I never knew whether feelings were controllable.  All I ever know is that there is always a voice in the back of my head and somehow it persuades me feel a certain way about things.

I’ve just realized that little voice is always the voice of Big Em.  And it’s horrible because she is one of the angriest person I know.

I need to find a different voice.  The voice of a calm, rational person.  A voice that would always tell me everything is okay, there is no need to get defensive, the world is not out to get me.

I want the voice of a smart eight-year-old.  Or Arale the cyborg.

“The User Illusion” talks about the existence of both the consciousness and the unconsciousness within us.  It reminds me of “Blink”.  The author uses a lot of dichotomies: I and Me, within and without… it’s actually not as pleasant a read, and in fact gets repetitive and irritating after a while, but it’s definitely enligtening in some ways.  The thesis of the book is really that we take in a lot more information from around us than we’re aware of; much of it seeps in through our unconsciousness and affects us in the way we think and act.  And in turn many of our actions are carried out without a lot of conscious thought put into it.  It’s one big unconscious cycle, and life is more fun this way.

So it’s a lot like “Blink”.  But more wordy.  And by the end of the book I’ve lost sight of how the first hundred pages connect with the main thesis, even though the author keeps referring to the individuals mentioned in those first hundred pages.  I call a flow-of-argument-fail with regards to this.

It bugs me whenever I tell people I’ve watched a movie or read a book, and one of their first questions is “What was your favourite part?”  Sometimes it bugs me because it’s hard enough determining whether I like something, let alone identifying one single part that I like the most.  Sometimes it bugs me because there are parts that stick out and I remember them whenever I think of the book or movie, but I don’t necessarily even like those parts.  Most of the time it bugs me because I tend to see a book or a movie as a whole and it doesn’t make sense for me to like or dislike parts of it in particular.  I don’t blame people for asking this question.  I blame elementary school teachers.  It may have even begun in kindergarten, but right from when we were wee-lings we were always asked in class which was our favourite part of some story.  Everyone knows it’s to test whether we have done our homework or whether we have been paying attention.  The question isn’t asking what it’s asking.  And the question is pointless when it’s asked by the chum sitting beside you in the theatre.

Ever notice how you always look different in pictures, than from how you look in the mirror?  You always look more flattering in the mirror.

And ever notice how your voice sounds different coming out of your mouth, than from how your voice sounds in recordings?  It sounds more pleasant coming out of your mouth.

Does anybody else think there may be some sort of conspiracy going on here?!

I didn’t think I’d like Revolutionary Road, and honestly I still can’t say I really like this movie, but its theme really hit home.  Not for me personally, but I see it everywhere around me.  It disturbs me immensely really.  I still wonder whether it’s possible to consciously control your feelings the way Stephen R. Covey describes it, but I do believe people can learn to look at things from different perspectives, which would automatically cause them to feel differently about things.  It’s a simple concept, but difficult to realize and practice.  That’s why sometimes it’s a good idea to tell others about your problems, to get a different perspective on things.  Someone like me.

Please send me all your questions and concerns, attention to “Dear Holly”.  I will reply in the order of time received and/or entertainment value, whichever I think is more appropriate.

I like to read long URLs and try to figure out what it says.

Like this: http://radionewrave.blogspot.com/

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