Third Eye Observations

I liked this word Yûgen the moment I stumbled into it.

Yūgen is a Japanese word pertaining to ‘a profound awareness of the universe which evokes feelings that are inexplicably deep and too mysterious for words.’

Want to get a quick fix and feel for this word ? See a good space documentary, in HD, on a wide screen TV.

Even better, go to the nearest planetarium and watch some shows there. (J and I were were happily reeling after watching ‘HUBBLE 3D’ on IMAX)

Watch a clear sunset after to really rub it in.

I get this fix from reading some good sci-fi. Because good sci-fi is no just about cool future tech but opening your mind to new possibilities of human conduct and living. For example before I read ‘The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia‘ I always thought Anarchy, defined as an absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual was totally for the loonies only. But after reading that book and many many Culture Novels by Banks I am now a believer.

This is one of the true gifts of good sci-fi. It shows you the world and the rules you live in is not preordained but one among many possibilities. The Foundation Series by Asimov, that I read in my early teens blew my young mind into the next star system.

The Culture Series by Ian Banks absolutely screwed with my already fragile sense of this world we live in. Imperialism, Militarism and Democracy needs not be the permanent narrative. Was this even possible ? Yes. Banks shows you how that would turn out. Brilliantly. The best two books if you want this 2015 summer to be one where you deliberately read something that inspires YUGEN are :

Consider Phlebas
Player of Games

This current post is directly inspired by a long article I read today, a brilliant primer on THE CULTURE.

Read it to understand a little of both the world Ian builds and what Yugen tastes like.

I fully remember my first brush with Cider.

I was 29 and in Bristol on a project.
It was a chilled Magners in a tall broad glass with 4 ice cubes floating in it.
I was in a pub that had some with outdoor seating.
It was a weekend and  I was with some colleagues from work.

4 years of a pointless hotel management degree where they all they taught you was how to manage a hotel in 1965 India in case you invented a time machine and REALLY were keen on extracting some value from the degree.
They never ever ever mentioned the existence of Cider as a drink that humanity has invented, when this drink could have BEEN the whole point of progress by humanity.

Back at the pub I thought “This sounds interesting…..WHY NOT !?!?!” (95% of everything GOOD that has happened to me started off with these 5 sentences, as did 66% of everything horrible)

I sipped some of the drink.
My eyes popped.
I sipped some more of the drink.
My skin tingled in a tingly way
I sipped even more of the drink.
My brain did happy somersaults.

I just could not believe I had been denied THIS MAGICAL LIQUID for 29 years of my time on Earth!

That was the moment when I became a lifetime fan of this amazing country. The British have done a lot of wrong in an to my country of birth but goddamn it they redeem themselves well.

I purchased a very tattered copy of this book in some forgotten book store years ago. I liked the burp. Finally in feb this year I dived in. What a complete treat.

This unassuming old book won the 1982 National Book Award for Non-fiction and a Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The last time I read such a good book on interpersonal dynamics was The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam. That one is easily one of the twenty best books I ever read. EVER.

This book, a true story, opens with a turf war between two computer design groups within Data General Corporation, a minicomputer vendor in the 1970s and then goes on to describe how the underdogs worked like daemons and delivered a machine no one confidently thought they could. Including the team at various many low points in the project.

Although the book talks about building a computer in 1978, it at heart is a really good primer on what organizational turfs and politics means and how the politics is the invisible presence in almost all interaction between key players and their plans. Any of you who works in a matrix organization or in a white collar job will appreciate the book that much more.
As a project manager I loved how the team approached this almost impossible task and tacked it. VERY good lessons the PMP training will not touch upon so full ROI if read by someone who manages complex projects for a living.

The Soul of a New Machine should be on the syllabus of all MBA courses, esp the more useless ones in third world countries since it adds immense value to understanding OB. Long tracts of it are necessarily dry and explanatory but then they needed to be in order for the reader to have more than a surface level view of what was at stake. The writer really immerses himself in the story and his character analysis is the part I found the most absorbing.

The Soul of a New Machine also cemented me an important lesson I am going to carry and pass on : The Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction winners are almost consistently amazing books. Something I cannot confidently vouch for about other book awards. I read another winner, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (a historical look at the way in which Al-Qaeda came into being, the background for various terrorist attacks and how they were investigated, and the events that led to the September 11 attacks) and it was also one of the BEST books I have ever read in the General Non-Fiction genre. Ever. In 2012 I really really relished ‘Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945’ by Tony Judt, which was nominated but did not win. Such a great primer on European 20th century history.

Read all three in the coming decade and you will NOT be disappointed with any of them.

My guess is most of our deeply felt cultural nostalgia for a bygone age of perceived quality of and in a medium is nothing but a historical lack of real options due to limited competition and resources, which the then young audience, now aged, naively convince themselves of the laughable and pitiful notion that what they were then consuming was the apogee of the medium.

