Pedal to the Metal!

Over the past few weeks, I've come across familiar faces that don't have an interest in metal (that is, the musical style, not the material itself). Which I can honestly relate since, when I was young (up until 15 or so), I, too, had some disdain for the musical style. For me growing up, I had made the connection that because you were a "metal head" (an aficionado for the music), you were likely to be dumb as a brick and perform miserably in school (and to some extent, life). Of course, this is a terrible overgeneralization and a logical fallacy. Then, when I was finally introduced to the style itself, it was all the screaming//growling and blast beats (the rapid-fire beating of the bass drums) that really turned me off. Now, after all these lengthy years, I'm a fan of the musical style (though, you'll never see me wear the "uniform" of a metal head, curiously enough). So, I thought to show off some of various styles of metal (keep in mind, I try to avoid the traditional elements of metal - I'm hoping to introduce new people to this awesome genre of music, not scare them away!) to those who may not be familiar with the music to begin with. Enjoy (didn't I say I'd choose a more lighthearted topic?)!

1) Blind Guardian (Progressive/Power/Speed/Symphonic Metal) - Journey Through the Dark - These guys are, for the most part, quite consistent over the years. Occasionally, there is a change in the line-up of the band, as well as incorporating (or removing) elements of their music (some are more symphonic and elaborate while other pieces of music are simple and direct). 

2) Therion (Symphonic/Power Metal) - Abraxas - They actually started off as a death metal band, but 1995's Theli allowed them to change their musical direction and heavily incorporate symphonic elements (as this song proves). Vovin, Lemuria (from which this song comes from), and Sirius B are, perhaps, their best works.

3) Nightwish (Symphonic/Power Metal)- The Siren - Their musical style becomes more and more elaborate with each forthcoming studio album. Like Therion, they too also incorporate symphonic elements (as well as exotic ones too - in Creek Mary's Blood from Once, the band uses actual Native American chants in their music!). The difference is that they only have the one female lead (where as Therion uses professional alto and soprano singers). With this song, pay extra attention to the electric violin. 

4) Trivium (Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal) - Shogun - Although there is some screaming here (sorry, guys!), I'd be a fool not to include one of metal's biggest bands in our modern time. Shogun is just about everybody's favorite from the band. These are a something special - with every new album released, they seem to be getting better and better (compare Ember to Inferno to Ascendancy, their first and second albums, respectively). This song is actually 11 min. long, not 10, but I couldn't find the full song, unfortunately.

5) Megadeth (Speed/Thrash/Heavy Metal) - The Scorpion - Constantly political, occasionally personal or spiritual, and sometimes humorous, Megadeth has stood the test of time (and constant changes in band members). I chose the Scorpion since this is more recent (2004), and the subject matter is the decline of society (which is always fun). Megadeth's 25+ years in the business has shown some of metal's greatest works (Peace Sells, Rust In Peace, and Countdown to Extinction), as well as embarrassments (Risk). 

6) Avenged Sevenfold (Thrash/Speed Metal, Metalcore) - The Wicked End - After Waking the Fallen and a subsequent surgery on M. Shadows (the frontman of the group), City of Evil is A7X's critically-acclaimed breakthrough album. The Wicked End is one of the few songs that is different and elaborate when compared to the rest of the album (there's even a Danny Elfman-inspired interlude in the middle of the song)

7) DragonForce (Speed Metal) - Once in a Lifetime - The best part about this band is that they incorporate all that is metal (the imagery, songwriting, and even keyboard solos) without really doing anything that could turn-off potential listeners. Often glorifying war, personal strife, and dragons (in a very medieval way), it's hard not to get sucked into the worlds they construct lyrically. Many a Warcraft player claim to listen to DragonForce before going on to raid dungeons. They're that good.

8) TYR (Folk Metal) - The Mare of my Night - These guys revolve their all their music exclusive to Nordic myth and folklore, so it's easy to get lost in the subject (or could bring intrigue if one is interested enough). Still, this doesn't take away from the fact that their musicianship stands out from other groups.

