So much of what we crave as humans, is to have our expectations met- in people, in situations, and in life. It's what connects us to billions of people around the world, because we share in common the hope for what we expect, positively, to come true. It's what makes us vulnerable, and ashamed, strong, and proud, even.

GO BIG OR GO HOME

The previous week has been difficult for me, but, I'm so glad I'm back at it again. Discussing elections with a few friends rekindled the old flame, and sort of refreshed my mind with all these thoughts from last year's elections. Student Government has something I've been extremely passionate about and realizing that I've only got 2 more weeks left before my term ends is motivating me to work harder than ever and to finish on the highest note possible. I want this term to end knowing that I did everything I possible could to ensure strong student advocacy and to successfully implement as many changes as possible. I feel SO MOTIVATED AND DRIVEN AND I'M SURE I CAN SET AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL THE FUTURE SGS TO FOLLOW. SO THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN DO IT, THEY GOT TO GIVE THIS THEIR ALL UNTIL THE VERY END!!

HAVE A GLORIOUS DAY FOLKS

"Cause baby I could build a castle
from all the bricks they threw at me;
and every day is just a battle,
but every night with us is like a dream"

HAPPINESS, SPONTANEITY, CRAZINESS

Being more spontaneous.
Trying out something new for the first time.
Doing something crazy.
Making myself happy

These are all on the list I have for myself. I don't do new-year's resolutions, I just try to make a list of the things that matter to me, and the things I want to change, and based on that I create a list that somewhat looks like the 4 sentences I typed above. I have a tendency to believe anything is possible, and absolutely everything is achievable- the byproduct of this results in me getting involved in one too many projects than I can handle at later times when I'm super-stressed. But, this list is simple, it's short, and it's completely doable on any scale really.

I'm super psyched because I'm following it, and I'm really happy that despite a crazy week ahead, I'm so incredibly happy right now. I can't help the awfully big grin that's not leaving my face, and I think my face will start aching now because of smiling so much. Not that I'm complaining, of course.

If right now I feel like there's no limit to happiness, then that's that and nobody can dull my sparkle right now!

Hope everyone who reads this (including me at a later time) feels super happy and has a fantastic day, week, and month ahead!!

Cheers folks!! 

Best Advice I've Gotten

So I read this post by Jeff Green on Facebook. It's an incredible read. All power to him, haha.

--

As a manager who frequently hires college-aged people, may I kindly plead with those of you who are responsible for bearing them (there was initially a typo that said beating and I almost left it) to make sure they understand the following? For better or worse, I am writing this based off of actual experiences that I have had over the past couple of weeks.

1. In the real world, not everyone gets a trophy. If everyone gets a trophy, no one stands out. If you do not stand out, you are not memorable. Be weird, be quirky, be competitive, be something that is going to make me remember you for a good reason. Almost every college student I interview states "drive" as the thing that makes them stand out amongst their competition, but few can tell me where they are driving to. They are basically just wasting gas, and that is bad for the environment. For those who know the answer and can back it up with effort, you will instantly stand out to me.

2. It is not your gifts and talents that make you special, you will be defined by how you use them.

3. Almost every person I interview has a college degree. That alone does not give you a leg up, at least not here. Community service (though not of the court-mandated kind) will make you stick out and is one of my favorite things to see on a resume. So is military experience, foreign languages, musical proficiency, being an eagle scout or any other various activities that show me your ability to dedicate yourself to something for a sustained amount of time. This is especially true if your work experience to date is limited. It shows character, and that is not something that can always be determined by a college diploma. A degree is by no means a bad thing and there are companies out there who will require it, but as I mentioned before, your unique attributes may be the difference in whether or not you are remembered once you leave. (BIG Disclaimer - I am speaking from my perspective here, this doesn't mean every hiring manager feels this way. Don't go home and tell your parents you are quitting college because I said you should. I'm just saying your diploma may get you in the door, but how you represent yourself will likely play a big part in whether or not you get the job.)

4. Work ethic is everything. Feel free to come in with expectations regarding what is in it for you and, if you are inclined, turn down job offers until you find the exact culture you are looking for. When you find it, you had better work your tail off because there is probably a line of people waiting to take your place. A positive, fun work culture is not something you are entitled to for simply showing up, it is a return for the dedication you are showing. Also, it is rare. If you have it, don't fail to appreciate it. And if you don't find it, still work your tail off. That company is writing checks that provide for you and your family. If they aren't treating you well, don't stop working hard, just find something better. Don't ever put yourself in a position where you might leave a company based off of their decision instead of your own.

