Kony 2012: A Smokescreen

The new media or the internet is perceived to be a powerful community of homogenized heterogeneous individuals. Everyone with different perceptions and beliefs in life come together in the World Wide Web to communicate both directly and indirectly with one another and think almost in the same way. One perfect example of this scenario is the sympathy gathered by a viral video Kony 2012 which has gathered 70 million views for only five days. 

Kony 2012 is a 30-minute film persuading everyone all around the world to find, stop, and arrest the top 1 worst criminal in the world Joseph Kony. Kony is the head of a Ugandan rebel group Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) who is involved in the kidnapping, mutilating, raping, and killing Ugandan children. The ‘Kony 2012’ advocacy gained the support of America’s bests-- politicians, celebrities, and business tycoons. 

 

 

 THE REALITY...

It is considered a fact that America has long been perceived as a hegemonic country trying to be known as the dominant class in the society. Sometimes this dominance is advantageous to both America and the people being dominated but most of the time it is detrimental, like what happened to Middle Eastern countries. 

In this case, Kony 2012 is trying to persuade the world that Uganda has a leader who has to be captured and killed in order to end his tyrannical control, and that Americans and the rest of the world must unite to fight him. This move and its use of social networking sites to promote its cause can be considered at first glance to be liberating, freeing the victims from oppression, but the move at its core is indeed suspicious. 

It is suspicious because the problems in the region around Uganda are much more complicated than removing a single leader. The problem in Uganda is interwoven from corruption, diseases, famine and to all other sorts of irregularities. It is suspicious because this viral video could actually be profit-driven. It has been reported that Uganda owned an oil reservoir and black gold deposits. This Kony 2012 video might then be considered as a smoke screen toward America’s goal of exploiting Uganda’s rich resources in the same way America fooled us by telling everyone that they want to help liberate the civilian Muslims from their terrorist neighbors. But in the end, they just killed civilians and militants alike. What was supposed to be a promised of help turned into a promise of tragedy and despair, leaving so many wounded families. 

And now, what does America expect from us? Support them? 

Think again. 

Math Frustrations: message in a bottle

What is math and Why is it so hard... FOR ME?

Mathematics is a body of knowledge that concerns numbers and its operations. Its fundamental operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication and addition. Numbers have contributed a lot in the system and structure since time immemorial, from pre-philosophical times to the Greek philosophers until now down to forever.

From simple ones to complicated and complex things, a number is at all times present; it’s as if it has no time for a holiday. Its existence is not just a numerical value but it has to be connected with arithmetical, geometrical, algebraic, statistical factors. These factors make up Mathematics, the root of my frustrations.

I often force myself to understand those numbers-with-the-x-and-the-y-'andallthoseoutoftheearth' stuffs but I'm sooo dumb to understand. Seriously! Perhaps that is the best I can do yet the worst thing I possess.

Well, I actually have gotten over with my math frustrations. Fortunately, I passed all my Math courses. Thank God we are only required to take two.

This time, I am focusing on things that I do best. Setting my goals. Realigning my priorities.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Who would ever forget the days when you would do all the weirdest things for someone you really like?

From the side-glances, the ear-smile, and stalking-like-ninja maneuvers.. I guess all of us went through this particular stage in our lives when our heart would like to scream from its depths just to be noticed by the person we like and would hopefully like us in return.

I wrote all these ‘cheesy’ stuffs as a response to the Thai movie, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. A typical scenario of puppy love, which became true love in the end. It follows the plot of Beauty and the Beast, but it was a twisted one. Beauty was the man and the 'beast' (i know it's inappropriate to use the term but let's just put it that way) was the woman.

The girl, Nam, was an ugly duckling who had a crush with this almost perfect guy, P-Shone. Pushing all her luck to be noticed by P-Shone, Nam did all the possible things, and even the seemed-to-be impossible one did happen..from daydreaming to love spells, to transforming herself into a beautiful swan.

Who would ever think that this ugly duckling would turn into a swan just because of a guy?

Maybe no one. But romantic movies are so cliché, so most people would probably think that this story would turn out this way.

But for me, I do not have any idea how the movie would turn out. A friend just told me to watch it and so I immediately did, considering that I was so bored that time.

Oh yes..the girl became sooo pretty which I found weird because she was able to transform her image in just a year. Perhaps I found it weird because it's quite impossible to change one's physique in like 300 days or so, right?

I admit, I was and still ‘am’ the old Nam. I have all the flaws any girl could name.

And  things did not turn out the way Nam's story unfolded. I did not became a  swan and I went through a bitter ending, not bittersweet, put a purely bitter one.

(About my personal experience, i'll just keep it to myself ) ^___^

(Hahaha. It feels good to be chessy sometimes for it reveals the other side of the “bitter” me. Yes, I admit. I am bitter in love. I don’t like seeing young couples showing their affection in public. I don’t like seeing anyone kissing, hugging, or even holding their hands. )

Well, I've been through all the childish and immature days of love. I thought it was 'it' but it wasn't. It’s just a process of growing up. I learned from it, and will always learn from it.

Now…

I learned to love myself and consider myself beautiful in my own unique ways. I may and will still have flaws, but these flaws constitute the whole ME.

I learned that I don’t have to try so hard to be noticed and be appreciated by the person I like. 

I learned that that if someone truly cares for me, that person would be able to accept my flaws and accept my whole being.

I may not have Nam’s love story, I may not turn out to be a beautiful swan as what Nam turned out to be, I may not have someone who is as perfect as P-Shone, but I know that both of us share one thing in common. That is—to be happy at the right time with the right person.

Well. well. well. I know that in the end, God will be the ultimate author of my life and I trust in his immeasurable greatness in creating a not-crazy... but sane love story.