Originality

I write this in the post-event of completing the corporate video for my dad. In hindsight, I find that the job was not as tough as I had imagined it to be. Granted, it took some patience with, not one, but two unstable and inefficient laptops, as well as a good eye and ear for the corporate touch, but all-in-all, I was merely updating the video. I was given a week, and I made the best of it doing what I'm good at. I'd say it was a good job, and my "critics" agreed with me too.

But I despair over the inability to do more. Due to the time constraint I had to work with existing project files, when I wished I start from scratch. The new version, 3.1, looks quite similar to the old one, 2.3, but somehow a little more impressive. It is still too long, a little over ten minutes, but that can't be helped since we wanted to include everything. To me, that's its flaw - it lacks originality.

Come to think about it, very few things of this age and era of technology are original. Almost everything is an advancement or improvement of a previous, similar model. Everything seems to be merely an extra level on a foundation laid out millennia ago. No longer do we pay our dues to fabulous artworks by renowned artists, because they simply do not exist any more, simply because the spotlight has shifted to the cold and life-imitating discoveries and inventions of technology.

Eulogy must be paid to the marvels of culture. Art no longer has the same meaning as it had a century ago. No longer do we visit museums and art exhibitions in crowds to enjoy paintings. Books that made their way to the best-seller list rarely has the quality of a classic work of fiction. Songs nowadays are merely the vehicle of money for many "artists", and rarely give more than a fleeting expression of human emotions and experience. And films... don't get me started.

A few areas, however, do survive to bear witness to mankind's originality and creativity. Architecture is the new battlefield for the bold and the brave, where countries compete to produce amazing edifices and monoliths, each and every one of them a testament to new scientific discoveries related to building. Countries constantly try to offer a new attraction to the beholder, mainly to draw the tourists, and the money, in.

Food has also recently made its way to stardom. Barely a decade ago, the phrase "celebrity chef" would have drawn laughter to the common man. Today, however, names like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver would be immediately recognised by the kitchen enthusiast (such as myself) and ranked among the persona that make fashion and entertainment headlines. Their creations are simply astounding, and they absolutely believe in sharing brilliant ideas with the general public.

Nevertheless, we live in a world where money often comes before the enlightenment of the soul. Indeed, few has the freedom to express originality in stunning masterpieces, and those who do have that originality are restrained by the lack of opportunities and good fortune. This is true for generations past, but never more real today.

Oh, the shame! Shame for the loss of talent, of originality in what are regarded as fine pieces of mankind's achievement. Must we continue to live in a world where the new is often scoffed at, or its début delayed until man is ready to accept it?