5. Find something within what you do to make you feel good about it. If you don't find value in something that you are spending the majority of your waking hours doing, chances are you are going to be a miserable person. If you are a miserable person, I don't need or want you on my team.

6. Speaking of team, if you are on one then you need to be a part of it or you need to leave. Being on a team means carrying extra weight when another team member is sick, hurting, struggling, or dying. It also means they will do the same for you. It definitely means pulling your own weight when there is no reason for you not to do so. If you aren't operating with this mentality, chances are you are a mediocre performer at best. At worst, someone is carrying your weight while you slow the whole team down. Again, if this is the case, then you will not exist in this dojo (nor will my "fear" in showing you the door.)

7. I don't care if you are going in to a job interview knowing that there is a relaxed dress code, you had better be dressed up for the interview or I will send you out the door before you get your name out. Weak handshake? I will work with it. Failure to make eye contact? We will find you some confidence. No resume? I'll help you draft one. But you have to get the job before any of that can happen, so you had better make as good of an impression as possible in the interview. Dress for the job you want...

8. Another point about interviews...someone is taking a lot of time out of their day to meet with you. Do them a favor (and yourself one for that matter) and make sure you learn as much as you can about the company before you arrive. Don't blindly send out resumes and then fail to prepare and take notes before you go and meet the person who may become your future boss. If they have a website, look at the dang thing. If they don't have a website, all the more reason why you need to go in with a list of questions to figure out what you are actually interviewing for. A little voice inside my head is going to try to convince me that I should make you feel about 3 inches tall if you waste my time. Don't.

9. I do not expect perfection. I demand it. Just kidding, but seriously, you need to strive for it. You also need to acknowledge that you are currently far from it. A big part of that means asking questions when you do not know the answer so that you can become an expert. If you are making assumptions, you are a liability to your team and your company. Diamonds are not ready to be mounted in a ring at the moment they are found, they must be cut and polished over time until they are at a point that flaws can only be seen under magnification. Make sure you ask questions so that your knowledge, and therefore value, is constantly being cut and polished by those who know more than you. I regret to inform you that on your first day, that will literally be everyone in the office. The faster you can change that, the faster you establish yourself as a key player.

10. Others should want to share in your success. If they don't, you need to ask yourself if that is because of their faults, or your own. No one is going to be waiting to cheer you on at the finish line if you tripped every other runner to get there. Unless you trip the guy that tripped everyone else, then I will high five you. That may sound like a joke, it isn't. Well, maybe a little. But seriously, if someone is stepping on others to advance themselves, call them out or you are simply an enabler and not much better than they are. This is not your middle school friend group, this is business.

(This one goes to) 11. For your expectations, I would advise you to find a supervisor who is legitimately interested in helping you grow and develop your professional skill set. If you are coming out of college with no relevant work experience, then there are very few job opportunities that are beneath you. That said, you should try to find the one that will help you develop a solid business acumen. Despite what you think, you do not know everything coming out of college and you will make mistakes. Find someone who will help you challenge yourself and make sure you take constructive criticism as a compliment. Most supervisors suck at giving it (apparently, so do a lot of parents), so if someone is taking the time to do so then that means they probably care about seeing you become the best employee and person you are capable of being. And I will say the same thing here that I said about culture. When you find this person, do not take advantage of them. They could end up being a lifelong mentor for you.

(I would apologize for the long post here, but I have seen so much stupid stuff on Facebook this week I'm just going to hope that I'm doing you a favor by blocking out a few dozen Trump/Clinton opinion posts. So with that in mind... You. Are. Welcome.) smile emoticon Have a good weekend!

A little gratitude goes a long way

We're all so ungrateful for everything that we've been blessed with. A little gratitude and positivity goes a long way. I wonder at times if I sound too ungrateful and the problem is I don't want to be. A conversation with my sister reminded me how important it is to be thankful for the little things, and the big things too. People have a habit of prolonging and exaggerating everything that they're not happy with, and I find this habit unnecessary for 2 very simple reasons. First, if you're really unhappy about something and want to see change, be proactive and do something about it. If it's your job, change it, if it's your major, go for the one you want, if it's your university, transfer out, if it's your friends, well broaden your circle and find the ones whose mindset matches yours, if it's your body, work out or gym, or start playing sports, and change how you are. Literally anything and everything can be improved and changed for the better, and if you don't want to invest the time or effort into changing it, then don't complain about it. Whining and complaining is something losers do, and by losers I mean individuals who lose out on the better side of everything just because they refuse to go the extra mile for it.