9) Danzig (Doom/Gloom Metal, Blues Rock) - End of Time - With Danzig, former The Misfits member Glenn Danzig offers a whole new musical landscape for us to immerse ourselves in. By slowing down the tempo, emphasizing melodies, and offering killer guitar solos, Danzig offers music that's dark, moody, and at times, damn sexy (She Rides comes to mind).

10) Rage Against the Machine (Rap Metal) - Know Your Enemy - Blending De La Rochas' rapid-fire spoken word with Morello's insane guitar work (the band even makes a point to say that ALL SOUNDS MADE BY GUITAR, BASS, DRUMS, AND VOCALS in most of their albums), RATM has achieved much success like no other politically-driven band before or after them. 

I'm quite aware that this simple list is essentially just the tip of the iceberg, since I'm certain that people will point out that I'm missing quite a bit of music (especially some of the more older material), but that's a chance I'm willing to take. Besides, I could always make up a second list for more metalicious music!

"The Reasons I Won't Be Coming..." (Pt. II)

Since the last time I wrote about her here, I'm finally starting to become affected by my breakup. Although, it's sad to say that this sounds somewhat crude and inconsiderate, to confess that I'm now just starting to be impacted by the loss of a romantic relationship after some time has passed. It's more honest to say that I've been juggling other problems in my life at the moment (namely my Teggy Ophelia), as well as trying to incorporate new aspects of life into my own (such as getting my lazy self to be in a physically healthier state), and I'm in a short-term winter session (cramming 16 weeks of class material into 4 weeks), so my free time is devoted to studying for a slew of quizzes, exams, and even an essay here and there. I'm certain that these distractions are what delay the whole "moving on" process for me.

However, when I do truly have free time (meaning that I don't have anything that needs immediate attention), and I stop and reflect on the state of my (love) life, it's then when those subtle moments of sadness creep in. I shut down and become distant, aloof, and at times lethargic. The world just isn't as bright or colorful as I'd like to see it to be. Perhaps, saddest of all, I doom myself into thinking that I'll never find another person to have a fulfilling romance. 

If I could, I'd like to go through this emotions in bigger portions, rather than having small morsels of these feelings here and there. These small portions really take away from the many small high points that I have on a daily basis, whether it's the warm feel-good feeling of enjoying a homecooked meal, or the pleasure of meeting new people or accomplishing tasks (I'm thinking of the gym right now. actually). Instead, the food becomes slightly bland or I become lethargic or stubborn when it comes to getting tasks done. By taking on more of the aftermath of my breakup, I feel like I'd be able to thoroughly process my breakup in a much more healthy manner. I feel like I can process, reflect, and learn from what we once shared and grieve over the loss of not only a romance, but a friend also. Yes, I know that life will be much more difficult to endure in that short amount of time, but I'd rather have this than to constantly lose interest in life or have the simple pleasures of life marred by the breakup that looms in the labyrinth of my mind. 

Well, this was a heavy blog post, but don't worry: the next post promises to be more lighthearted. Until next time, my fellow readers!

New Books

This is actually a first: normally, whenever I mention that I added books to my CRL, I usually make a simple post to say so. This time around, I figure I'll mention which books I've added to my ever-expanding (seldom-shrinking) CRL, rather than have you attempt to figure out what books have been added to the list. Without delay, here the additions I have made to my list:

002. Go Ask Alice - Anonymous

010. The Long 20th Century - Giovanni Arrighi

024. Room - Emma Donoghue

034. Looking For Alaska - John Green

083. Forces of Labor - Beverly Silver

106. It's Kind Of A Funny Story - Ned Vizzini

This now brings up the total number of books up to a nice round number of 111 books on my list. Until next time, friends!

"her"

I recently saw this movie a almost a ago, totally unaware that this movie was released a few weeks back. In short, I was amazed by how great this movie was. Not that I had low expectations for the film, mind you, but when the story revolves around a romantic relationship between a man and an artificial intelligence, you just don't know what to expect! But Spike Jonze delivered a touching story that goes beyond the immediate, or the forever now as I call it (I'll always thank the Psychedelic Furs for that phrase). 

