boundaries

by felixspencer2 (taken from flickr)

the boundaries of having no boundaries is to know how far one can go about running the fields without going insane.

we are so set to put a barricade of contradictions in everything we do because we always expect things to stop sooner or later. But what if the stop to occur has no direct relation to the boundaries we set?

Thinking all the while that boundaries and limits help us regulate the stop we are expecting to occur, when in fact, it is the manifestation of fear to go out beyond what we do not understand.

Thus, the stop we are expecting is but an illusion and excuse to set ourselves in our comfort zone because we fear to go and explore that which we find strange...worse...things we cannot control.

One example would be the fact that we define ourselves.

Who am I.
What makes me ME?
and what makes me different?

So obssessed we are in defining ourselves and setting a different character to be identified from the commonalities of the human race.

I am myself. I am beyond what you think of me. I am more than what you see. I am more than a product of my relationships and decisions. I have a certain quality higher than that you percieve me to have.

Yet in my moment of confusion and anger, I see myself acting against the set of rules I have conveniently fenced around me.

That is definitely me.
But I see no one doing it aside from that shell that bore my face.

Is that me?
But it goes against the set of character I've learned to fence myself around with.

Can it be me? I would have known... I am myself. and on goes the debate...

We become trapped within the limits we set ouselves with... forgetting that we could easily lift it. That with one blow and it topples like cards...

so set me a boundary...
map me out and find me, like a rat, sniff my way out.

aut viam inveniam aut faciam

There are things that are opposite to eachother but are utterly inseparable...but the world has a unison of the differences that overlaps eachother.

In order not to get lost, we map ourselves certain lines of what is and what is not. But we often forget that the dichotomy of life, though real, is never hindering and it never will. Differences are just that, differences, they are not barricades, nor are they walls to alienate the world or the people around us.

And even with boulders positioned so that we may limit ourselves in terms of co existing and interacting, so we may preserve a certain sanctuary -- too sacred for others to insert themselves in...Trancendence is what we do best.

We draw the lines so we do not get lost as we live in this complicated world. But the lines are but imaginary. And the lines vary according to the map maker...

but the the lines can only do so much as bound those who've forgotten how boundless life can be.

so take me and ill show you how it is to be me.

Third World Driving Tips and Hints Part 2

Part two of the driving tips and hints by PJ O'rourke.
**pictures are not mine but was randomly taken from the google search engine.


Animals in the right of way
As a rule of thumb, you should slow down for donkeys, speed up for goats, and stop for cows. Donkeys will get out of your way eventually, and so will pedestrians. But never actually stop for either of them or they'll take advantage, especially the pedestrians. If you stop in the middle of a crowd of Third World pedestrians, you'll be bying Chiclets and bogus antiquities for days.

Drive like hell through the goats. It's almost impossible to hit a goat. On the othe rhand, it's almost impossible to not hit a cow. Cows are immune to horn-honking, shouting, swats with sticks, and taps on the hind quarters with the bumper. The only thing you can do to make a cow move is swerve to avoid it, which will make the cow move in front of ou with lightning speed.

Actually the most dangerous animals are the chickens. In the United States, when you a ball roll into the street, you hit your brakes becuase you know the next thing you'll see is a kid chasing it. In the Third World country, it's not hte balls the kids are chasing, but the chickens. Are they practicing punt returns with a leghorn? Dribbling it? Playing stick-hen? I odn't know. But Third World Wonders are remarkable fond of their chicken and, also, their children (population problems notwithstanding). If you hit one or both, they may survive. But you will not.

Accidents
Never look where you're going -- you'll only scare yourself. Nonetheless, try to avoud collisions. There are bound to be more people in that bus, truck or even on that Moped than there are in your car. At best, you'll be screamed deaf. And if the police do happen to be around, standard procedure is to throw everyone in jail regardless of fault. This is done to forestall blood feuds, which are a popular hobby in many of these places. Remember the American consul is very busy fretting about that Marxist insurrection, and it may be months before he comes to visit.

If you do have an accident, the only thing to do is go on the offensive. Throw big wads of American money at everyone, and hope for the best.

Safety Tips
One nice thing about the Third World, you don't have to fasten your safety belt (or stop smoking. Or cut down on saturated fats.) It takes a lot off your mind when average life expectancy is forty-fie minutes.

