Joining the Rest of Civilization

More than usual, I couldn’t wait to get home yesterday. I was so geeked all day, could hardly suppress my grin.

I got the wireless Internet connection (and Cable TV) at home now…!

WoooHooo!!!

My home life has been similar to that of 1940’s for the last few years. I didn’t have a subscription to newspaper, stable Internet access, or TV. My primary mode of entertainment was to read books, and the only source of information has been the National Public Radio (God bless them) while I’m driving and occasional glances at the MSN/Yahoo/Google news at work.

I don’t even know how I managed to take an online course a couple semesters ago. Well, I actually know how. I bum ridden my unsuspected neighbor’s unsecured WiFi for the whole time. And boy, was it a bumpy ride.

Things are about to change drastically!

As wonderful as it is, I’m quickly finding out that the unlimited Internet connection can also be very dangerous. Particularly to my finances. In addition to its monthly fee, I’m constantly exposed to the temptation of online shopping.

Overjoyed by my connectivity to the rest of the civilization, I purchased “The Best of the Monkee’s” album via iTune store in celebration. See, the Internet can drive you to such behavior.

Also I liked hiding from the tidal wave of media broadcasts. It left me out of touch with the current events, but I didn’t mind that as much as I minded feeling overwhelmed and violated. I suppose I could regulate the amount of media intake, but still.

Suddenly, I feel somewhat less safe in my own house…

Strange Rain

I love it when it rains while the sun is out. I don’t know if there is an English phrase to describe that phenomenon but it is called “Kitsune no yome-iri (Foxes’ wedding)” in Japanese.

There is a Japanese folklore about foxes having supernatural power to transform into humans and do other strange things. So it kind of makes sense that foxes are associated with the peculiar experience.

One of the short stories in Kurosawa’s classic omnibus “Dream” is based on this folklore and that particular episode is my favorite among his works.

Fox or not, there is something magical about the sight of rain coming down against blue sky. I feel like I’m captivated by a moment that is not quite real whenever I see that. It’s very transient and almost fragile.

Yesterday when I was driving home from work, the sky was a patchwork of clear blue, fluffy white, and very very dark gray. As I crossed into the City of Ann Arbor, huge raindrops started hammering down with thud, thud, and thud.

Each droplet caught the sunlight and the air was full of dazzling fantasia.

It filled me with euphoria. People walking in the golden splashes also looked euphoric, even though they were soaking wet.