Fast interweb

Finally, fast internet; what a wonderful thing.  My body is incredibly confused; I've gone through 10+ time zones, and I keep sleeping in small stints.  I think I've been awake for about 30 hours, but I really can't be sure of that anymore.  Last 'night' only lasted about 4 hours as I was in a plane moving eastwards at about 1000km/h, which was really odd.  I'm now chilling in the Montreal airport, am completely delirious, and am waiting for BK to stop serving breakfast.

Time travel

I'm sitting in the Vancouver airport right now, looking out onto the snowy mountains.  It took me a while to realize this, but I took two flights to get to Vancouver (which totaled about 19 hours of flying) and I  (technically) arrived here in Canada before I even left New Zealand.  It's strange to think that I jumped back an entire day when I crossed that invisible line resting in the Pacific.  I suppose we just use 'time' to measure things, so I never actually moved in time, as it's a constant that plods along at one second per second.  In the last four days or so I've had about 8 hours of sleep, but I'm not feeling all that tired for some reason; I'm thinking that when I go to bed at home I will sleep like a log for some time.  It's good to be back in Canada, though I miss NZ.  Robbie helped me move out of my flat, let me stay at his place for the night and drove me to the airport; very good dude.  Look for the guy 3ing crazy stuff at Washington park if you're ever in Christchurch.  Less than 24 hours until I'm home...

Keep your guard up

Last night I was a tv program that reminded me how the media can twist things to present a certain distorted view of things to the viewer.  The BBC reporter interviewing Philip Zimbardo (of the Stanford prison experiment) grabbed hold of Zimbardo's words and was attaching them to false conclusions and trying to mold his words into something completely  different.  The reporter was trying to somehow place blame for the humiliation/torture that took place at the Abu Ghraib prison.  No matter what Zimbardo said the reporter would try to twist his words; So these soldiers shouldn't be accountable for their actions?  So should you be accountable for their actions?  Is it the fault of the military?  As someone who has spent some time studying Zimbardo's work, it is extremely clear to me that he did nothing but present information about how institutions, roles and situations can affect anyone's behavior.  To the average viewer who may not be familiar with Zimbardo's experiments the reporter was certainly making it seem like Zimbardo somehow created a blue-print for the U.S. military to follow if they wanted their soldiers to behave in these 'unacceptable' ways.  He was trying to paint Zimbardo as some sort of evil genius who was in cahoots with the U.S. gov, while trying to create zombies lacking any sort of conscience.  Zimbardo is a scientist; simply trying to find out the truth, and present it to the world.  Take what you see on the news with a barrel of salt; you may be witnessing some major information manipulation.

Just a little different

What I plan/want to do with my life is a topic that comes up often when I meet new people.  For the last few weeks I was wondering what do I want to do with my life?  I knew that I wanted to do something 'useful' (something that pushes society forward/aids society's evolution), which was drawing me away from becoming a professor, and edging me closer to pursuing a career in law.  I was getting behind this idea more and more until out of nowhere (seemingly) I realized that being a professor (of philosophy, at that) could be an extremely 'useful' career.  I would be in a position to potentially open up the minds of thousands of young (and not-so-young) men and women.  It wasn't until I took first year critical thinking class with Neb Kujundzic that 'things' became clear to me.  I suddenly realized that I had been looking at things all wrong; what I thought were logical thought processes were actually pitiful bursts of 'logic diarrhea'.  Things began to fall into place; the fog that had been covering my eyes, unbeknownst to me, was lifted.  Philosophy can teach you an entirely different way of thinking, which is difficult to explain, but I know I've experienced it, and so have others (Steve, for example).  I could (potentially) help to open the eyes of my future students the way mine were prompted by my professors.  It turns out, that the profession I was headed towards all along is 'useful' beyond what I have dreamed.

Damn it

I've just found out that I probably won't be able to return to my student job with Veteran's Affairs Canada when I get home because of bureaucratic issues (not quite fulfilling their requirements; haven't gone to school since December).  Finding this out is a huge downer, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do.  If anyone is looking for an employee, I'll be home two weeks from today.

In less depressing news, I went to Abel Tasman National Park yesterday and saw Wainui Falls, which were incredibly beautiful.  The rain forests here are far more tropical than those down south, and are a completely different experience because of this.  To get there I had to walk for about three hours, stopping along the way to check out some of the beaches in Ligar Bay (there aren't any ligars there...).  I did get picked up by one guy on the way there, which was nice, and on my way back I got a drive almost the entire way from a Czech guy that barely spoke any english.

I had back to Christchurch tomorrow to ride and chill out for the rest of my time in NZ; if only I didn't have finding a job on my mind...

