Wow so much has happened in these last couple of chapters. Lets start from the beginning. Woah! she met her brother who supposedly died. I was super happy to hear this bit of information the family gets bigger! Low blow though when we find out he is a super Christian. Although Olamania gave him shelter and allowed him to preach to her people about his own ideals, he still seemed rather un-grateful. Eventually he runs off, im not too sad about his lose he didn't help the community in any big way.
She's PREGNANT!!! I see how shes happy and all but in my own opinion i wouldnt want to bring a baby into a world like that. What if her baby turned out to be a sharer that would cuase so many troubles (luckily she isnt). In the back of my head i was kind of hoping her baby would gain some other power or side effect since Olamania is a sharer, darn.
The Joy of the baby was very short lived. Soon after the Maggots, which sound incredibly fun to use, storm in and take over Acorn. If i was harry i would have spent my time upgrading the fighter trucks. Anywho the Christian enthusiasts completely took over Acorn with the help of their immobilizing gas. They are quickly rounded up and collared. Somthing I though Olamania would never have to go through. Soon Acorn begins looking like a nazi concentration camp. Being forced to work for no reason. CA thought they were doing good since these people were not christian but they were just hypocrites. They raped all of them which from my understanding of Christianity is a no no. It bothers me how CA would take over Acorn a community sticking to itself but not people like Cougar who are selling little boys and girls as sex slaves. 17 months of that torture, Bankole died but no huge surprise.
It seems our characters have split off and went on their own way. How long will it take Olamania to be reunited with her daughter? Will they ever be reunited? I think Olamania should have another husband. She could use the company and protection. Hopefully by the end of all of this Earth seed will leave earth and travel space, but the future looks bleak. =(
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
American Shaolin
So this is one of my first book reviews/ reflection it's martial arts based so yea...
American Shaolin
By Matthew Polly
This book was an amazing read, definitely glad I picked it up. At no moment is the story slow or uneventful. Matthew clearly knows how to tell what happened to him in such a way to draw attention. Matthew is the type of person who has a to do list. The top five that come first in his list are: 1. Stop being Ignorant 2. Stop being a coward 3.Be more of a man 4. Be more attractive 5. Find spirituality.
His first goal he accomplished by getting into Princeton. Matthew was tired of not knowing what other people were talking about that seemed so important. In turn he decided to give his all in school, and create a Spanish club to show his leadership potential. Luckily Princeton ate it up and gladly admitted his attendance. Matthew felt accomplished up until his third year in college. His list started appearing in his mind more often. Going towards one of his most favorite interests, Chinese culture and martial arts, he decided to travel to the Shaolin temple and accomplish more of his list there. Disregarding everything his friends and family said about China, he was set on finding the Shaolin temple and learning the teachings.
Once in China he quickly realizes that it’s not the same place that America has told him it was. It was no longer in severe poverty, but on an economic rise with higher sights in the future. After many dead ends he finally gets good advice on where the Shaolin temple is located. Upon arriving at the temple his excitement crashes down to a disappointment. The place was full of tourists, surely the Shaolin monks were in a more secluded area? After looking through the temple on display and several martial art schools that were erected in the area he finally found the Shaolin monks in a nice looking building. Upon stating his desire to train with the monks the buildings manager’s eyes quickly gleamed with dollar signs. Upon paying 1300 (U.S) a month he was allowed to stay and learn.
Matthews first day of training was intense. He had studied kung fu for about 3 years in high school, but this made all of his work seem like 3 weeks. He learned that kung fu was a form of moving mediation and that there was probably a fighting style for every animal imaginable. Matthew learned about the iron –body part- styles of fighting. In fact he was lucky enough to learn the iron forearm technique in which the ancient Chinese medicine doctor helped him learn. After the first day he was so incredibly soar that he had to use his arms to make his feet walk. Instead of resting the monks encouraged him to keep going through the exercises (which they did two rounds of a day) and sure enough in a week his body was used to the difficult tasks. No one seemed to respect him since he was just another white foreigner who was in over his head, and would eventually end up quitting. In an attempt to prove them wrong he decided to train 7 hours a day instead of the usual amount. The monks began to notice this and a few started to visit him in his hotel despite the elder monks dis-advising them to.
Deqing is Matthews first and best friend in the temple. They first meet each other during an interview of why Matthew came to china. While Matthew was stumbling over his Chinese Diqing winked at him and encouraged him to speak up more. Later in a restaurant Diqing gets challenged to a match, but instead Matthew is sent in to assess the opponents skill. Although nervous Matthew was glad to help out his best friend in the temple.