In some ways, I feel that there's some foreshadowing about the direction of where our modern society is heading. For example, while the idea of dating an artificial intelligence seem ludicrous and preposterous now, perhaps it'll be a social/cultural norm in the not-to-distant future, when AIs can be intuitive and responsive as Samantha. After all, more and more relationships seem to created through the Internet or a social media website of sorts, so the idea of humans developing real emotions with AIs almost seems to be the next step. Also, it's a little depressing to say that we may end up being so overworked that people like Theodore (the main character in the film) are hired to wrie a myriad of romantic love letters on behalf of those who don't have the time anymore to even begin to write a love letter for somebody. 

In some ways, I was able to connect with Theodore in not only the predicaments he was finding himself in, but even how he decided to deal with said predicaments. It was almost like looking at a mirror, and in doing so, realizing how my actions and decisions may have pushed her away. It was difficult to watch those moments, to know that I've made those same mistakes Theodore had also made. But on a more positive perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing those surrogate love letters he had composed, mostly because those letters remind me of the letters I've written over a year ago. Perhaps, I should keep on writing letters, even if there isn't a narrative to bring them all together, like the first twelve I wrote did. 

All in all, this is one of those movies that you'll walk away moved, reflecting on what is love, how it's expressed, and how just the right person (or in this case, an AI) can make life all the more beautiful, inspiring, and fulfilling. 

"The Reasons I Won't Be Coming..."

Until almost a week ago, I was somebody's boyfriend. With her, I shared bits and pieces of myself - what I like and don't like; what elevates and depresses me; what I aspire to be, and hope to God I will never become. In our time together, I've learned to care (as best I can) about somebody else and she, by some miraculous act of God, reciprocated that same affection to me. 

Only...our time together was temporary. 

In surprise, she and I had discussed our relationship, and she realized that we weren't working out as a couple. She pointed out many problems we had: most were valid, a few exaggerated, and some a projection of our insecurities. After this lengthy discussion, I decided to respect her wishes and we eneded our relationship. We hugged, exchanged goodbyes, and we went our separate ways. Just like that. 

So now, a few days later, I'm here, writing about this, still in shock at the gravity of what had occurred days ago. I feel numb, disconnected, distant. I don't think reality has kicked in yet. I wonder if she feels the same.

Despite the numbness and disconnections, I don't really feel sad or upset that our time together came to an end, even if it was sudden and unexpected. I'll forever think of her fondly as my first love, who had accepted me for who I was, not what I was. Perhaps that acceptance will always be the best gift she'll ever give me (and believe me, she's given me some pretty cool gifts). 

At the end of all this, I didn't just lose a romance - I lost a friend. I lost someone who cared about me, who I cared for in return. I don't know if we'll cross paths again, but I hope someday we can reconnect again, even if we'll be just friends. 

Regardless of this, being single again gives me new found hope that I can re-experience this all over again, with someone else. As long as I keep my spirits up, I'll be alright. Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but I'll heal, I'll move on, and I'll love again. 

The New (and Color-Coded) CRL

So, in short, I've decided to take some time and redo my whole Comprehensive Reading List (or CRL, for short) to make it more colorful and modern (somewhat). To recap, this list began about 3 years ago, with the intention to motivate me to simply read as much as possible. While this list has been around for some time, it wasn't until last year that I've became quite persistent to cross off every title in my list. Although, the tricky part of this list that I can easily manipulate the list to add/subtract books from the list, which  can make the whole "read --% of the books in my CRL" a pain in the neck or a piece of cake. So without much ado, here is my new, improved, and color-coded CRL for this year!