Hoi

I'm in Kaikoura at the moment, and am enjoying it so far.  Today I went whale watching and was treated to a show by two Sperm Whales, about 300 Dusky Dolphins, and a Fur Seal colony.  I met a girl from England right before the boat boarded, so I had a friend to share the day with.  This place is full of unreal views, and tonight while I was strolling along I got to see something I'd never seen before...A REAL LIVE HEDGEHOG!  He was waddling down the sidewalk not too far from my hostel.  I've seen a few dead ones here, but this was my first live one; what strange little animals.  I'm very stoked to head to Abel Tasman on Saturday; hoping to do some swimming on white beaches in crystal clear water.

Woah...

Somehow I managed to forget to post about my excursion to Doubtful Sound, which is incredible, as it was quite possibly the most amazing place on the face of the earth.

Let me start off by saying the Fiordland itself is an epic place, virtually beyond description.  One has to experience it in order to understand how unimaginably beautiful it is.  To get to Doubtful Sound from Queenstown I had to take a bus, then transfer to another bus, then take a boat across Lake Manapouri to the hydro power station at the other side.  From there I took another bus over Wilmot pass and down to Deep Cove.  I boarded the boat there and began my day journey around Doubtful Sound.  It was a sunny day, which is extremely rare as seven out of ten days in Fiordland are rainy.  The place is amazing; from the black water, to the snow peaked cliffs.  Near the opening to the Tasman Sea there is a massive island known as Secretary Island.  It is a reserve that represents how New Zealand was before any human beings had stepped foot here (even the natives).  The Island is covered in thousand year old trees, and indigenous birds such as the kiwi and takahe.  Conservationists have removed all introduced pests such as possums, stoats, and deer in order to create an environment that reflects how New Zealand once was. 

 Another remarkable part of the cruise was when we went down into Hall's Arm (a branch off of the fiord, or fjord) and they turned the engine of the boat off.  Everyone stood silent and there was utter stillness and silence over the sound, except for bird calls and waterfalls.  It immediately reminded me of a night last November in Fort Amherst during which I experience silence (outdoors) like I have never experienced before.  I can't wait until this fall/winter to try to replicate the experience.

If you have any interest to immerse yourself in the extremely dense and beautiful temperate rain forest of New Zealand, and to experience views like no others, I cannot recommend more strongly that you go to Doubtful Sound.

Good times

Ahoy,

It's been a minute since I've updated, but I've been busy/lazy.  My last few days in Queenstown were great; I spent most of the time bumming around with Helen and Cassie, two English girls that I met at the hostel.  We went out on Wednesday night and hit up The World Bar; it was a great time.  I think I danced with ten different countries...  The bus ride back to Chch was long, and uncomfortable, but I made it in one piece.  A friend of mine, Sam, is opening a bmx/skate shop here in Chch on Tuesday, so I headed over there right after I got back from Queenstown and helped (a tiny bit) with painting.  The place looks great, and is going to be awesome for the bmx community to have.  Yesterday I just chilled.  I finished all the books I have with me, so I hit up Borders (NZ version of Chapters/Indigo/Barnes&Noble) and did a little book shopping.  I know libraries are great for casual reading, but I find that I really like to own the books I'm reading.  Not only will I have them down the line if I feel like referencing them or reading them again, but I also have the option of reading them at my own pace; whether that be all in two days, or over a period of years.  I picked up another Nietzsche flick, and A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.  I've been meaning to read more Huxley, but somehow managed to flip-flop around it for some time now. 

I'm going to head out riding soon, I believe, then perhaps find myself a cafe in which I can sip a cap and read.  Cheers people; three weeks and I'm home.

Takahe

Long day today, but great nonetheless.  I was up long before the sun to catch a bus to Te Anau.  I waited around there for a while before I took a catamaran through lake Te Anau to the glow worm caves.  I didn't get any pics of the cave (no photography or videos allowed), but it was incredible.  Once you make your way along the small walkway (hunching over quite a bit at the beginning - only about a meter high), you're in a place that looks fake because it's so amazing.  Water is rushing beneath you, and a few lights light up the cave here and there.  The further you go along, the more tiny glowing dots you notice on the 'ceiling' of the cave.  Once you pass a thunderously loud water fall there is no talking allow.  Everyone (well, a group of six) silently makes their way on to a tiny 'boat' and then all lights are turned out.  The guide then pulls the boat through the water using a rope attached to the cave wall; at this point it's completely black - you can't even see your hand in front of your face).  Once you make it around a bend and your eyes begin to adjust, you are treated to thousands upon thousands of tiny glowing dots on the cave walls and ceiling.  As the water is almost perfectly still, and there is virtually no sound it's like moving under a night sky that is only a meter or two away at most.  The worms glow reflects off the still water (thought it's still pitch black) and gives a sensation beyond words.  The day was long, filled with old people and sleeping on an uncomfortable bus, but it was worth it for that 10 minutes beneath those lights.  They were without a doubt one of the most amazing  natural things I've ever witnessed.