Third World Driving Hints & Tips Part 1

I was reading "Holidays from hell" last night. The books is by PJ O'ROURKE and he is just witty and hilarious. Anyways, wanna share something from the book. This excerpt was written during the days when Marcos was finally overthrown and Cory Aquino came into power, and is in the process of 'rebuilding' our nation. Oddly enough, some things on this excerpt still holds true, while others are not -- please bear into mind that this is not only about the Phiippines he has written about but other third world countries, including ITALY (Italy, as he said, is technically part of hte Third World, but no one has told the Italians). If one looks closely, it's more than a scrutiny of our roads and driving -- but rather a closer look of our nation in road sign signals.

**pictures are not mine but are taken randomly from google search engine.

THIRD WORLD DRIVING HINTS & TIPS
Part one

Road Hazards
What would be a road hazard any place, in the Third World is probably the road. There are two techniques for coping with this. One is to drive very fast so your wheels "get on top" of the ruts and your car sails over the ditches and gullies. Predictably, this will result in disaster. The other technique is to drive very slow. This will also result in disaster. No matter how slowly you drive into a ten-foot hole, you're still going to get hurt. You'll find the locals themselves can't make up their minds. Either they drive at 2 mph -- which they do every time there is absolutely no way to get around them. Or else they drive at 100 mph-- which they docoming right at you when you finally get a chance to pass the guy going 2 mph.

Basic information
It's important to have your facts straight before you begin piloting a car around an underdeveloped country. For instance, which side of the road do they drive on? This is very easy. They drive on your side, That is, you can depend on it, any oncoming traffic will be on your side of the road. Also, how do you translate kilometers into miles? Most people don't know this, but one kilometer = ten miles, exactly. True a kilometer is 62% of a mile, but if somethign is one hundred kilometers away, read tat as on thousand miles because roads are 620% worse than anything you've eer seen. And when you see a 50-kph speed limit, you might as well figure that means 500 mph becuase nobody cares. The Third world does not have Broderick Crawford and the HIghway Patrol. Outside the cities, it doesn't have many police at all, Law enforcement is the hand sof the army. And soldiers, if feel like it, will shoot you no matter what speed you're going.

Traffic signs and signals
Most Developing nations use international traffic symbols. Americans may find themselves perplexed by road signs that look like boy scout merit badges and by such things as an iguana silhouette with a red diagonal bar across it. Don't wory, the natives don't know what they mean either. The natives do, however have an elaborate set of signals used to convey information to the traffic around them. For example, if you trying to pass someone and he blinks his left turn signal, it means go ahead, Either that or it means a large truck is coming around the bend, and you'll get killed if you try. You'll find that out in a moment.

Signaling is further complicated by festive decorations found on many vehicles. It can be hard to tell a hazard flasher from a string of christmas-tree lighst wrapped around the bumper, and brake lights can be easily confused witht he dozen red Jesus Statuettes and te ten stuffed animals with blinking eyes on the package shelf.

Dangerous Curve
Dangerous curves are marked, at least in Christian lands, by a wooden white cross positioned to make the curves even more dangerous. These crosses are memorials to people who;ve die in traffic accidents, and they give a rough statistical indication of how much trouble you're likely to have at that spot int he road. Thus, when you come through a curve in a full-power slide and are suddenly confronted with a veritable forest of crucifixes, you know you're dead.

Learning to drive like a native
It's important to understand that in the Third World most driving is done with the horn, or "Egyptian Brake Pedal", as it is known. There is a precise and complicated etiquette of horn use. Honk your horn only under the following circumstances:

1. When anything blocks the road.
2. When anything doesn't.
3. When anything might.
4. At red light.
5. At green light.
6. at all other times.

Roadblocks

One thing you can count in Third World countries is trouble. There's always some uprising, coup, or Marxist insurrection goin on, and this means military roadblocks. There are tw kind sof military roadblocks, the kind where you slow down sot hey can look you over, and the kind where you come to a full stop so they can steal your luggage. The important thing is that you must never stop at the slow-down kind of roadblock. If you stop, they'll think you're a terrorist about to attack them, and they'll shoot you. And you must alwyas stop at the full stop kind of roadblock. If you just slow down, they'll think you're a terrorist about to attck them, and they'll shoot you. How do you tell the difference etweent he two kind of roadblocks? Here's the fun part: YOU CAN'T!

(The terrorists, of course, have roadblocks of their own. They alwyas make you stop. Sometimes with land mines.)