Ruminations

So it has come to this once again–the threat of extinction. If I didn’t blog in my post in another few days, my blog would have surely emaciated to a point past redemption. I’ve made up many excuses to avoid the arduous task of blogging, such as my having cut my finger, my responsibility of finishing The Omnivore’s Dilemma in the next few days, and my need to go on a mental vacation before school starts. But alas, I saw through these petty explanations as mere excuses and took my hand to the keyboard, to begin yet another session of transcribing my life and ruminations into the digital realm.

I will begin with a series of thoughts I’ve been having lately. First, freshmen are raining like cats and dogs all over Berkeley again, just in time for the start of Fall Semester 09. Seeing the families and freshies drop off their belonging in the dorms has definitely given the summer lull an electric jolt, and already, I can feel the blood begin to pulsate once again in the Berkeley machine. It was as if a period of hibernation has passed, and the muscles are beginning to pump oxygen into a system of weakening vessels.

In the midst of this excitement, however, I can’t help but feel that cliched nostalgia again–a deep longing for ‘doing over’ my freshmen experience. I don’t want to waste any further blog space ruminating over such a past, but I at least wanted to acknowledge this feeling and recognize its perennial hold over my psyche. It sucks. Perhaps that was why I wanted to be an “RA” for so long as a pathetic attempt at addressing this feeling of lack. But again, the ship has sailed. It’s time to move on.

Another idea I wanted to digest a bit further is my deterioration in style. For some reason, I feel my words growing clunkier by the day, as if they are growing baby fat from head to toe. I admit I haven’t been reading as many novels lately, but shouldn’t that just mean that my writing stays in place? I think this deterioration has a lot to do with how I think, as I sometimes find my words coming out in awkward and unpleasant formations. Occasionally, I would feel everything click as I write; but more often than not, the task of writing well has become quite a chore in itself. I wonder if simply reading more can provide the fix I need to restore my writing style to its previous flow.

Lastly, I just wanted to talk about reading Harry Potter. I never realized how heavily the HP series was saturated with progressive politics until I read it recently. For one thing, the whole racial discourse over Wizards, Goblins, Elves, Centaurs,  Wolves, Muggles, etc has taken on an eerily realistic feel. Not only am I reminded of ‘racial purity’ in the form of Eugenics and multi-racial identities, I also hear the echos of KKK white supremacy and Nazi Aryan domination playing out in the background. But the fun doesn’t stop here. There is also a distinctly call for political resistance against the established order, much like the call to resistance that is often embodied in Marxian politics. Additionally, the corruption in the infrastructure of Magic has a strange parallel with the corporate tampering in the current system of Democracy. Ultimately, I think the Harry Potter series was especially enjoyable for me not only because I resonated with the leadership characteristics of Harry and Dumbledore, but also for the progressive narrative that grounded the magical tale in the struggles and challenges of the present.