Things

Found this from my creative writing class senior year (2004).

Things to tell a younger me or for an older me to remember.


"11 December 2003

Period 5


Live life. Don’t hold anything back, and have faith in what you believe. Never back down against anyone else or give in your ideals for them. Keep an open mind regarding anything that may come into your life. Don’t discredit something simply because you don’t understand it. Treat others in the manner in which you wish to be treated, and don’t let people get to you. Their opinions and words don’t mean a thing. All that does matter is how you feel about yourself. Be courteous and generous, even if the favor is not well received. Keeping your values in a world where there are none is worth as much as a thousand thank-yous, but don’t stop giving them out yourself, either. Don’t hold anything back, even if you don’t like where you think it may lead you. In the end, the journey and destination will be worth any pain. Take risks. Caution is best exercised in moderation like anything else, and being too careful will seal you up by yourself. Never desire to be alone. Despite what many may advocate, to love and to be loved is a greater gift than anything material anyone could ever give you. Most importantly, always follow your heart no matter where it leads you. It knows you better than anyone else and will never steer you wrong."

Darkness

If you look in your heart for darkness

Darkness is what you will find

You can let it outshine your light

Use it to justify the pain you inflict on others

Or you can recognize that it does not define you

For human nature is a duality, torn this way and that

To be one, to be the other, to be both

Being is nothing at all

Because we can all be something

It is our actions that define who we are

Just make sure you can live with those actions

And make damn sure you can live with or without those who are affected by them

They may mean more to you than you ever could have realized

4/28/2012

CGS

“Darkness”

So...that was random

Just now I was on YouTube and clicked on a recommended video. It was from Tenchi Universe episode 24 where Ryoko gets Tenchi to Jurai to save Ayeka and take out the imposter Kagato. One of the comments was from someone with a screen name exactly the same as someone I knew in high school. A little more clicking and checking it out revealed that it was, in fact, her.

Also, her videos are...interesting. Props for dancing in costume and putting that online. I would never do that.

The Forest

This is a creative writing piece for my class senior year about the first time Jon and I saw the forest on our day of adventuring.

From atop a short yet steep hill, a stretch of open, barren land stretching from one knoll to the next is the only thing separating one from the edge of humanity’s civilized world and the peaceful paradise bathed in sunlight and the shade of tall tress. Walking across the grassless earth, the next hill becomes clearer. Rocks decorate the brown dirt, a small stream of water gurgling down and passing over the speckled granite chunks. The top of the next hill brings the destination into view, the forest not shrouded by the usual smog of the lower valley. To the left lays a seemingly dangerous quarry of gray and white rock, the most common of its kind found often in backyards and park playgrounds. On the right, a long and winding worn dirt path heads in the opposite direction of the valley of stones, snaking closely by the mountainside and then returning to its original straight-line direction. A chain-link cage, obviously man-made, protects a pipe and the raging water that flows through it, the furious stream echoing through the mountain canyon. Ahead on the trail, a weeping willow sits undisturbed by the light afternoon breeze, beckoning weary travelers to take refuge in its cool foliage. Hiking past the giant tree, the entrance of the forest becomes visible, and as one makes the final strides toward the calm and cool woods, the breeze begins to die down until it is almost nothing but a faint whisper upon the leaves. Almost immediately in one swift gust, a horde of strange insects descends upon you, blinding you from your line of sight and landing on various parts of your skin, causing one of the worst forms of irritation. The quiet and steady sound of the delicately flowing stream echoes through the empty woodland, filling one with a sense of calm that only nature can provide. The sun overhead is all but blocked out completely by the various branches of leaves that are just barely starting to turn in preparation for the autumn season. The light bouncing off creates the subtle illusion the branches are on fire while still maintaining their natural radiance and beauty. A log, suspended from two trees by unraveling yellow twine on both sides, swings slightly over fallen brown leaves, enticing the inner child to skip over and hop on to relive days past. An old net attached to a tree hangs just above conveniently paced metal spikes, almost looking like a man-made trap set to catch someone’s prey. Past this stands a crumbling stone bridge, dating back farther than anyone really knows. The once strong viaduct, now rusting with age, leads over the small stream, and when the slippery rocks are climbed, an old car riddled with bullets resting on the other side becomes discernible, along with the rest of the forest. Inhaling deeply, the sweet scent of the all-season flowers overwhelms the senses, and for the first time, the setting sun becomes apparent through the vegetation above. Only the sounds of the trickling water, the faint buzzing of insects, and the serene quiet of nature itself fill the ears, and a state of tranquility is reached. All of this makes the long hike up under the hot searing sun worthwhile, and perhaps the most rewarding is the view from atop that small hill after night has fallen and the lights of the city twinkle below.

23 October 2003

Love Taught Me

Even if the days when I smiled a lot
Should turn out to be nothing but a lovely dream
That would be alright with me
If that's all it means

My mind's unrest, struggling with me
Recalling the past, who I could be
Gotta rise and be strong
Gotta be tough but not lose the person I am

Two lives I have, one life I live, one life I dream
In dreams I remember the better in me
Vision don't let me down, I'm depending on you
Carry me through when I see reality


--Blue Gender opening theme, English dub

These lyrics fit me so well in high school, and I still think they are powerful, at least to me.

Off to See the Wizard

I wish that were true. I have a few things I need to ask for...

Actually, I am just off to do fieldwork in the classroom with the teacher I have been assigned to observe. I tell you, if I was still in high school, she is the kind of teacher I would want to have. I hope to be like that and a few others I can think of someday when I'm a teacher.

So You're Standing on a Ledge

Music from my freshmen and sophomore years in high school.

"The Madding Crowd" - Nine Days
"Sarina Paris" - Sarina Paris
"Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits" - Barenaked Ladies
"Two Worlds" and "Movin Melodies" - ATB
"Toxicity" - System of a Down
"Best of Trance Volume 2" - various
"Warning" - Green Day
Shrek soundtrack
"Be Not Nobody" - Vanessa Carlton
"The Spirit Room" - Michelle Branch