your first taste of cerelac a couple of weeks ago. We were in our bedroom because we had to undergo quarantine. Ate Sage took pictures though. once I learned how to transfer those pictures from her DSi to this Laptop, I'll try to post them ASAP.

JULY 14

QUATORZE JUILLET

Bukas, Bastille Day!

Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite!

"One day to a new beginning
Raise the flag of freedom high!
Every man will be a king
Every man will be a king
There's a new world for the winning
There's a new world to be won
Do you hear the people sing?
My place is here, I fight with you!


Tomorrow is the judgement day
Tomorrow we'll discover
What our God in Heaven has in store!

One more dawn
One more day
One day more!" -- from Les Miz

JULY 6

July 6-14. Feast of San Fermin


"A San Fermín pedimos, por ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro dándonos su bendición" -- Prayer before the Run

Dear Kids, every second week of July and just before the French Bastille Day, the Feast of San Fermin is celebrated in Pamplona, Spain. They celebrate by running with the bulls in the streets of that city until reaching the arena. I still wish I could run with the bulls someday- Because when I was a kid your age now, Sage, I dreamed of becoming a Bullfighter. Running with the bulls of pamplona is my way of making a piece of that dream come true.

But as for the four of you, I do not want you to dream of becoming a bullfighter, so that you do not have to dream of running with the bulls someday.

Be TriAthletes instead. TriAthlon is more challenging.

_____________________________________________________________

Here's my final word on that deceased pop singer. I've received a lot of flak, very polite criticisms actually, for saying that I really couldn't care less about the death of the deceased popstar who has been accused in court of being a pedophile. I also didn't like him for making a mockery of marriage and the women he married (especially that Nurse, Debbie Rowe who doesn't even have visitation rights to HER OWN children)

Sorry people.
I should not have even opened my mouth about him.
I should have emulated President Barack Obama.

Read the full CNN story about OBAMA DISTANCING HIMSELF FROM JACKSON click here

Sabi ko na ngaba e. BA-ROCK music is better than POP music.

Sadie's Favorite... at the moment.

The song is from the movie "Transformers 2"

When we watched the movie last week, Sadie, you kept on going up and down the stairs of the movie house. Sometimes you ask me to sit with you on the stairs. Then you ask me to take you outside to get drinks... Then you ask to be taken back inside. this happened a few times.

Thank God I wasn't really keen on watching that movie. And you started asking to go outside the theater only after this scene flashed on the screen...

Pachelbel on the Rocks

Dear Tristan, Pachelbel's Canon in D was the first classical music you ever heard in your life. I was playing it in our laptop when we were still in the hospital.

This anonymous musician below gave it a twist by shredding his electric guitar with the tune from that classic.

Dude, whoever you are, you Rock.

Apocalypse

Dear Tristan, last sunday we were supposed to watch Transformers the Movie. But the crowd was so thick we decided not to line up for it. Instead, your Mom and I just watched Nick Cage's "Knowing" at home. It's a movie of the "end of the world" genre.

Watching it made me wonder, How exactly will everything end? Experts used to say that the universe will implode someday. Eons from now, it will stop expanding. Then slowly it will gather speed and instead of expanding it will contract. Everything will race towards the point in Space-Time where the Big Bang occurred. Everything will Collide. In short, the universe will crash and burn.

Recently, though, the consensus is that it will continue expanding. the galaxies will forever race away from each other. This expansion will continue even at the level of the building blocks of matter: the atoms, leptons, quarks. Everything will dissipate into nothingness, darkness. In the end there will be nothing but endless space full of matter that are no bigger than atoms; no more stars, no galaxies, no planets... no people. The small spark of Life in all the worlds will have been extinguished long before the universe meets its end. No one will be there to see how the darkness slowly smothers everything. The universe will not crash and burn. It will just fade away.

Depressing, isn't it?

That's what your Mom told me last week after watching the world end... again... in a disaster movie. It's healthy to reflect on our mortality once in a while. But don't let it distract you from thinking about the Here and Now. There are more interesting things to think about: How to make friends, how to make out, how to make a buck (not necessarily in that order.)

There is beauty and grandeur in God's laws that govern this universe, but don't think too much about the end to the point of neglecting the present-- even if you decide to be the hunkiest cosmologist alive. Remember that we love you all so much with all our heart and soul.

The human soul is not made up of atoms.

The human soul will definitely out-live even the end of the Universe itself.

The Last AirBender

Sage can't wait to see this movie...