Nana

Feeling bored last night, I scoured the internet for some amusement. First I went to Moorewatch, an anti-Michael Moore website that was mentioned in Sicko. I must say, this is a fascinating case in point of two people who sticks to the principles of things. One guy, who watches Moore's every move and criticizes him with zeal has apparently had some financial troubles and was likely to have to shut down his site because of it. Michael Moore sends him some money via anonymous donation. However later on, he tells the guy that he's the one who sent the money and the guy graciously thanks him of course and then with the new cash in hand, he proceeds to run his website bashing Michael Moore anyway. He's got a lot of enraged letters since, asking him how he could do it, but I think he's got a point that, the whole reason Moore sent him money in the first place is so that he could continue to exercise his right to free speech. Money shouldn't shut his mouth and put an end to it. From a principles standpoint, I can see why he does it. From a humanistic standpoint, I confess that it is difficult to comprehend. A guy takes another guy's money and then continues to badmouth him anyway. It's what it boils down to. I wonder if, despite all his principles, he will lose steam eventually.

Anyway, I began this post intending to talk about a Japanese film that I got hooked onto. It's called Nana and it's about two girls who are the same age and with the same name. They became friends under very coincidental occurences and though the two are as different as cats and dogs, somehow they become bonded through shared pain and mutual goodwill. I really liked the film because it is a simple one, but made with some heart. One girl is infectiously cheerful and bounds around like an eager puppy, hence her roommate calls her "Hachi" affectionately - apparently meaning "Doggie." The other one is cool, a bit insolent, very prideful but a decent girl all in all. She's one of those people who smolders under a surface of apparent calm, like a volcanoe, made all the more apt by her constant puffing on cigarettes.

I can't help but think that my roommate and I are somewhat similar to these two girls. Instead of having the same name though, we have the same or very same birthday and ethnicity. Yet we are very different animals, she and I. I think I am more girly than her, but she is more friendly than me. Still, I think as different as we are, we can still form a good understanding between us, at least, it's a work in progress.