Disclaimer Notice

If you're here looking for some good writing, close the tab right now. This is a blog that started off as a writing solace and instead turned into a place to rant off about anything and everything. So, this is going to be an awful lot of just penning down my thoughts, and then deciphering the confusion in emotions, with a not-so-gloomy outlook, or an ambivalent ending, if not a total-downer one.
Peace out. You've been warned.

More RANTS

What does it matter, even if you're spiraling to success and have great things ahead of you? What does it matter, if the people who matter the most to you don't see the hard-work, commitment and dedication that you give to everything you commit yourself to? Be it homework, extracurricular roles, projects, friendships, or even relationships, almost everything requires work. Even if things are handed to you on a silver platter, you still need to pick the fork and knife and cut into the meat. Nobody does that for you.

Sometimes people close to you can say stuff that can be quite difficult to absorb. Why? Because you want to see the people you love wholly appreciate the work and effort you give in to whatever you're passionate about. You want them to be proud of you, for everything you've done and everything you continue to do. You want them to be as happy for you as you are for yourself. And, if they're your support systems, then you sometimes need them to, more than you want them to.

I hope that I can be super-supportive to the people who're close to me. Incredibly few things that are as precious as people following their true passion. I only hope that I don't change this mindset years from now and that I can continue to want to follow my dreams and turn them into reality.

When you get down to becoming pragmatic, lots of things stop mattering. It won't matter that you that you have a different career path in mind, if time is of essence, you'll sometimes go for options that aren't even remotely attractive or close to what you'd initially planned. Also, while I'm calmly ranting out, I'm going to change the title of my blog because these posts are more of rants than actual writing, and might as well make the reader aware while I'm at it. Here's the thing, people can be shit and it's shit when you care about what they think. It'd be SO much more easier if we could all just switch off our emotions at times and not care about just people, in general. I guess with all things human, you got to accept every part of it, and that means being okay with caring a bit too much for people too.

PEace out.

Woes of a 21 year old

I've got a crazy amount of assignments due this week, 2 mid-term exams, one which is tomorrow, and quite a good amount of places I need to apply and follow-up with. That aside, as I edge closer to stress-crying, I need to word this out. Mostly, because words help me sort my thoughts out and this is my word haven for the task.

Earlier this year, I visited my university's main campus, and that is when I had my first encounter with a deaf person. It was a reality shock for me, because as much as I would like to think of myself as a well-informed individual on important issues like gender discrimination, racial discrimination, religious bias, and the stereotypes that engulf our society, I cannot believe I had not thought about the Deaf community- the problems they face, the technology that still needs to be worked on to make resources more accessible to them, and most importantly, making people and our own communities more deaf-friendly. That was when I decided to start an initiative to make our campus more deaf-friendly, and I actively started learning American Sign Language (ASL). A deaf friend of mine took a lead on this and I helped out to teach ASL to anybody who wanted to attend weekly classes that we were offering on campus. We got an amazing outpour of great feedback and support from our campus community. My reason for writing this blog post is not to post about the initiatives I've been working on, but, because I think my mind is edging to a moral dilemma right now.

Do we do tasks like these because we truly want to help make a positive change or do we also love the attention that these tasks bring along? Yes, it's noble to think of the former, but, how realistic is the latter? If we did truly feel that the reasoning was to have a positive impact, then why post about it on social media? More importantly, why does it matter to me that someone is getting a lot of attention for posting a video about it? Is it because I started the initiative and it's something I'm incredibly proud of? Does that make me hypocritical because if other people are posting about this, they are in a way garnering people's attention towards sign language, which means the initiative was successful?

The fact that I've even written down the questions above is annoying me because this is such a petty thing, and I'm actually taking time out to type it all up when I have so many more important things that I could be working on. It's frustrating, to say the least, to be rational and stress-induced emotional at the same time. It's not helping me finish my exam-prep, it's not helping me decide if I want to order food at 2 AM, and it's definitely not helping me calm down. Hunger does NOT bode well with me, and when I'm hungry, I'm the last person you'd want to be around. That being said, I'm going to return to my ingenious plan to conquer my task-list. It's the least I can do and I owe it to myself to excel at these brilliantly time-consuming plans that I made during the start of the semester.

