Lightness and Darkness

There's a strange HIV prevention ad running in Seoul subway cars these days.

It features a janitor coming across a plate glass window of a building where "AIDS" is written in large red letters. The janitor tries scrubbing the word off with a scouring pad, to no avail. Then he tries a sander, but alas, no love there either. That pesky "AIDS" refuses to be erased. Then he notices someone carrying a bunch of multi-colored balloons, and he gets an idea.

Next thing you know, the janitor is opening a condom packet and takes out a green condom. With the condom, he starts wiping away at "AIDS" and lo and behold, the letters start disappearing easily when he glides the magic eraser condom over the glass.

I can't quite remember the last shot, but I think it's of the janitor holding the condom and beaming. And then the message comes up: To prevent the contraction of AIDS, let's use condoms. Especially multi-colored ones. Because they're pretty and look like lifesavers. Also, they're just the thing when it comes to tricky stains like spraypainted AIDS signs on glass.

Just kidding. About the last three sentences, that is. Actually, all I could think was that if that handy dandy green condom was treated with nonoxynol-9, cleaning the window with it would be gross. Not that, you know, cleaning with a non-spermicidally-treated condom is non-gross.
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That was the lightness, above. And now for a little of the opposite.

Was up til 4 am reading recaps of "24" on televisionwithoutpity.com, despite being tired and ready for bed at 10 pm. Stupid, stupid hk. Desperately-missing-American-television hk. And disturbed-and-upset-so-seeking-diversion hk.

I found out something yesterday that I don't know what to do with. I think that someone I know is making a very, very bad decision. I am torn between wanting to respect that person's choices and telling that person that this is a monumentally big mistake.

Sorry, no other details will be forthcoming. Just... the world is unfair, friends. I know, big news flash, huh? I've been so extraordinarily lucky, I haven't experienced much unfairness personally. But I'm a big proponent of fairness. And I wish more than anything that life would be more liberally dosed with it. Everyone's lives.