scifi lovin

This first half of 2012, I have been inlove with Science-Fiction, not as a replacement to my hunk-of-a-boyfriend but as a way to get back to my passion, reading, and thus setting myself right on track to my goal of reading 24 books this year. I have started by reading Assimov's I, Robot, rereading to Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park  and The Lost World*, and venturing into Shelley's Frankenstein.

Unlike my mom who seems to have grown a dislike on science-fiction, calling them out of this world which is not entirely wrong, I have developed this taste on movies, and books that integrade literature and technology. It is fascinating to watch or read something that tickles the imagination and it is even more fascinating to witness them come to life.

In I, Robot, robots help human kind fix problems in the outer space. Some of them nurse children. In Japan, there is a robot that can take orders and serve sushi. There are 'android' phones worldwide that are starting to replace our old source of entertainment. In my very own country, the Philippines, high schoolers have developed a robot that can segregate spoiled meat from a good one.

 

Powerful computers help recreate dinosaurs in Michael Crichton's famous works. As of this moment, some scientists mix dna to come up with a different creature. They have dicovered how to cure some cancer and created supplements that can somehow lengthen our lifespan.

I have yet to discover what real inventions are included in the genius of Frankenstein aside from the well known fact that a scientist has made a monster which has pervaded our modern horror stories. One thing I am sure of is I don't want to witness that happening.

 

As I read these sci-fi novels, my heart beats with anticipation, my brain cells buzz around millions of what-ifs and I feel this thrill if not exhiliration that I can vicariously be part of the world's advancement or destruction.

*Both books do not count since I have only reread them.

The Thin Line That I Crossed

Sometimes, when we get over familiar with someone, we forget our limitations and we say things we ought not to say.

That is the exact thing I committed this week. I accidentally got into Syme's nerves without meaning to. He was kind enough to point it out to me. I was actually taken aback because for the first time, someone reacted against my bullying. I just had to be honest. I did not know how to react to that.

I thought of how I could keep on joking with him without jeopardizing our friendship. It was a challenge because we established our friendship through jokes. Not throwing witty lines at one another would be awkward and would worsen the situation rather than improve it.

I did not have to go through the pains of being awkward. Syme was too kind. He did not let me wallow in my guilt. He said, he was ok, that he was just letting me know what he felt and he did not mean for me to do anything about it. Of course, it was tempting to forget and pretend that everything did not happen. It was not the case for me. I considered it a debt that I got off the hook so easily. Yep. It's a debt all right-a debt that is hard for me to pay.