Here's to ranting, wording out silly things, and then feeling better about it.

Cheers.

Not notably famous

We've stopped speaking up,
because nobody listens
How many need to die
                                before things change?

The death of one causes
media uproar for 5 days,
 and then we all forget

and

the silence returns

The deaths of the unheard
            cause no frenzy
you see, friend, they were not
                                               notably famous,
                                               or connected,
to have been worth
changing profile pictures for.

Writing

I'm not a rejected piece;

I'm a writer's hope.

I'm not a forgotten rhyme,

I'm a writer's soul.

I'm not a sorrowful anthem,

I'm a writer's heart.

I'm not just words you read,

I'm a writer's vulnerable imagination.

Give me some credit,

because I can move people,

I can awaken their souls.

I can do what actions alone cannot,

and I can make nations,

and destroy a few;

I can make leaders

just as fast as I can destroy them.

I am the bare soul,

raw in feeling,

pure in possession

and 

you will know

how ever-lasting my legacy is

once I come into existence,

if you but lay eyes on me.

        Every year you're supposed to become smarter than before and I guess that's when you realize how stupid or obliviously silly you were the year before. I suppose that's also the time where you shake your head in disapproval over the bad decisions you took that led to greater mistakes and just plain regret. You would regret such a decision either because it hurt you or because it stirred up trouble or maybe even both. Hurt doesn't necessarily mean your own feelings, they could be someone else's feelings that you hurt over time or your own that got hurt in the process. But sometimes, while regretting the long list of bad decisions and actions we were responsible for, we forget that it's the bad experiences that truly teach us and make us realize where our faults really lie and it is these very bad experiences that become the gradual steps to caution thereafter.
      In the course of my teenage years, I've been hurt many times and I've probably hurt a number of people too. But now that I look back and reminiscence memories, I'm actually surprised as to how I could have done the mistakes I did; it annoys me to the point where I literally want to shake myself and shake some sense into "younger-me". Yet, on the other hand, without the consequences, I probably wouldn't have realized the impact of those actions either.
      I guess 'pain just demands to be felt'. I don't find quoting TFIOS cheesy because it's one of my favorite books and it has been on the top of my list since the time when I first read it a couple of years back. You need to experience the fall first hand to actually understand the impact of the ground and no matter how well the other person explains the feeling, you won't really get it until you experience it too. Which is why it's easier to write about something you've already gone through as opposed to trying to imagine what going through that same thing would feel like. Also, everyone's take on things is different. What may be a very difficult decision for someone else to make may not quite be as tough for me. Similarly, an incident that might take a life time for me to get over might actually take a few months for another person to get over. It all falls down to personalities and how people deal with different matters for the most part. Not to forget, it also depends on the sensitivity and attachment of the matter. Some people are just more sentimental than other people about some things. And, some unlike myself, just find it easier to become emotionally detached and take everything lightly.
      I'm not going to lie, I've envied people who can shut off feelings and still be normal, and those who can deal easily with turmoil and loss. I'm ambivalent in this matter though, because, although I envy such people, I also feel a sense of pride at being able to feel so strongly, and to be able to express that through words. Our ability to feel, at the end of the day, is what ultimately makes us human. It then is not a weakness to be ashamed of, but a strength to take pride in, and that can be molded into helping overcome the different hurdles one will encounter later in life.

           The problem with being 19 years old is that you're nearing the end of your teenage years and you'll soon have entered the world of young adults. Any mistakes you make will no longer be let go of because you will no longer be passed off as a child or a young teen. You will be held accountable for every action you take, and that, believe me, is one of the toughest hurdles you will experience as you transition into an age-old world full of misery and reality.
          I don't quite know how to portray this correctly, but it's not always dark and gloomy yet at the same time it's not always bright and cheerful either. I have started to take every day as it comes, because every day will bring its own taste of turmoil and legacy and the funny thing is, you won't know until years later as to which day will be recounted with sadness and which will be recounted with joy. Sometimes, I wonder though, would a monotonously content life be a reason for bliss or would it be a reason for dissatisfaction because there's nothing exciting or new to look forward to? I suppose like most other questions that often arise in my mind, only time will unravel the answers to the mysteries that we so abruptly create in our minds.

I have no idea what title will fit here.