Color-Code:

Pre-2013: Orange

2013: Green

2014: Fuchsia

Reading in Progress: Blue

Finished Title: Black/White (in published form)

001. This Bridge Called My Back - A Feminist Anthology
002. Go Ask Alice - Anonymous
003.-004. The Iliad and Odessy - Homer

005. Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom
006. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

007. Borderlands (La Frontera) - Gloria E. Anzaldùa
008.-009. The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri

010. The Long 20th Century - Giovanni Arrighi
011. What You Have Left - Will Allison
012. Invitation to Sociology - Peter L. Berger

013. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

014. The Social Animal - David Brooks

015. The Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks
016. The Stranger - Albert Camus
017. The Rebel - Albert Camus
018. Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus
019. Notebooks - Albert Camus

020. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

021. Jurassic Park - Micheal Crichton

022. Next - Micheal Crichton
023. Dancing in the Dark - Morris Dickstein
024. Room - Emma Donoghue

025. Drudge Manifesto - Matt Drudge

026. A Tale Of Three Kings - Gene Edwards

027. The Lost Witness - Robert Ellis

028. Dead Space: Martyr - B.K. Evenson

029. Then We Came To An End - Joshua Ferris

030. The Unnamed - Joshua Ferris

031. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

032. A Thing or Two About Curtis and Camilla - Nick Fowler
033. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
034. Looking For Alaska - John Green

035. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales (On A Break...)

036. The Books Of Rachel - Joel Gross

037. Policing As Though People Matter - Dorothy Guyot

038. Retribution - Jilliane Hoffman

039. Prince of Thieves - Chuck Hogan

040. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

041. The Know-It-All - A.J. Jacobs

042. The Year Of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs
043. Drop Dead Healthy - A.J. Jacobs

044. Shining Like Stars - Douglass Jacoby

045. Survivors - Zion Ben Jonah

046. What Technology Wants - Kevin Kelly
047. Angry White Men - Michael S. Kimmel
048. Masculinity as Homophobia - Michael S. Kimmel

049. Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes

050. Cell - Stephen King
051. The Walking Dead Compendium I - Kirkman/Adlard/Moore/Rathburn
052. The Walking Dead Compendium II - Kirkman/Adlard/Moore/Rathburn

053. Getting The Most Of The Bible - G. Steve Kinnard

054. Frankenstein - Dean Koontz
055. Unequal Childhoods - Annette Lareau

056. The Satanic Bible - Anton Szandor LaVey

057. Fresh Kills - Bill Loehfelm

058. Our American King - David Lozell Martin
059. The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx
060. The German Ideology - Karl Marx,  Friedrich Engels
061. The Gift - Marcel Mauss

062. The Complete Guide to the Bible - Stephen M. Miller
063. The Sociological Imagination - C. Wright Mills
064. The Will to Power - Friedrich Nietzche

065. 1984 - George Orwell

066. Animal Farm - George Orwell
067. Damned - Chuck Palahnuik

068.Three Dollars - Elliot Perlman

069. Seven Types of Ambiguity - Elliot Perlman

070. The Reasons I Won't Be Coming - Elliot Perlman

071. 01-01-00 - R.J. Pineiro

072. Bahgavad Gita (As It Is) - His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

073. Where The Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls

074.The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin

075. The Book Of Vice - Peter Sagal
076. No Exit - Jean-Paul Sartre
077. The Wall - Jean-Paul Sartre

078. Married To Murder - Robert Scott

079. Derailed - James Seigel

080. The Dark Room - Rachel Seiffert

081. Hamlet - William Shakespeare

082. Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
083. Forces of Labor - Beverly Silver

084. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ - Joseph Smith

085. Mostly Murder - Sydney Smith
086. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
087. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room - Lemony Snicket
088. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window - Lemony Snicket
089. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Miserable Mill - Lemony Snicket
090. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Austere Academy - Lemony Snicket
091. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Ersatz Elevator - Lemony Snicket
092. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Vile Village - Lemony Snicket
093. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Hostile Hospital - Lemony Snicket
094. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Carnivorous Carnival - Lemony Snicket
095. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Slippery Slope - Lemony Snicket
096. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Grim Grotto - Lemony Snicket
097. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Penultimate Peril - Lemony Snicket
098. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The End - Lemony Snicket

