Random questions

1. If you had to choose whether to save the life of the person you love most (maybe yourself?), or the lives of two people you've never met, which would you choose?

That's a classic question that I have presented to people many times. I think answer is pure speculation and only way to really know the answer would be if I got into such situation where I really would need to make a choice.

2. What is one thing this world needs?

Sense? Clarity? Love? It's tough to pick, depending on my mood any of those things would do.

3. Is life worth living?

Ah, sure but the whole question is absurd. It's us that give value to things, not the other way around.

4. What are my views on controversial issues? Gun control, abortion, civil rights?

Gun control? My view is that it's a shame that we even have guns here, collect them all togther and let's have a huge bonfire :) Abortion? Should be always allowed, it's one's own choice (same thing with euthanasia). Civil rights? I must admit that I don't even know what exactly is meant by that.

5. What kind of foods don’t I like?

Food with eggs, mushrooms, shrimps and various other seafood.

6. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?

Hard to keep track, maybe newest Beatdown radio show or couple MMA related shows.

7. What's your favorite restaurant?

Can't really say that I have one. I rarely go to restaurants here, eating usually at some fast food places if needed.

8. Last time you swam in a pool?

That's a long time ago. I spent some time recalling and it's probably when I was student in polytechnic and we went once to swimming pool with class.

9. Have you ever been in a school play?

Yes, I used to love acting and was in several plays in elementary school. Kind of strange that such a shy guy like me used to be on stage.

10. Type of music you dislike most?

I don't have strong dislike to any type of music but I probably would not want to go to listen opera.

11. Have you ever ridden on a moped?

Yes, as a teenager and I really wanted to have my own. Nowadays I still prefer motorcycle over car.

12. Ever get a parking ticket?

I got at least one on my short driving career.

13. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?

Sky diving would be more interesting and I have often thought about doing it sometimes.

14. Furthest place you ever traveled?

It's Singapore (9251 kilometers from here) - been there twice.

15. What's your favorite comic strip?

It's pretty hard to beat Neil Gaiman's Sandman saga.

16. Best movie you've seen in the past month?

I've seen very few new movies lately. I think in the past month I've seen only American Pie 5 and Rocky Balboa. Oh, it doesn't have to be new movie so I will go with A night at the Roxbury :)

17. Chips or popcorn?

Lately I have been preferring popcorn. Unfortunately the popcorn machine that I bought doesn't make even close as good popcorn as the ready-made popcorn from shop (not to mention the ones you can buy in the cinema or spiced popcorns that they sell in one branch).

18. Orange or Apple juice?

It depends but usually apple juice.

19. Have you ever won a trophy?

Yes, several in chess and I think one in boxing. Gymnastic brought me only medals :(

20. Are you a good cook?

I'm pretty good but my repertoire is not too wide.

22. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work?

No, I would not work in a place where uniforms are required (and by uniform I mean suits and ties, not like police uniform etc).

23. Ever throw up in public?

Yes, few times when I have been dead drunk. Those events happened many years ago though.

24. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love?

There's always great temptation to ask what is meant by "true love" whenever I hear that expression. Anyway, I have never been materialistic person so it's easy to pick partner over money.

25. Can exes be friends?

Better question is are exes able to be friends. Some are able, some are not. I guess it depends a lot how the eventual break-up happened and how both dealt with it. For a long time I had this ideal view that exes would always be very close friends but in reality you never know how it's going to be. Nowadays I have no contact with my first ex but there is no bad blood either and I will always consider her as a friend. With my second ex I have contact occasionally, we visit each other every now and then and it's nice that we didn't have to "burn bridges".

26. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital?

Probably my grandfather, many years ago.

27. What was the name of your first pet?

Hamsu :) She (actually I can't remember gender for sure) was the most beautiful guinea pig that ever existed.

28. If your life was a tv show or movie, which one would it be?

Hmm, years ago I would have said Cyrano de Bergerac or Casablanca. Maybe now I go with Legends of the Fall.

29. Where do you picture yourself in 10 years?

I don't. Sorry, I just have no idea.

30. If you just received one million dollars, you would..

Hmm, let's make it ten million dollars, ok? I would quit my job, travel a great deal (make huge trips that would last for years), attend various MMA shows around the world, buy a motorcycle and drive it through continents, move somewhere near the nature & warmer climate and so on.

Nature of memories

Why do we seem to value such memories that we have shared with someone much more than non-shared memories?

That was a question that was circling in my mind sometime ago. Most of my memories that come and go are reflections about moments that I shared with people. Does that mean that those moments were "better" than the ones that I spent alone? No, to find answer to the question we must understand the nature of memories. Why do we have memories in the first place? If we have truly enjoyed the moment in its fullness, what's the purpose of the memory of it? By having a memory, aren't we trying to catch part of that present moment? Isn't that the same reason why we take photos, write diaries and so on?

It seems that all memories, which appear in mind, raise feelings inside us - pleasant or non-pleasant. Memories itself are not pleasant or non-pleasant though, such classification comes from the present viewer. So why do those type of memories rise feelings? There are lots of reasons. One of the most common is the desire to re-experience that moment which memory is based on. To get that same enjoyment & pleasure to present moment that was there once. To once again share a moment with the person one was attached to. That's the desire for continuity, in all things that mind finds pleasant. Then there is the idea that everything was once better in the past and one just wants to escape present into sweet memories. Those memories that haunt us, that we try to avoid thinking at all cost are no different than the pleasant ones. Opposite always includes its opposite - therefore that which was once observed as pleasant changes to painful when it's lost.

Mind likes to categorize things, to give them value, to compare them with other things, to label some as special and some as non-special - all that. Memories that have gave most satisfaction to ego, to mind, are marked as most valuable. Naturally same goes vice versa: memories that have hurt ego the most, are marked as the most terrible ones. This is not a static structure
but ever changing.

And no, memories do not haunt me. In the past they were all huge entertainment (& nightmare) for me but I have seen them in new light already for years now. It's like reading an old, friendly book, where hero's adventures seem familiar for some strange reason :)