Life is not supposed to make sense. There is a reason you meet everyone in your life. The reason might just be the most insignificant reason in the world, but it still is at the end of the day, a reason. And that is what makes it all the more special, because, you don't always know the reason and sometimes it is not until years and years later that you can recognize and distinguish between being the reason for something and being the factor leading to the reason. I'm probably doing a bad job at explaining this right now, but let's make it simple:

C = the reason

A ---> C

You could be the A or C in someone's life and likewise, they could be the A or C in your life too.
Okay I attempted to make it easier, I can't do better than that now and I don't even want to because I'm too busy crying over One Day. How can Emma just die? HOW CAN SHE JUST FREAKING DIE LIKE THAT? And how can he even deal with the pain? Doesn't he wish he had never met her because then he wouldn't have to face the pain of her loss? All throughout, she was in love with him and he just wasted that time, and then she had moved on and he finally figured out his own feelings, and then when they finally FINALLY both got that they were meant to be with each other, they had so little time together? It's unfair. Life is unfair. But whatever, it's just a movie isn't it? I don't know how Anne Hathaway dealt with the emotional trauma after bringing the character to life. If it was me, I would still be bawling my eyes out, with failed attempts at pretending nothing ever happened. I think I've written enough now so I should probably start Sabriel or Druids of Shannara or something to keep my mind off whatever I just saw.

Word of advice, watch One Day, it's a beautiful, if not a hauntingly beautiful piece of work.

       I don't know why there is so much negativity everywhere. I fail to understand why people carry this negative vibe (mind you not everyone), and for the most part it's just disappointing. Disappointing because there is just so much to be thankful for and just so much that each of us have been blessed with and there is just so much that we don't realize. Each  one of us has different struggles and is going through different hardships which is exactly why saying that the other person has it so much easier is a pointless thing. You don't know what the other person has gone through to reach where he or she is at this point in life. We're all so different and yet still so similar, but I guess that's how people are. I don't know how it's relevant to what I just wrote before but one day we'll be old and won't even remember how much everything that matters to us now did. I doubt if I'll remember how looking perfect for a speech mattered so much or how color-coordinating my whole outfit while going out meant so much at the time. But, I'd like to, because I want to remember how everything had it's own spark and I want to remember the beauty of each stage of life- no matter how silly or stupid, but I want to remember all of it; which is probably one of the reasons why I write, because I want to remember everything that matters or has ever mattered to me. These memories make me who I am today and being able to look back at them only reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for.
     

