With so many new beginnings, it was a turbulent year.
All I can hope for is that 2018 will be a year where things start to settle down, and all those new beginnings start to bear fruit, no matter how small.
The GOP needs him to pass the tax cut bill. So they will keep him around until the bill is signed. And then, they are going to talk about impeaching him. He will then resign. The GOP will then say they are satisfied with the resignation, and call off the special counsel.
That way, everyone gets their tax cuts (some more than others), and no one goes to jail.
Just my own thoughts on what's going to happen. But it won't be happening before Christmas, so for those expecting a Christmas miracle, I think they will be disappointed.
(Spoiler alert: do not read on if you have not watched The Last Jedi)
So who is Snoke? Is Snoke really dead? At first, when Kylo Ren killed Snoke in The Last Jedi, I thought it was quite weird too. I mean, Snoke is supposed to be the main villain, and he dies in Episode 8? Then who is going to be the bad guy in Episode 9? But watching the above video, I think he may not be dead after all.
Here is what I think.
Snoke is actually the person who created the Jedi in the first place. And he also created the Sith to balance the Jedi. This can be seen from the symbol, which is light and dark, a balance, like the yin-yang symbol. He may even be the one who brought about Anakin, and Rey, to bring balance to the force.
Like in the video, it could be that Kylo killed a Force projection of Snoke instead of the actual Snoke. I mean, Luke can do a Force projection, so Snoke, who is powerful enough to use the Force to link up Kylo and Rey, must be able to do it too. In fact, he might even have anticipated Kylo betraying him (after all, that's what Siths are supposed to do... the apprentice kills the master to become the next master). That might have been what he meant in Episode 7 about "it is time to complete his (Kylo's) training."
Also, Episodes 7 and 8, seem to have some mirror-like link to Episodes 4 and 5. Since Emperor Palpatine only died in Episode 6, I think it is safe to assume Snoke, who seems to be Palpatine's equivalent in this trilogy, should only die in Episode 9.
Back to Snoke being the one who created both Jedi and Sith. With Palpatine and Vader both gone after Episode 6, there is an imbalance in the Force, with only Jedi (Luke) remaining. That may be why Snoke came back, to bring the Dark side back so as to balance the Light by corrupting Kylo. But at the same time, to maintain that balance, he made sure to create Rey as Kylo's counterpart.
So maybe, Snoke will return in Episode 9 to show everyone his role as the creator, who helps to maintain a balance in the Force. He is neither good nor evil; he trains whoever is weaker to help balance the stronger. He brought in Rey to make sure she confronts Kylo and grows stronger in the process. Episode 9 will likely be about how that balance is maintained, with the Resistance having to grow stronger, together with Rey, to balance the might of the First Order. I think we may see Rey and Kylo going their own ways at the end of Episode 9, each to further grow the Light and Dark sides respectively to maintain that balance. And Snoke will then go into the shadows, once a balance has been struck.
What will it actually be? We will all know in 2019!
Okay, not going to talk a lot about this since many have yet to watch it. I watched Star Wars: The Last Jedi yesterday when it opened in the theaters here.
It is a stunningly well made movie with great effects (what else can you expect from ILM?), although at two and a half hours, it is a bit long, with the pace of the movie slowing down quite a bit at some points. Still, a wonderful movie for Star Wars fans.
Like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there were many scenes which basically reenacted scenes from Episodes 4 to 6. I won't talk about which scenes; that would be giving spoilers. It gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, it is honoring the past episodes by reenacting them, saying that they are masterpieces worthy of being copied and hard to surpass. On the other hand, there is always the hope that sequels will bring in something new, instead of reusing the old success formula.
The balance in the Force, between Light and Dark. That seems to be the underlying theme in 7 and 8. Still, we have to wait for Episode 9 before we know what this trilogy is really about. Meanwhile, fans can look forward to the next movie on Han Solo.
My ASUS G550 has been given a new lease on life with a SSD and the following Linux command: dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/sdc bs=64K conv=noerror,sync status=progress
The old HDD has been removed, the new SSD placed in, and everything seems to be working fine. Next is to delete the stuff on the old HDD and use it as a portable external disk.
