Long Way Round all over again

I've finally purchased the DVD version of this great TV series. For those who don't know what this is, it's about two guys (Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman) who decided to ride motorcycles from London, going east until they reach New York (yes, the long way round).

They had to cross a lot of hurdles, but at the same time met a lot of people. Met mafias in Ukraine, policemen and media in Kazakhstan, absence of roads in Mongolia, bears and raging rivers in Eastern Russia. When they finally got to the continental United States, they were kind of sad that the journey is about to end. Then Ewan summed the purpose of their journey poignantly:

He hopes that people who have been wanting to travel but is stopped by the what if's and the might be's, would be inspired by this. And realize that the what if's and might be's are the ones that make the travel memorable and worthwhile.

I couldn't stop crying when he said this. They have been through a lot, and have been through very low lows and very high highs. And yet, there was something ultimately freeing about it. They expressed a freedom that is immensely satisfying. When they nearing New York, they were actually talking about not showing up and just driving back to the west and do the journey all over again. Of course, they were just kidding, but they were also half-serious.

In the end, the country that gave them the most trouble, Mongolia, was, according to them the best country they went through, and they were glad they didn't bail out when the going went really tough.

I'm so grateful they made this series. I paid close to 2.5x the regular price for this DVD, but I wouldn't mind paying more than 10x or even 100x knowing how much gratifying watching it. It made me realize how beautiful the world is, and how, in the end we are all the same.

I'll be planning my own trip soon. I have an idea where to go. I just have to realize the what if's and the migh be's are the best thing that can happen along the way...

Another quote

I've been out for a while... Anyway, got a good quote for today.

The greatest trick the devil has pulled is convincing us that we are less than who we are and that we can achieve wholeness [i.e. happiness] outside ourselves.

Humanity's Legacy

It's so amazing how there are lots of different movies in the world. We live in a time where most of the dominant movies are from the hollywood of today.

Most of us are not aware of movies from other places in the world. Or from other time for that matter. Hollywood movies of decades ago are just as good, if not better as today. European movies have a different feel, but equally satisfying to experience. So do Japanese, Korean and Chinese movies. If I could only understand Indian language, I'm sure I would appreciate the greatness of their art as well.

This collection of movies is humanity's legacy to it's own. These movies are the creations of the greatest minds as a testament to their experiences (both good and bad) and their enduring spirit as we--as a species--continue our existence.

I have but only a short glimpse of this elegant trapestry and I'm so grateful.

Quote

When you strive to be someone, you lose yourself;
When there is no you, you find yourself.

WoW

I've been spending lots of time playing World of Warcraft (WoW). And I can't begin to describe the experience. The WoW world is just amazing. You can spend your time just walking around and be awed by the surroundings. Although I have made some friends there (you easily make friends when you're one of the highest-leveled characters around ;) ), I prefer to do quests alone.

I love doing quests alone--going out there, and facing the challenges all by yourself. I love it not because of some greedy scheme to level up faster (which is actually slower, since quests sometimes are too difficult to do and require a partner or two), but just there's a part of me that wants to face my fears alone. I feel that as I play the game and facing the demons, I'm facing my own demons in my life.

Sometimes, it feels like I'm looking for redemption of some sort. But redemption from what? I don't know... There are things that I can't quite yet understand, but I feel like I have always been running away from something. When I face those monsters in the game, I am fearless and don't care if I die. I need to take those risks, I need to exorcize the demons within me...

Movie project

Recently I've been looking for a list of romantic movies that I can use for my own list of romantic movies. Most of the lists I've found on the web were those of other movie buffs, and unfortunatley, a lot of them contain a narrow scope of the greatest movies out there. So, I came accross the American Film Institute's (AFI's) website, and--badabing!--they have their own list. It's like finding my very own Rosetta stone!

Of course, there are some movies that ranked high on this list that I didn't really like. #3 "West Side Story" bored me to death. #21 "Pretty Woman" feels stale and #29 "An Officer and a Gentleman" is just plain unromantic. So my list will definitely be different from this. I'll just use this as a guide. Also, I'm waiting for some asian movies to be delivered (one of them of Korean origin as one of you guys out there has suggested I take a look at).

So, this project will take months, and I'm excited as to how the list will look like. Perhaps, I can do a movie review every now and then on some notable movies I've watched.

Long Way Round

Last night, I saw a mini-series, entitled "Long Way Round" about two guys (one of them was Ewan McGregor) who are trying to travel 20,000 miles, around the world in two motorcycles. They start from London, then go east, to Europe, to Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, then cross the Pacific through Alaska, then Canada, and finally to New York.

As I was watching them, I could sense the freedom of traveling. For hours, they would just travel, and follow the road, not worrying where it will take them and when. They just... went. As the surroundings that they are passing through change, so does the culture and the people they meet. There's a sense of discovery into each town or city they stop by to rest or replenish their supplies.

The sights they saw were just breathtaking. It made me appreciate that, despite all the bad things that are happening in the world right now, the world is a very beautiful place.

I would like to do something similar. I would like to travel, and see the world on my own...