Emotions

      
     It is indeed a rare commodity when I write something just for the sheer happiness of it all; it is an even rarer moment when I actually feel happy enough to write down what goes on in my head during that time. The best part of today is that this is one of those rare times. Normally, even if I am happy, I just like to stay in my shell and keep the feelings blissfully calm for as long as I can; I want to preserve the good memories in a peculiar fashion and so I refrain from writing because a silly fear takes over me; the fear of good memories and happiness being taken away, which was a worry that would unconsciously do the very thing I was afraid of- it would eventually ruin my day and alas, it would be back to usual.
     Anyway, that is not what I want to elaborate on. What I do want to elaborate on is that I am happy and well to a random onlooker, it would be a strange sight to find a person happy because he or she is aware that he or she is happy. So why would an emotion have the capability of a person actually resuming writing again? That too after ages of motivating oneself to write but never actually indulging in the task? Well, the answer is in the question itself. Emotions, are what essentially make us human. The power to feel, whatever the feeling is, be it happy or sad or angry or just passionate- just the mere ability to be able to feel and empathize with how others feel is a beauty itself. It is what makes us humans unique and it is ultimately what makes us realize the beauty in just anything and everything. So I'll try and not babble too extensively, but my point is, a person who thinks only strategically will only believe in logic. I believe every person has the capability to feel, with the exception of Adolf Hitler, but let's just skip him altogether for now. When we get encompassed by our emotions, we sometimes lose the ability to think logically, but if we can maintain a certain balance between both, we somehow become one step closer to being ideal humans.
     I'm not going to preach my definitions of ideal humans to anyone, but I will try and give you a better view on how I see things. A person with compassion and intelligence is an ideal human being in my dictionary. I'm not talking about what the person does in his daily life or what type of personality he or she has, I just mean that if a person can think clearly without letting emotions cloud judgement and if a person can somehow still manage to let emotions direct decisions to an extent, it is a formidable quality. Being an intensely emotional person, I am awed by people who can think clearly even when they're going through trying times or circumstances.
     For me, the world is either black or white; I have a very "it's either this or not at all" sort of view on things, and although I try to improve myself in this matter, it is a difficult task. Nevertheless, it is an extremely wrong view because that's basically saying the glass won't bend but it will break if you try to shape it. In other words, it's too much of a perfectionist's take on things, and that my dear readers, is never the best way to deal with things. When a person starts to expect too much or even a little, he or she gives way to heartache. Heartache is actually too strong a word, I think I'll just go with hurt instead. Along with expectation comes a chance of getting hurt; the greater the expectations are, the more the chances of getting hurt increase; and feeling hurt is never a good emotion, for anyone. Most of you probably know this and I too have learned this the hard way, but I guess we humans never really learn do we? But then, it's also our abilities to fall down that teach us how to get up and back on track. If we were perfect, we wouldn't really be humans now would we? Unless you're David Archuleta, in which case you shouldn't even be reading about imperfections. Oh and David, the arch-angels still haven't left you know. Just saying.
     Anyway, so back to expectations, which we shouldn't really have. Being a Muslim, it should be Allah we ultimately trust really and well I won't really preach my beliefs but it is the month of Ramadan so might as well just write about my true beliefs. From what I've read, if a prayer doesn't get answered, it's either because you'll get something better in exchange, or you'll get rewarded for it in the hereafter. But it is so incredibly hard to just wait around patiently when you're praying so persistently. I think the disappointment on our behalf when that happens is because we have such deeply ingrained expectations from everyone that we cannot accept that things might not always work the way we want to. Trying to accept that things work out for the best can be a difficult concept to grasp, especially if you're intent on trying to make things work out your way. But, give it a rest; Allah has a better plan for you, far better than what you, me, or anyone else could plan and it's a plan that includes everything that's for your own good. Not just your own good, more of what's best for you really; and, although it can be a trying measure of our wills, it is nevertheless true.
    So back to happiness. A person who goes through ugly emotions often appreciates good emotions the most because that person knows the true value of being able to just be happy regardless of what anyone says or does. Some people don't appreciate the value of their happiness, but that's okay really. Everyone learns to sooner or later, and hey, whatever floats your boat, who am I judge.
    I try not to make my writing revolve around the same message but every time I write, I feel like a different person; every piece of my writing has a different aspect of my personality so once I get started, even I don't know which part of personality my entry will end in. The thing is, life's too short for regrets. By that I don't mean go all YOLO SWAGGIE LET'S DO DRUGS CAUSE WE ONLY LIVE ONCE sort of thing, I mean, that there are a few times where we have to make decisions that shape our lives; we should be the ones to make those decisions* because having to look back at a former crucial point in your life only to regret your action would be pretty disappointing. It's okay to let others influence you and it's okay to want to know what others think, and but at the end, it should really be yourself who you listen to; you shouldn't blame your decisions on someone else and harnessing bitter feelings over time sure isn't a nice way to go because bitterness only grows over time and eventually it completely takes over a person. I've seen so many people completely change because of the ugly emotions they harbored; they were never bad people to start with, but it was the bitterness and resentment they had towards other people that led to all the positive aspects in them being completely overshadowed by the bitterness they felt. That is why I've been stressing on emotions so much, because when you let go of ugly emotions, it's really yourself you're doing a favor for. Not me, not anyone else, not that friend-who-isn't-a-friend-anymore, and certainly not that guy/girl-I-hate-because-I-JUST-DO. When you're at peace with yourself, you'll start to enjoy the little things in life, and you'll begin to appreciate the blessings God has gifted you with. You'll begin to see the beauty in things you never did before and you might just surprise yourself and how happy you'll feel. A particular blissful feeling will be feeling happy for others and sincerely being a part of their happiness, instead of sulking at others' succeeding in the rat race, you'll actually feel happy for the hurdles they've crossed; and, when you realize how everything seems to be working out for the better, that's when you realize, God's plan unraveling slowly, bit by bit, not quite the way you planned but certainly to the destination you were always destined for.

*Credits to SPN for the indirect quote by Sam's teacher.

