An Eye Is Upon You...

"Spinning complacently in the darkness, covered and blinded by a blanket of little lives,
False security has lulled the madness of this world into a slumber...

WAKE UP!!
An eye is upon you, staring straight down and keenly through,
Seeing all that you are and everything that you can never be.
Yes, an eye is upon you, an eye ready to blink.
So face forward, with arms wide open and mind reeling,
Your future has arrived...
Are you READY to go?"

- From J.P. Saticoy's "An Eye is Upon You" (1947)      

          Growing up, I wasn't really exposed to science fiction that much. H.G. Wells, Douglas Adams, J.P. Saticoy, Aldous Huxley, Orson Scott Card, and even George Orwell. I feel like I missed out on an era - "They Came From Space!!!", "Tonight the Stars REVOLT!" and other phrases like these are iconic, but seem forgotten. I'd like to get my hands on these sci-fi dime novels and be shocked, terrified, and mystified by the genius minds of these stories and marvel at the possibility that we may not be alone after all...

Something Different...

          I got my hands on some new video editing software over the weekend, so I made this short video with the hope of getting the hang and understanding how the new software works. To some extent, it isn't that very creative or obviously edited, but it gave me enough of a learning curve to begin understanding the workings of the software in hand. Maybe I'm being biased, but I'm pretty happy with the end result of the video. Enjoy!

Random Rant

          It's official - I'm burned out. That's it, I've had enough! I can't write no more. The more I force myself to sit down and write, the more distractions become easier and easier to find. I want this fall semester to be over with and start again fresh next year. I'm looking forward to that pretty soon.

Go Go Gadget Blog Entry!

          Yesterday was such a lazy day for me - I didn't even want to type this up. Perhaps I should be glad that I had such a day? Though with essays and exams looming over me, now is not the best time to unwind, even if I wanted to. Anyhow, I watched "Inspector Gadget" yesterday. I still found it surprisingly entertaining, even if parts of the cinematography as a whole felt outdated. All in all, it was just a nice break from it all. Oh well, the semester goes on. Now is not the time to start dragging my feet to finish it all.

Recognition

          I've been trying to find ways to get recognized in both my serious writing and in my YouTube channel, but I feel like I haven't been making much progress. Trying to do it the fair way is tough, but I'm not too worried or disappointed - I'm not really trying to make a career out of YouTube, but people tell me there is potential in my writing, but I feel like I need a mentor of sorts to help me ameliorate my skills. I just don't know where to look...

Puns

          Lately, I've been feeling "punny" and for some reason, I keep running into them. They always make me smile, at least. Mostly because the joke is crummy joke, yet it's funny nonetheless. For example here are my two favorite pick up puns:

"You must be from Tennessee, because you're the only 'Ten I See!'"

"Are you made of Beryllium, Gold, and Titanium? Because you are 'Be-Au-Ti-ful!'"

...Hopefully, these made your day.

Piñata and Slugger

          Right now, I want to get a Mexican piñata, and just stuff all of my hatred, my frustration, my disappointment, my anger, my envy, my bitterness, my depression, my hopelessness, my jealousy, my loneliness, my faithlessness, my dis-contentedness, my wrath, and my loneliness in the piñata and tear it, beat it, maim it, smash it, kill it, destroy it, pulverize it, decimate it, and annihilate it all until nothing is left, all with a classic Louisville Slugger.

No-Shave November!

          My patchy, splotchy beard is starting to annoy me. I want to shave it off already! But I'm trying to see how long I can go without a shave. It's not even the middle of November and I can't stop scratching myself. I can't wait for this to be over, or at least when I do get a shave.

Further Progress & Tomorrow

          The ninth letter is coming along nicely - maybe a day or two like today and it should be complete! But tomorrow will be a difficult day, since it will be demanding of me. I am confident that I can do all the work, so that isn't a problem. I just hope I can do it effectively.

New Letter In The Works!

          I have finally made some headway into the ninth letter today. It's still needs attention, obviously, but I finally got past that portion of this letter where I couldn't find a transition to the next part. So there isn't one for now. I don't know if omitting a proper transition will work, but for now, it's just a pointless distraction. I'll get to that later. As I've been writing the letter, I've been keeping the title in mind - that way I don't go off track. The title I've had in mind is down to Museum or Future. I don't know just yet - I'll have to finish the letter before I can properly decide on a title.

M.I.A.

"(To) Walk the city lonely,
Memories that haunt are passing by;
A murderer walks your street tonight...
Forgive me for my crimes; don't forget that I was so young,
 Fought so scared in the name of God and country..." 

           ...I haven't been able to properly sleep in these last few days. I can't but feel ungrateful and inconsiderate, as I look out the window, about my life situation and how lucky I am to be sleep in peace. My thoughts shift to my brothers, who are out in Afghanistan, fighting not for Freedom, nor for Democracy, but for survival, just to make to the end of the day alive and sane. I know that when those two return, this final, somber verse will ring true: they won't be family, friends, or lovers, but murderers whose only orders were "Point & Shoot." I forgive them, regardless. I know and understand the cost of war, and I'd be naive to think they weren't affected. That they weren't afflicted. Of course they will be. And it's that thought that frightens me, and it's the truth I must soon face. To what extent it permeates our lives, I don't know. I don't think I want to know.

Caught Up!

          I'm all caught up with one class! One down, two to go.

Post-Election Day....

          I wonder what will happen from now on. The nation, as a majority, decided that Barack Obama is the best choice for the next four years. Things are different now than what they were years ago, and what we're facing now wasn't what we had to deal with four years ago. It's chilling, but simultaneously exciting. I wonder how America will look like in four years' time.

Essays...Essays Everywhere...

          Just a month ago I was tasked to compose two essays. Now, it's three essays with small writing assignments sprinkled in between the three major papers. Not to mention extensive reading and make-up work. It's only Monday morning, and already I have overslept, I lost about an hour to traffic, and I still have to be at some places and see some people. Every little grain that slips through the neck matters right now. I'm trying not to rant, because I don't need that right now, but I am frustrated. I just want to be left alone for several days, just enough to chip away a good chunk. Is that even possible?

An Aussie Beauty Came By Today...

          ...shaken and anxious. Turns out she was hypoglycemic, which I think means there's not enough sugar in her blood (this is why I'm not quitting my day job). So, she charges in pacing frantically, and nabs some cheesecake off the fridge (she paid for later). I offered her a chair and some cold water, and told her to sit for as long as she needed. One of the regulars (whose a bit of a douchey party boy, but can be cool and honest at times - though this wasn't one of those honest times), noticed her sitting nearby, anxious and clearly shaken and starts putting the moves on her! I kept calling him out, and kept telling him that she needs some space (which she did) and that she's be ok with me watching her. Party Boy was playing the whole "hero" role, trying to appear that he cared and was worried. Maybe he was, but I'm not betting on that horse. She wasn't responding so well, since she's trying to calm herself, so he leaves for a bit. At that time, I get her attention and tell her that he's trying to make the moves on her. She didn't realize that - she thought he was being helpful! Good thing I cockblocked! Eventually, Party Boy leaves, and after a while, we start talking. It turned out that she's Australian. I learned that she was foreigner (her accent and slang gave it away, but I thought she might've been English), with a major in Interior Design and Fashion from Australia that she earned years ago, and that she visits friends here in America from time to time. Oh, and she is slightly older than me, which I was surprised - she looked 19/20 at best. I learned all this from talking to her and not flirting and stuff! I know - absurd! When she finally felt better, she asked for directions and I sent her off. Thinking about it now, if I can be honest, I wish I had more time with her: she seemed like she'd make a good friend.