May 11, 2010

Surfeit Sputum

How many times has it happened that as you were enjoying a beautiful day someone just spat right in front of you?!


Sadly, this disgusting habit has been increasing, especially among children and adolescents. The lack of any specific rules or laws specifically prohibiting this in the United States and other less civilized parts of the world is party to blame, however the rest comes from a lack of proper education and sense of hygiene. 

Many viral diseases such as the Common Cold or Tuberculosis are transmissible through saliva and mucus, so why should we be exposed to your bodily fluids. Imagine for a second people would start urinating on the streets on a regular basis. Even though urine is very much sterile I believe the popular outcry would not take too long to generate a ban on this act.

So if you find yourself among this category of misbehaving spitters please STOP now! There is absolutely no medical or social reason that would require such an abhorrent act to be permitted. Saliva has an important biological role so spitting it out only worsens your bad breath and dehydrates your mouth and esophagus.

If you are sick and feel the need to eliminate mucus please buy some tissues!

If you are a smoker and dislike the aftertaste, stop smoking or wash your mouth with a strong mouthwash every time you feel the need to spit. 

If you have halitosis or constant bad breath, buy some gum (also a no-no when it comes to spitting) or some dissolving fresh breath strips.

If you just do it for fun, there is no hope for you besides self-education and restraint. Remember the street is a public space and therefore is owned by everyone. How would you feel if I came into your house and spat all over your carpet?!

Close To Perfection

Existence. Ephemeral and Ineffable.
Sometimes awful things have their own kind of beauty.

Having just seen Tom Ford's "A Single Man" has me pondering life's meaning again and I ask myself now, is there a universally distinct human purpose or is our sole animus a preparation for our inexorable destination?!


Exactly what fueled the creation of this blog was my wish of presenting the world and its objects, through their physicality, as being an anchor to all of us, against the flow of time and feelings. Many a poets, directors and other wielders of the fire of creation have ruminated over our irresolute and wayward lives with no avail, and I am certainly not one to claim to have an answer. Purposeful or purposeless, I enjoy the present, fondly remember the past and sometimes think of my future, but at all times I am anchored by my body, my feelings, my friends and my possessions. They are the ones who always remind me of my present physicality and it is they who give my life meaning until the final curtain falls.

In this post I would like to look at one of the things I enjoy doing most in life and that is observing beauty in all forms and shapes. Given that I just mentioned Tom Ford's recent movie I would like to praise everything from cinematography to set design, costumes to actors and their acting and dialogue to music. Nothing is superfluous under Tom Ford's vision and the timing for everything is beyond perfection. I would almost go ahead and call this a work of art but my lack of cinematographical education prompts me not to.

Nicholas Hoult, modelling for Tom Ford
Beauty in its physical human form was embodied most by two characters: Kenny, one of George's (played by Colin Firth) students played by Nicholas Hoult and Carlos played by Internationally renowned model Jon Kortajarena.

Nicholas Hoult as Kenny, in "A Single Man", wearing a nice mohair sweater, featuring a curious boat-neck 
Jon Kortajarena, modelling for Tom Ford
Jon Kortajarena as Carlos, possibly doing a better James Dean than James Dean himself
Enjoy the following portfolio of Spanish Model Jon Kortajarena for the beauty that is channeled through him negates the possibility of a random and purposeless existence since such a world would have no need for it.