     

Rants about Young Adult fiction writers

      Encountering intelligent personalities has become so rare that it is now a profound experience for me when I meet someone whose level of intellect matches mine. Now I'm not saying that I'm some long-lost descendent of Einstein; I just mean that I've become unusually accustomed to conversing about topics whose matter will in no way increase my intellectual knowledge. You see I don't really understand how talking about the most recent celebrity breakups or their twitter updates is going to benefit me. Nor do I understand how talking about pointless mundane tasks or other people is going to change my point of view of the world; besides questioning the mere single digit I.Q. levels of certain people, that is. This is why I tend to feel incredibly happy if I meet a person who will not only fangirl with me on Moffat's genius but will also discuss topics that genuinely matter.
      An example of this is discussing books; being an aspiring writer myself, I indulge in reading when I cannot write and after reading quite a number of literary titles, I believe I can distinguish between good books and bad books. I'm a harsh critic but to elaborate on what I just said, I mean that after reading a lot it is easy to critique different authors and books. A writer does not necessarily have to be a great writer to write a brilliant book, he or she just needs to have the skill to creatively form a plot and make all the puzzles fit by the end. Or not if you're one of the writers of "LOST", in which case any confusion is thereby forgiven automatically because come on, it's "LOST" after all. Anyway, aside from the pointless babbling, I mean to say that I thoroughly enjoy discussing books because it's fascinating to look at different aspects of a book from different POVs. A recurring theme in Young Adult novels is the presence of paranormal races and most of the cheesy love triangles which turn into squares and even love hexagons if you've read "House of the Night" series. I don't know if it's just me but it seems like most of today's writers seem to exploiting age old paranormal ideas. Whatever happened to creativity and originality? Or maybe researching a bit and using up creatures other than werewolves, vampires or fallen angels.
        Another thing I've noticed in most Young Adult novels is that if it's the paranormal romance genre, a female character will the choice for a protagonist for a majority of writers while if it's fantasy-fiction, a male protagonist is the popular choice. Not to be cliche, but I would like to see a book where the girl does not have low self-esteem and where a guy is not the only hero in a war. I'm not saying I haven't read any such books but judging from the majorities, my opinion is that writers need to, crudely speaking, get out of their safe haven and explore new writing horizons and territories. For once. I'd like to read a book and say now THAT is a writer who could match the likes of George R.R. Martin. Although this wasn't meant to be a rant about writers and Young-adult genre writers, it has unconsciously become the dominant theme of this blog entry. Oh and that reminds me if you ever see Shiver  by Maggie Stiefvater then stay AWAY from that book because the only thing good is the cover and unless all the books on Earth were destroyed and it was the only book left, I would NOT suggest reading it. Although in that case, you could probably rewrite Harry Potter (if you're a Potterhead who has memorized every line) and take the credit for saving Sirius Black, Lupin,  Moody, Tonks, Fred and Dobby.

Until then,
Happy reading and may your swords stay ever sharp.

Note: if you're a Sherlock fan and are still suffering  then I would suggest you read Sir, Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock series because there is still some time till series 3 and there's only so many times we can watch it. Or is there?

*Ordinary minds, hmph.*

You gradually realize that everyone leaves and you soon realize no one will stay forever. And when they leave, you will realize that you don't need them anymore. And what's more you won't need to need them either. You will feel the tears in your eyes and you will feel the cuts on your hands but you know you won't go back to them because that's how it always is and that's how life goes on. They won't need you and maybe they never did. Everyone says time heals you but that's not true. It doesn't get easier; you just get better at dealing with what hurts you. That's how you become immune to pain. It's not easy, growing up and you make mistakes, oh  so many that you even lose count. But every mistake costs you, it's very few ones that don't. They take away a piece of your personality that you will never get back. It's very few ones that don't. They say perfection is when there's nothing left to take away so I guess they call an empty soul perfection, a dead face beautiful and a fightless spirit willful. Happiness never stays and they say what stays becomes stagnant. Maybe that's why all these ugly emotions pile up and become sadness; because they're stagnant and spoil over time. Words change and promises break and all that was said is forgotten. Love fades away, and when it doesn't it stays to tear you down to your most vulnerable state. It changes you from being blissful to broken and as the ashes turn to dust, you just stare into nothingness wondering if this is what life is really about.

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So I vented this out on my phone one day and I was going through my stuff today and thought why not post it. Happy Reading! 

               Some people cross the vicinity of evilness. They portray themselves as good but their reality is more distorted than shattered mirrors which would glisten red upon the morrow if someone would but touch them. They have idle minds that now encompass nothing but devilish thoughts and eyes. They think evil and they talk evil so the whole world just seems like a cascade of wrongdoers and faults and whatnot in their eyes. Such people have no sympathy in my heart, or mind. They should be punished for the crimes they've done and the heartaches they've caused. It is not their God-given right  to be viciously judgemental about every speck of dust. Then, why do they?
           And you know what the worst part is?
           That no one is there to stop them.