This partly sneering reaction occurs in me every time I hear an aged critic wax eloquent about a movie or a book from a that bygone age of thin completion and even thinner real options and stamp their product as the pinnacle of the medium, invariable lamenting that it has been a downward spiral ever since into the current swamp.

A typical TEN BEST EVER list (of books, cinema) from anyone aged over 40 will prove this above hypothesis quite effortlessly.

http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1578073,00.html

http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/ten-greatest-films-of-all-time

Read this blog post and you will get 6 good tips that I guarantee will enhance the quality and texture of 2014 for you. Two will take some time (open book, read), 2 will take little time (click on movie file, watch) and 2 will take no time at all (open mouth, insert)

Some quick background exposition first: In January, among the goals I had set out for myself this year, two are worth mentioning for the purposes of this essay.

1# See 100 movies by year end

2# Read 36 books by year end

So far, thanks to the travel that has been the one defining standout feature of this unforgettable year, it has been very difficult to carve out the uninterrupted time blocks necessary to purse these above 2 demanding goals as piously as I would have wanted to. Alas, so far, 2/3 of the year is over and I have only finished 1/3rd of the first goal and only half of the second.  But in pursuing such goals you understand what the wise meant when they reminded us that “The journey is the reward”.

A few of the books I read this year have been a tad disappointing. None of the movies though. This is because there are such good universal filters on the latter (movies). More people engage with movies than with books and so more reviews and feedback is available, Goodreads notwithstanding.

From the 18 books I have managed to read I am going to recommend 2 that are really worth your time.

From the 35 movies I have managed to see I am going to recommend 2 that are outright genius works of art from 24 carat auteurs.

From the many many many interesting dishes I have eaten with great relish this year, I am going to recommend 2 that I think you should seek out and ingest.

At the end of the year I will review books and movies  like I always do but I cannot wait to share these 6 gems NOW versus December.  I promise to keep my gushing succinct. You are busy. We know. (We all are by the way. It is not a boast. Re-examine your priorities when you are unbusy next)…anyhoo….

2 Movies you just should see immediately:

1. THE ACT OF KILLING
2. INCENDIES

2 Books you just should read as soon as possible:

1. The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty by G.J. Meyer
2. The Whisperers by Orlando Figes

2 dishes you should try:

1. Pho
2. Pintxos

Reasons for endorsing these 6 gems :

THE ACT OF KILLING – This stunning documentary, unlike anything I have ever seen before it, is about the Indonesian killings of 1965–66. It is soooooo surreal you will be in a daze for days afterwards. It has some scenes that make you really really examine what being a human being and having empathy really IS and is NOT. Something we may have forgotten living our busy lives in the cities we are parked in.

INCENDIES – This is a 2010 Canadian mystery drama film. It follows the journey of twin brother and sister as they attempt to unravel the mystery of their mother’s life, the woman who brought them into the world, discovering a tragic fate as well as the courage of an exceptional woman. In 2011, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It did not win. It should have.

The Tudors : This book is a gripping, totally absorbing read about the Tudor era. 2 kings and 2 queens who influenced much of England and European history and showed just how crazy, random, callous and plain unbelievably brutal the late late medieval age was. A fantastic way to understand the period, the Christian schism, England and Europe. THE most interesting book I have read so far this year.

The Whisperers – This deeply moving and very depressing book I have reviewed separately, in a post. Drawing on a huge range of sources – letters, memoirs, conversations – Orlando Figes tells the story of how Russians tried to endure life under Stalin. It is a very good tome for understanding Russia, the early 19th century political dynamics and how just how banal, rotten and evil communism really was.

Now for the delicious parts of this essay : Two signature dishes you need to eat more of, whenever the opportunity presents itself, be it in the city you live in or when you travel next.

Pintxos – A pincho is a small snack, typically eaten in bars, traditional in northern Spain and especially popular in the Basque country. They are usually relished as a small snack while hanging out with friends. Or in my case with my lovely wife, in San Sebastian. Real Basque country. Served in cute individual portions, they’re called pinchos because many of them have a pincho (Spanish word for spike), typically a toothpick through them. We were in SanSab and we ONLY ever ate Pintxos for lunch and dinner. Every day!

Pho – This is a Vietnamese origin aromatic, nutritious and delicious rice noodle soup served with a side plate of fresh herbs to add as you please. Usually the meat in it is beef or chicken. I personally recommend thinly sliced beef strips if they give you a choice. Pho is a popular street food in Vietnam and the specialty of a number of restaurant chains around the world so you can get it in most cities. I was bored enough and intrigued enough to go to EVERY Vietnamese restaurant in Madrid, where I am based for a while now, and eating their signature Pho. NOT A SINGLE ONE was regrettable. So your odds are good wherever you are when you try this. This is difficult to mess up as a dish. And damn delicious to boot.

So there it is. 6 things you will not regret if you make the time for them.