To live, to truly live,
To communicate across great distances,
To embrace the new rather than fear it
To gently mix what is new with what is timeless
To make life wonderful without counting the cost
To learn, copiously and instantly
This to me is the internet

I wish I were more generous, as generous as I was when I was a child.

And more fascinated with spiritual things.

And more physically fit.

Sometimes I think about how in a hundred years time there will be no-one who remembers me -- even my descendants will not know my name, and even if they did, what is a name but two or three words? I do not know even the names of my ancestors from a hundred years ago, the early 1900s, 1800s, 1700s, 1600s -- the memory of them is completely lost.

And yet this does not seem to me a problem that needs fixing. We enter, we grow and move about, we depart. To desire an immortal memory -- that is unnatural and unneeded; those who have made an attempt at best preserve a name and a few tales of their deeds, that is all. An entry in an encyclopedia, but they themselves are no longer on earth.

So the question becomes, how best to "grow and move about". One could make no special effort and still experience the joys and pains of life -- connection, autonomy, play, physical well-being, and their lack. That is a life lived, but what is a life well lived? We can rule out riches and fame -- a life well lived can be chosen by people without these things. Is it character and principles? Is it changing the world, or at least attempting to do so? Is it deep love for one person, or for one's family? Is it the intersection of physical, spiritual, mental, socioemotional? Is it personal growth?

I think of that movie March of the Penguins -- these animals too enter life, grow and move about, then leave this life (often prematurely). What does it mean for such an animal to live life "well"? Continuing the species obviously. That is not an inspiring vision to me (especially as I am not married). And yet the movie is an inspiring one. Why, and when? It is when one animal caresfor another -- cherishing their mate, cherishing their child, or huddling against the group to keep each other warm.

I suppose it is the same with us. A life well lived is one marked by the cherishing of others and mutual kindness.

Work too can be seen as mutual kindness -- in the micro sense of interaction with co-workers, and in the macro sense of what the group is trying to achieve. Mutual kindness, not competition. Unlike striving to stay on top of others, mutual kindness is doable.

night study Q

night study Q, originally uploaded by Jon_Aquino.

wire study x

wire study x, originally uploaded by Jon_Aquino.

17 February 2006

Dear Kathleen and Hannah:

Thankyou very much for giving me a tour of the school today. It was deeply emotional for me and brought back many memories. When I consider how things have changed -- the tiny library somehow expanded, the music room now king-size, the canopied walkway along the gym now incredibly an indoor hallway -- and how much has remained the same -- the taste of the water, the view of the field, the courtesy between people -- I was moved to think of how time passes and things change, which was for me both a sad and happy thought.

So thanks again for this chance to reconnect with the past (and perhaps, the future). I wish Hannah good luck on her early morning basketball game.

Nihil Magnum Nisi Bonum!

Jonathan Aquino

upcoming areas of focus: sleep, exercise, meditation

Voice of Fire

MWSnap 2006-02-07, 21_37_26, originally uploaded by Jon_Aquino.

Another compositional masterpiece by the artiste extraordinaire Jonathan Gilbert Aquino.

C1

Q1. "Do I truly love God above all, or do I sometimes give greater importance to things of this world: money, image, looks, clothes, popularity or selfish desires?"

 

For me a typical day is a bullet train from waking up until lying down, focused on work. I typically don't find myself focusing on spiritual things except perhaps during breaks in activity, such as meals (a quick prayer of thanks), or settling down for bed. I would like to create more of these "spaces" where I can pause the activity and exist for a few moments. Of course the ideal would be to "exist" all the time, 24 hours a day, or at least while awake, but I find that just doesn't happen for me, at least not yet. Maybe if I wake up a little earlier (and go to bed a little earlier) I can find some space in the morning to slow down. Yesterday I hit the sack at 1; today it's looking like 12:30 -- eventually I'd like to get it down to 11 and wake up at 7, but even 12 to 8 would do.

msn desktop search

I'm going with msn desktop search

yahoo was pretty good (based on x1 technology) but it doesn't index my
outlook tasks and notes

google desktop does, but for some reason it was consuming 250MB RAM

so it's msn desktop search for now - and I must say it's pretty slick.

Coding practices I get stressed about

- duplicate code
- eating exceptions