Embl3med all the way

The last time I heard them, they sang Hey Jude. But that wasn't why I fell in love with them; it was that first audition with Sunset Boulevard that did the magic. Emblem 3.
You know how you feel the music when you connect with the lyrics well its a moment like that. So I'd write on but then I'd rather just listen to them creating this musical dream-like haven.

True friends are few and far between
Hold on to them and don't let go
And they will make you shine when all else
Fades away... when it rains
Such a sight to see
Shining light for me
So I might believe there's a spark of light shining vibrantly inside of me
You're the one that puts the life in me so bright in the end
Said I want to believe
I gotta stay true and hold on to the ones I call my

With style, with spunk, with class
When your spirits like a lake shimmering like glass
And my reflection in the water is pertinently attached
I printed it in like a tattoo
Lets capture this moment or hold it like you want it all
Fold it like a load of clothes to your soul hold it all
We share a poem in this moment that you wrote it you know
I'll be there I want to believe
That I gotta stay true and hold on to the ones I call my
True friends are few and far between
Hold on to them and don't let go
And they will make you shine when all else
Fades away... when it rains
When it rains,rains
Rains, rains, rains

Everyone talks about dreams coming true and working hard to make those dreams reality, but why doesn't anyone talk about what happens after those dreams come true? We all know how we just have to keep trying until its a do or die situation but what happens when we do succeed, what after that? The dreams I have almost certainly become reality so what now? Do I wake out of the trance that has blurred my vision? Dream again, more so then before I do know now that dreams do come true; its not just an absurdity that people use to motivate others. But because my dreams came true, I also know what it cost me. I now know that nothing is ever gained without a sacrifice of some sort. So the question now remains, are you willing to give up what you have to in order to get what you want?

I say, bless me with a heart of gold
A positivity and a story to be told
I tripped, fell down through the sky,
It's what it took for me to learn how to fly like,
Oh yeaaah
Let me spirit fly,
My intentions are not to intoxicate but purify.
Give me truth, or everytime I hear a lie
Joy be the only reason I get teary eyed.
I look in the mirror to figure out who I am,
I thought I was a boy but I guess I am a man.
I burnt a bridge, but that's what it took for me to build a dam
I hang my head, I don't want to be that kind of man.
No no
That's not how my daddy raised me
Work your ass off boy
Don't ever be lazy.

I owned it on the ball field, so my pop praised me
You could never beat me down or you could never phase me.
A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do
Even in the rough yeah you gotta see it through
Have a nice trip though, I'll see you next fall
The only thing I know is that I know nothing at all
Just

I said sometimes feelings can be hard to understand,
But if we understood them there'd be no point to the plan
I reach out with my hand
And too all of my fans,
To let you know that if you fall,
I will help you stand
To let you know that everyday I feel similar pain
The purpose of my music is to take it all away
So I say, salute you freedom fighters
Wave your flags high for,
Liberty we will die for.
Driftin' in the pursuit of happiness that we drive towards
A better future my people and me will strive towards.

I'm lost, I find myself while I search
Now I use music to pray with no words.
When you lose what you love, remember to stay strong.
Look out the window and remember life goes on.
Sometimes, we get so caught up in our struggles that we fail to realize we lost ourselves on the way. And that, my friends, is one of the worst things that could happen to a person. Because its our individuality in those little things, little habits that sometimes come off as annoying but hey whatever happened to freedom of expression. We may share common interests here and there but its truely rare to find a carbon copy of the person that you are. And even then, our individuality remains as unique to us as our thumbprints.

I sailed across the earth in search of a humble head
Bermuda was a gamble
So I played my cards and I won the bet
I never underestimate what ancient stories teach you

Got so much to say but my apetite's really getting the best of me and its with this very line that my Emblem 3 playlist is almost at its end. I know this was probably a very ridiculous blog entry but anyhow here's how its gonna go, sometimes when people need to write something, anything really then they start off with incredibly weird things that don't even relate but eventually the writing flow gets better and after a few crude pieces, the better more refined pieces start rolling of the rack with more finesse than the Alchemist. Okay I really need to stop criticising books I don't like which just gave me the best idea ever. A BOOK REVIEW. That's what I should do!

Well isn't that a lovely way to end things on a happy note now. ^_^

Adios amigos*


*This time genuinely learning espanol.