The media is going to cover news. But the truth is, there isn't really a lot to cover; good things take time to happen. So the way to get media coverage is to create your own stories for the media to pick up. Talk and talk, and the media will be forced to check and check, and point out what is not true. But the effect is, you get air time. Whether they are showing the fake stuff being said, or pointing out the fake stuff, the end result is the fake stuff gets shown on TV, gets printed in the news.
And that's what is important. Because once something gets covered by the media, it reaches a wider audience. Bad buzz is better than no buzz. And sometimes, even the worst of buzz can get the right supporters if it reaches the right audience. And the media offers that kind of reach. It is the media that is inadvertently helping to spread that support.
The simple way to deal with a liar seeking attention is this. When he tells the truth, print it on the front page. When he does something that benefits people, print it on the front page. When he tells lies, print them in a small corner hidden deep in the papers. Just say "he said this, but the truth is this." Short and simple. Call him out, but don't go after him. Because going after him gives him more coverage than he deserves.
How hard can it be to pay proper respect to the people who died serving their country? How can he even get it wrong? These are people who fought in the war for their country. That guy can't be fifty; he served in a war that took place more than 70 years ago. And don't imply they are only worth alive while you are the President.
She is supposed to be fighting for the rights of women. But amid all these recent events about politicians and sexual harassment, she has only spoke up on the issue once, at the very beginning, and has gone silent ever since.
I guess making sure she receives her inheritance is more important to her than making sure women receives their rights.
Coupled with tweets showing the wall prototypes being built, pushing the GOP to pass the tax cuts, pulling out from the Paris Accord, release national monuments in Utah back for development, and all the other stuff, I think he is just trying to save his skin.
Trying to show people that he can get things down, so that they will continue to keep him in office instead of removing him over the controversy. I mean, look at the news. He is so shrouded in controversy, the only way to get people away from him is to keep dividing the people. As long as people are divided, they cannot get together to oust him out. And that seems to be his strategy, if he even has one.
Who will have the moral strength to do the right thing?
I dreamt I was retaking my GCE 'O' Levels at this ripe age, passed it, and got posted to a JC (not the one I actually attended). Given that I didn't have a school uniform, I had to make one (some weird design, blue on top and white below). Before reporting to the JC, I bumped into an ex-classmate. Seemed like she retook her exams at this ripe age too, but even though she passed, she chose not to go to a school. She decided to go on with life to do what she wants.
Then I went to the JC, there was some orientation talk at the lecture theatre, but I did not go in. Wandered around. Then I called my mother, told her I am not attending the school, and walked out.
Every time I read his tweets, I only shake my head more and more.
There has never been a leader more divisive.
And it is now time to end this nonsense.
The way to do this is to downplay the party line. In fact, do not even let it seem like it is a face off between the two parties. Appeal to the good senses of the people elected by the people to do the right thing for the people. Appeal to them to ask themselves: is this the person they really want to be representing them on the global stage?
Look into our hearts. We all know what it is. Vote with your heart, not with your party. Because this is no longer about party policy. It is about a person who does not care about his party in the first place, doing things against his own party, openly going against his own party, openly criticizing his own party. The party owes him nothing. The party owes it to the people, and to the party, to do the right thing, before things get even worse.
It is not about which party is in power. It is about doing good for the people.
Obama's administration was shrouded with the question about his birth, created by the very vocal Donald Trump. But Obama had his birth certificate to prove the allegations to be false. Of course, when you have truth on your side, you don't really need to worry.
Now, Trump's own administration is shrouded in controversy, with the allegations of collusion with Russia. Some would call it karma. And like Obama, the only way to push away those allegations is with the truth. I just hope he has the truth on his side.
Because the truth will eventually come to light. And the longer you keep the truth hidden, the bigger the impact when it comes to light.
Sometimes, it is better to cut losses... but that's probably not going to be easy for someone who only admits defeat when he goes bankrupt.
As he circles around, watching.
Rounding them up, one by one.
The prey knows the predator is looking. The predator is waiting. The predator is slowly making his move. But the prey doesn't know when he will strike. And that strikes fear.
Please leave a comment if you are interested in commissioning a piece of calligraphy or want to purchase any of the calligraphy works I have posted on this blog.
