Peter Petrelli, Patriotism and Parachutes
I went to Kampala a few days ago (great city but if you actually believe they are ready for CHOGM I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I'd like to sell to you)My friend, in the course of outlining the weekend plans, muttered something about bungee jumping.
"What?"
"We are going bungee jumping in Jinja tomorrow" he said.
I thought No-HELL no. The day I tie my legs together and jump off a cliff for fun is the day we will all be ducking flying pigs and if you try and make me....well, you had better know Jesus. Personally.
And oddly enough I thought of Peter Petrelli.
Most of you reading this blog will probably know Peter Petrelli from the celebral TV show Heroes as the guy who speaks out of one side of his face and virtually reinvents intensity. Oh and he also has dreams that he can fly in the first episode so what does he do to put this to the test? He jumps off the highest building he can find. I've rarely wanted to slap a TV character so much as when I saw Peter standing on that building. I wanted to shout at the screen "You forgot your parachute dummy"
But that scene-and the scenes with Hiro the Japanese time traveller- made me realize something about many of Heroes characters and it is something that gives the show extra depth. The thing is, so many of these characters are basically children in an adult's body and Peter's attempt to jump off a building is the perfect epitome of that as is Hiro's quest to save the world. Sylar (one of the most chilling characters in TV history)is quite similar although for him this takes him on a much darker path. Heroes made a lot more sense when I saw the characters as children. Infact its a bit amusing that the youngest cast members (Claire and Micah) are potrayed as more adult than the adults themselves.
So how did I get from bungee jumping to Peter Petrelli? My friends, you ask too many questions but as a famous Maths professor said after seeing his mathematical equation challenged and then going back to work on it "Yes I was right...it is obvious"
****
We had the Miss Kigali contest the other day and aside from the fact that most of the contestants appeared to be a bit thick, it was intriguing.
However it did make me realize something about Rwandans-they wouldnt know a good time if it slapped them in the face, said something offensive about their mothers and then run off with their wallets. Julianna Kanyomozi came on and gave a storming performance but the entire room was deathly still. She would have got a more animated response if she had performed at the City mortuary. I know the Government has a lot of big plans for this country but really they could do worse than start by teaching people how to have a good time and loosen up once in a while. It's not going to kill them.
Unless they go bungee jumping of course.
****
Oh Jack-poor Jack where did it all go wrong?
I think few characters on TV have suffered as much as poor Jack Bauer. He's like a modern day Sissyphus pushing the stone up and then watching it roll down again as another round of baddies show up and mess up his day. He's lost his wife, become estranged from his (very annoying) daughter, been tortured, shot at a million times, ransomed, imprisoned, hunted down and for what? For the stars and stripes. For Good old US of A.
I guess one thing 24 does make you think about is-how far would you go for your country? It is a fascinating thought. How much would you be prepared to risk or give up? Would you feel it was worth it in the end? How do you give up comfort and the fuzzy warmth of every day life to defend the more abstract concept of the nation? For most of the series, Jack appears to be operating on auto-pilot and I think that's probably a more realistic way of looking at things. If Jack sat down and really thought about it, he would spend the rest of his life becoming intimately acquainted with a padded-cell environment. Infact I see 24 as one man's struggle to stay one step ahead of insanity.
"What?"
"We are going bungee jumping in Jinja tomorrow" he said.
I thought No-HELL no. The day I tie my legs together and jump off a cliff for fun is the day we will all be ducking flying pigs and if you try and make me....well, you had better know Jesus. Personally.
And oddly enough I thought of Peter Petrelli.
Most of you reading this blog will probably know Peter Petrelli from the celebral TV show Heroes as the guy who speaks out of one side of his face and virtually reinvents intensity. Oh and he also has dreams that he can fly in the first episode so what does he do to put this to the test? He jumps off the highest building he can find. I've rarely wanted to slap a TV character so much as when I saw Peter standing on that building. I wanted to shout at the screen "You forgot your parachute dummy"
But that scene-and the scenes with Hiro the Japanese time traveller- made me realize something about many of Heroes characters and it is something that gives the show extra depth. The thing is, so many of these characters are basically children in an adult's body and Peter's attempt to jump off a building is the perfect epitome of that as is Hiro's quest to save the world. Sylar (one of the most chilling characters in TV history)is quite similar although for him this takes him on a much darker path. Heroes made a lot more sense when I saw the characters as children. Infact its a bit amusing that the youngest cast members (Claire and Micah) are potrayed as more adult than the adults themselves.
So how did I get from bungee jumping to Peter Petrelli? My friends, you ask too many questions but as a famous Maths professor said after seeing his mathematical equation challenged and then going back to work on it "Yes I was right...it is obvious"
****
We had the Miss Kigali contest the other day and aside from the fact that most of the contestants appeared to be a bit thick, it was intriguing.
However it did make me realize something about Rwandans-they wouldnt know a good time if it slapped them in the face, said something offensive about their mothers and then run off with their wallets. Julianna Kanyomozi came on and gave a storming performance but the entire room was deathly still. She would have got a more animated response if she had performed at the City mortuary. I know the Government has a lot of big plans for this country but really they could do worse than start by teaching people how to have a good time and loosen up once in a while. It's not going to kill them.
Unless they go bungee jumping of course.
****
Oh Jack-poor Jack where did it all go wrong?
I think few characters on TV have suffered as much as poor Jack Bauer. He's like a modern day Sissyphus pushing the stone up and then watching it roll down again as another round of baddies show up and mess up his day. He's lost his wife, become estranged from his (very annoying) daughter, been tortured, shot at a million times, ransomed, imprisoned, hunted down and for what? For the stars and stripes. For Good old US of A.
I guess one thing 24 does make you think about is-how far would you go for your country? It is a fascinating thought. How much would you be prepared to risk or give up? Would you feel it was worth it in the end? How do you give up comfort and the fuzzy warmth of every day life to defend the more abstract concept of the nation? For most of the series, Jack appears to be operating on auto-pilot and I think that's probably a more realistic way of looking at things. If Jack sat down and really thought about it, he would spend the rest of his life becoming intimately acquainted with a padded-cell environment. Infact I see 24 as one man's struggle to stay one step ahead of insanity.
posted by Minzo at 3:53 AM
2 Comments:
I really enjoy reading about your adventures around East Africa... Please tell us if you did the bungee jump...?
Minega, we are trully ready for CHOGM! Ofcourse apart from a few instances..Actually you should be proud because The Republic Of Rwanda WILL also benefit from this meeting..Read EXPORTS..u know what i mean bro!!
Anonymous, about the bungee jump, we never made it, Minega chickened out and i couldnt go coz i was doing it for him.. May be that very nyt we never slept. We went to the Silk Lounge and its the sun that sent us packing. Note: We were with Isaac.
Ezie
Post a Comment
<< Home