Thanks

Thank you, God, for MY MOM, MY SISTER, my dad, my friends, this world,
my entire life, and everything.

Although there needn't be a particular day to be thankful,

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Enjoy Everything, Everyday :)

defining the blog-ist

Today was a WTF day. Everything was swell and dandy until a huge wave of cramps hit me out of nowhere and I felt like someone roundhouse kicked me in th stomach. While cutting out of the Daily Bruin office early and comforting myself in the massive mess of distractions across the internet, which is mostly just people's insignificant bullcrap opinions (myself included), I discovered something worth reading. I came across a blogger that articulates an idea I've often thought about before, but so eloquently, it stopped me in my virtual tracks.

Instead of reiterating the ideas through my own mumbo jumbo, I'll let his words speak for my thoughts. If you have the patience to read this blurb, I'd say that this could be considered a piece of art in itself.

"To be more specific, I find that “art” has become a euphemism, a synonym for glorified self-absorption that encourages a form of narcissism that goes beyond simple vanity in that, by deeming it as “art”, actually justifies and even celebrates self-centeredness. And I think many young people–I’m not necessarily excluding myself–find this kind of thinking attractive (for obvious reasons), but don’t think beyond themselves, making their “art” and the idea of “artist” simplistic and masturbatory. Bottom line: I believe that it’s important to state (and perhaps overstate) what it means to be an artist because much of what constitutes “art” these days is complete bullshit in the sense that, if it’s saying anything at all, it generally encourages and celebrates this supposed “liberal individualist” perspective instead of encouraging a constructive and community-oriented criticism for awareness and, hopefully, change. In my thinking, an artist is only an artist because he has art to share–for others to respond to–and therefore art should (ideally) encourage a dialogue between the artist and the viewer. Even more ideally, that dialogue should be a two-way communication and should, at its best, promote a social consciousness through constructive criticism."

http://www.jonobr1.com/argentina/2008/11/18/hi-how-are-you-im-an-art-ist/

Amen.
~taken from Ted, the art-ist / blogger

so presh it makes me want to puke out glittery little red hearts

paradise lost... on me?

My least favorite class this quarter is surprisingly an English class. on Milton. I really do respect him, but I just can't get myself to enjoy his works.

But I've been pondering about this, and I think Milton didn't exactly mean for his works to be enjoyable. I think he wanted it to be instructive more than anything. And he's right, his fit audience is very few and I happen not to be one of them. I originally thought the reason I was having such a hard time with Milton was because I couldn't relate to his works or his characters. In Paradise Lost, God is too perfect, Adam and Eve don't really have personalities, and Satan... well what does that say about me if I can relate to Satan?

But then I thought about it so'more, and I can really understand Milton, the poet. He's invokes God and these muses to help him achieve this almighty "purpose" on Earth that he believes he is destined to achieve, aims for the seemingly impossible and struggles so hard, but at the same time is completely lost, confused, and constantly in doubt of his own capabilities. And I've definitely felt that before.

I wonder what made Milton wake up one day and believe that it was his duty to communicate God's message to humankind, while I wake up everyday and think, "No! 5 more minutes, please!" And I still wonder all the time what I'm here to do, if I'm doing it right, or if I'm here to do anything at all.

So I guess even if I can't appreciate Paradise Lost as an epic literary work, I can at least appreciate the fact that Milton knew his inherent destiny, and had the unwavering determination and ambition to fulfill it, even after facing challenges such as going blind, amongst others

I'm just trying really, really hard to get through the next few Books.

And finish this Chaucer essay (and heres the catch): without going crazy!

So now that fall recruiting is over, I have to say, I feel relieved. By no means am I prepared for next fall, and by no means do I have a backup plan if no one hires me after winter qtr. But I'm still relieved that the whole "pretending to be enthusiastic about working at a desk job" charade is over.

I think my lack of concern for the whole recruiting process really shows in the interviews, when they compare me to everyone else who's got "hire me! hire me!" stitched-in all across their immaculate business suits. And it doesn't really help that I don't really know as much about the business professions as I should. I wish I could be excited about auditing or taxes, but it's not wired into my brain like that. It's like... training a fish to live on land! But then I guess according to evolution that would make me an amphibian. Or something. Shut up.

I guess I'm torn. Part of me really wishes someone would hire me so that I wouldn't have to search for a sugar daddy come next September. But another part of me doesn't want to be sucked into the corporate vacuum. Also, the current and probably near-future economy is working against me anyway. Dilemma, dilemma.


Or just give me a way to pay off my student loans. And buy stuff.

You know what? I'm leaving it up to fate. If someone hires me, I'll put aside my dreams in a little shoe box for a few years. I mean, a steady paycheck never killed nobody right? But if no one hires me for a full-time job, I'm taking it as a green light to go for what I want.
And that's that. Problemo gone.

and then I open my eyes

a.m.a.z.i.n.g. pianist! and cute drummer : )

Going home reminds me of how far I've strayed from the ground. We, all of us, go out into the world and are affected by a billion different things, and it's hard to remain unshaken. But when we come back home and get together, we really are just a couple of kids from MPK who's shared years chock-full of memories that no one else will understand. It's comforting to know that that's one thing that will never change.

The Confidence Woman

~ Herman Melville ~

I wonder how long it takes the average person to figure out who they really are? Maybe when they're 30.

Depardieux! The motivation I have to study for my Chaucer class is my Professor's extreme enthusiasm for Middle English. I'm actually enjoying it because of his brilliant insights.

The motivation for my Milton class? NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. I'm swyved!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN PEEPS!