Godfather Lessons

Don Corleone: "I spend my whole life trying not to be careless. "

I am a perfectionist. I condemn them a lot, but the types that bother me most are those that put their books back at their “actual” position, after I borrowed for a glance. Such behaviour exists because people do not like it when their ideals are tampered with, even if it is a small thing like the arrangement of books according to height. Tidiness and obsessive, compulsive, perfectionist syndrome (OCPS) go together, I would know. My OCPS has gradually toned down over the years, but I do very much notice it when someone displays signs of it.

There is no ideal position, because it is a relative term. Something that is perfect one day, may become a total eye-sore the next. Because we’re creatures of the heart and mind, we’re liable to change. It is change that fuels the vitality of life. People fear the dark, coming up with reasons to mask the uncertainty of life. There will never be a comfort zone in life, unless one is comfortable with oneself. This is one aspect of life that religion & spirituality has taught me a great deal. Being in a quiet place, church or room, just me and God aka the voice in my soul. Answering questions about my actions, reflecting on my beliefs, deciding the course of my future.

I spend my whole life trying not to be careless. I hurt, I swallow my pride, I cry, because I expect something in return for what I gave - my love, my care, my self. Being is not a business. I trust my creator to be, giving what is worth giving, receiving what is worth receiving. Expectations are thrive in society, and one often succumbs to such expectations. I must maintain my beliefs, acting as God’s buffer, making this world a better place, making people believe that the co-existence of selfs is very much possible.

The perfectionist in me tells me that today, I should have been more cheerful talking to Mandy and interacting with CM. Today, I should not have tempted everyone to a Java Chip, although it’s the best iced coffee drink I’ve ever had after Piccolo Mondo’s mafia drink . I should be reviewing my Matlab code instead of getting caught up with this blogging trend. However, at the end of the day, I am proud of myself, because I was being myself. What I didn’t do is not a mistake, just a pre-cursor to the change that will eventually happen in life. People tend to underestimate the power of the ‘second thought’. The rush and excitement into something has ever so often turn into regrets.

Why I should drink less Java Chip: (and I had Grande with cream!)

I’ll take an opportunity to apologise to Phing bout the whole return flight fiasco. You may think it was just an irritating mistake, but to me it is more than an irritation. Because I spend my whole life trying not to be careless.

Movie of the day: The Godfather (1972)

The amazing masterpiece that is better than the superb Puzo novel. Everthing about this movie is superbly executed: Don Corleone asking for the undertaker's friendship, the Solozzo-McClusky killing, Sonny's cold-blooded murder, and finally the sheer wrath of Michael's vengeance. However, I happen to disagree with public opinion about its sequel. It is a brilliant movie, but for nihilistic depictions of the gangster life, I still prefer HK productions like "Jiang Hu 江湖" （2000） and "Election 黑社会" （2005）.