glibberish.

It has been more than a month since I started on Classic Feynman, and I have finally finished the entire book. The time it took had nothing to do with the book’s quality – in fact, quite the opposite.

Reading about the life of Richard Feynman was utterly fascinating stuff, in spite of the fact that I am no fan of biographies to begin with. The book’s power comes from Feynman himself as he narrates particular events at different points in his life.

It is really hard to summarize Richard Feynman. He’s a nobel-prize winning physicist, yes, but he is also a lot more than that. He has travelled to many places, tried so many things (some even so off-tangent from his scientist career). He just pursued anything and everything that interested him. From getting quite a reputation as a safecracker, to joining a samba band in Brazil, to playing percussions for a fairly successful ballet, to taking up painting and actually getting his work in an exhibit and actually sold!

So it is with great pleasure that I consider him the Ultimate Geek – well, he is a brilliant scientist to begin with, but his geekness not only stems from that trait, but also with his honest, even childish interest in all things, and having the guts to experience them.

Most of the book’s chapters are gems: not just very entertaining, but from which one can also derive some perspective about life. And myself, for one, found the book very inspirational. Now I can say, if someone asks who my greatest hero is, without any hesitation: Richard Feynman!

Thank you, Mr. Feynman. I will always try to live by the principles you have established for yourself.

I just saw the House season finale and seriously! What a tearjerker! I was like a housewife watching soap opera. I had to head over to the TWoP forums to read about other people’s reactions to the episode. I watched a TV show so depressing I needed therapy after!

While this last episode had less medicine jargon and plot twisting, it packed quite a punch emotionally, which owes a lot to the great acting. Excellent move giving Robert Sean Leonard something to really work on. Even the show’s recent guest Ann Dudek, whose character is best known as “Cutthroat Bitch”, provided a very convincing performance.

Not to mention how brilliantly crafted the last one was (last week’s episode which is part 1 of the 2-part finale). It made good use of unconventional tools for storytelling – something you mostly see in movies made by the more daring/experimental/intellectual filmmakers. On cinema it’s quite uncommon, but it’s even rarer still on TV, I think. Among all the drama shows I’ve seen only a few writers pull off such style and intricacy*.

How dark and sad and wonderful. I now renew my faith (read: worship) in House and its writers. After all these years, the show still has new things to offer. I await season 5!

Finally, to celebrate (mourn) the great finale, here is the song that played through (and added to the misery of) the last minutes of the episode: Iron & Wine‘s “Passing Afternoon”.

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I love this.

a David Shrigley drawing

More here. Thanks for the link, Chofan!

I have recently been scouring the Net for anything that has Warren Ellis in it (a different blog entry altogether!), and in one old interview from Slashdot, he recommended this comic Nowhere Girl, fortunately available on the web for free:

Banner from the site, to show my support.

It’s a pretty good narrative in comics form, and it is about an aimless youngster’s life and friendships. But mostly, it’s just about life. It reminds me much thematically of Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World, without the black humor, but with the full-on uncertainty of what the future holds.

For those who (still) think comics is a medium reserved only for superheroes and gags, this is a great way to have your eyes opened. Believe it or not, there’s more where that came from.

I saw Bottle Rocket a few days ago. It was a subdued piece, little things happening here and there but not much else. But there is an underlying melancholy there, especially of the main characters (played by Luke and Owen Wilson). They are two nobodies trying to be happy in life and trying to be good friends with each other. Except maybe Luke Wilson’s optimist and Owen Wilson’s unreasonable zest, there is nothing about them that stands out – exactly the reason why I like them.

That brought me to watch yet another Wes Anderson: Rushmore. My love for this movie seems to grow exponentially. The first time around, I didn’t quite get it. Second time, it was great. And on this charmed third time… FANTASTICBRILLIANTSHIT!

I am particularly affected by Max Fischer’s (Jason Schwartzman) line to Herman Blume (Bill Murray), after he finds out that Herman and Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), whom Max is in love with, are going out:

“I saved Latin. What did you ever do?”

And several times Max reminds Miss Cross that he “wrote a hit play!” Max is befuddled why she doesn’t fall in love with him! This reminds me a lot of my very young self when, having liked a girl for several years, and trying to pursue her in a subtle way (maybe too subtle that the message never cut across?), I always wondered, why? Why someone else and not me, who is capable of many things? Me, who knows about films and books, great stories and ideas we could have explored together? Me, who loves music and can even make an entire song for you? Me, whose mind has been freed enough not to be bound by the usual constraints of relationships-as-usual? But there was no obvious answer for me; for Max and Miss Cross, it’s the age gap.

And Max is also the guy with “too many extracurricular activities… not enough studying.” But Max is brilliant in his own way – just not in academics. Do I see a reflection of myself as well (barring the ‘brilliant’ part)? Somehow. Maybe in a haphazard grab-anything-that-interests-me-but-lose-it-just-as-easily way. But no, better not to say “not enough studying” – I want to get through finishing my master’s degree!

It was also now that I see how sad the sad part of the movie is. Bill Murray is great. The happy ending is all worth it. From now on, this is my favorite feel-good movie (toppling off Almost Famous and The Royal Tenenbaums, also a Wes).

Well, I don’t know. I’m watching Royal Tenenbaums again in a few days. We’ll see…