099. Baseball In April And Other Stories - Gary Soto

100. Of Mice And Men - John Steinbeck

101. AMERICA (The Definitive Guide) - Jon Stewart

102. Mr. Clarinet - Nick Stone

103. The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
104. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism - Max Weber
105. The Methodology of the Social Sciences - Max Weber

106. I Am The Messenger - Markus Zusak
107. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

108. A+ Guide To Managing And Maintaining Your PC 6th Ed. (Textbook)

109. Criminal Justice, Citrus College Custom Ed. (Textbook)

110. Electronic Technology Fundamentals (Textbook)

111. Psychology 2nd Ed. (Textbook)

Total Books Read: 57 of 111 (51.35%)

A New Year and the Future Me... (Pt. III)

Ok, this last part is different from both I and II - Part III is more of a bucket list rather than a list of resolutions to accomplish. After last year's resolutions and even this year's resolutions got me thinking about perhaps establishing some long-term goals for my life - goals that will take time, effort, and even courage to even accomplish. Unlike I and II, this is much more grandiose and extravagant, being so much more than just a task to complete. These goals are, without a doubt in my mind, larger than life (well, at least for me, that is). For now, this will be short (since I'm writing this list at the top of my mind), but I'm sure over time, I'll have more to contribute here. And so, without further ado, here's what I would like to accomplish by the end of my life:

01. Go on a hot-air balloon ride
02. Skydive at least once
03. Visit all 50 states (yes, also Hawaii and Alaska) of the US
04. Host a musical performance for family and friends
05.  Visit Russia, England, Japan, France, and Mexico (in no particular order)

And that's all I got, for now. More to come soon!

A New Year and A New(er) Me... (Pt. II)

Now that I've reflected on my previous resolutions, here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2014! You'll notice that some goals are still the same from last year's and there are some completely new ones for me to accomplish!

2014 Resolutions:

1) Be happier (I've decided that this will always be a life-long resolution for me)

2) Be healthier, physically and mentally (also, another life-long resolution)
    -begin exercising
    -improve diet

3) Read 60% of books in my reading list
    -also, buy at least 10 e-books

4) Complete another CD collection

5) Learn to cook

6) Explore California
    -visit 3 museums
    -go hiking on 3 trails
    -try new food
    -go to 3 new cities

7) Learn a new language

8) Create 2 photo albums
    -one for the family to have
    -one for demonstrating my best photography

9) Find a spiritual calling (of sorts)

10) Learn to dance! (especially like nobody's watching ;-P)

A New Year and the Old Me... (Pt. I)

Well, before I even begin to write my upcoming New Year's Resolutions and the goals I will set for myself, I feel it's best to revisit the 10 goals I set for myself and see how much I have (or have not accomplished) - this is taken directly from my ""Reflections and Resolutions" blog almost a year ago. 

Also to note: Green means I had successfully accomplished that goal; Red means that I failed to accomplish that goal. 

2013 Resolutions:

1) Be happier

2) Be healthier
    -begin exercising
    -improve diet
    -improve dental health

3) Read 75% of books in my reading list
    -also, buy at least 5 e-books

4) Complete my CD collection

5) Make more vlogs on YouTube
    -make at least 25 videos
    -find new channels to subscribe to
    -Be more interactive in YouTube

6) Work on writing skills
    -finish the "Dearly Beloved" series
    -start a new series

7) Learn a new language

8) Take more pictures of family, friends, self, and artistic

9) Deal with nagging tasks
    -check engine light
    -New tires/rims
    -physical checkups
    -dental care

10) Get a girlfriend

6/10 2013 Resolutions Accomplished! 

Wow, I can't believe that I've had such a great year! I mean, it's still a "D", but when so many people struggle to even accomplish even one resolution, this is amazing. I personally was only expecting to only complete 4 of these 10, but I did quite well this year. And with the new year looming around the corner, I'm excited to see just how much further I will grow! Thank you all for an amazing year! Until next time, my fellow readers!