Coach Chen is one responsible for teaching Matthew while he is in China. Matthew did not know this at the time, but this was a huge task. Most monks don’t mind teaching a foreigner, but that’s when they are there for a few days or weeks. Matthew was there for two years so in that time frame Coach Chen had very little time to work on his own technique. Although immensely burdened by this Coach eventually saw past Matthews foreignness and started to see what he was really like instead of what everyone else expected of him. (Such as knowing famous Americans)
The conclusion of the story has Matthew getting second place in a tournament, and getting his top 5 to do list crossed off. Although now living in America Matthew keeps contact with the monks (via letters) and travels around America giving presentations.
This book is definitely on of my favorite reads. Straight from the beginning I could relate to the author. His great interest in an Asian culture, the need to improve yourself, physically (although he is a lot bigger than I in height we weigh around the same) and a sense of wanting to learn everything and anything that will stick in your mind. I feel as though the author and I would be able to talk for hours and be good friends.
The first sense of wonderment once you finally start getting in deeper into a martial art is shared between us. Although I’m not as dedicated as Mat, I still try my best and try to improve myself. Although at time seems very difficult as I have some habits that are hard to break, such as keeping my head down. My first impression of martial arts was like something as a show or performance. I’m really just beginning to see all of the different aspects of martial arts of all kinds not just Shaolin or Judo. The kazushi (spelling?) and balance is so important. I never really noticed, but during a match I find myself more focused on trying to keep myself balanced. Kazushi is rather difficult for me to do fast, and still relatively difficult to do even at a slower pace. So much goes on that you have to be really focused. From reading this book and reflecting on what I do in class really makes me want to meditate more.
I really like how the author was a 98lb scrawny guy. He proved that with dedication it doesn’t matter what your build is. I love how he advanced so much in 2 years, a short time for a Shaolin monk. Although Mat is considered at a really low class, he has improved in so many ways. American Shaolin also touches upon spirituality. To mediate while in motion, it seems inconceivable to me how you can be moving in such ways while trying to keep my mind blank. Heck, its hard enough keeping your mind blank.
This book also made me think about all the different kinds of fighting styles. Its amazing how with one body and several different minds can make the body intricate and distinct movements that are so easy for some and impossible for others. Definitely in top 10 favorite books.
American Shaolin
By Matthew Polly
This book was an amazing read, definitely glad I picked it up. At no moment is the story slow or uneventful. Matthew clearly knows how to tell what happened to him in such a way to draw attention. Matthew is the type of person who has a to do list. The top five that come first in his list are: 1. Stop being Ignorant 2. Stop being a coward 3.Be more of a man 4. Be more attractive 5. Find spirituality.
His first goal he accomplished by getting into Princeton. Matthew was tired of not knowing what other people were talking about that seemed so important. In turn he decided to give his all in school, and create a Spanish club to show his leadership potential. Luckily Princeton ate it up and gladly admitted his attendance. Matthew felt accomplished up until his third year in college. His list started appearing in his mind more often. Going towards one of his most favorite interests, Chinese culture and martial arts, he decided to travel to the Shaolin temple and accomplish more of his list there. Disregarding everything his friends and family said about China, he was set on finding the Shaolin temple and learning the teachings.
Once in China he quickly realizes that it’s not the same place that America has told him it was. It was no longer in severe poverty, but on an economic rise with higher sights in the future. After many dead ends he finally gets good advice on where the Shaolin temple is located. Upon arriving at the temple his excitement crashes down to a disappointment. The place was full of tourists, surely the Shaolin monks were in a more secluded area? After looking through the temple on display and several martial art schools that were erected in the area he finally found the Shaolin monks in a nice looking building. Upon stating his desire to train with the monks the buildings manager’s eyes quickly gleamed with dollar signs. Upon paying 1300 (U.S) a month he was allowed to stay and learn.
Matthews first day of training was intense. He had studied kung fu for about 3 years in high school, but this made all of his work seem like 3 weeks. He learned that kung fu was a form of moving mediation and that there was probably a fighting style for every animal imaginable. Matthew learned about the iron –body part- styles of fighting. In fact he was lucky enough to learn the iron forearm technique in which the ancient Chinese medicine doctor helped him learn. After the first day he was so incredibly soar that he had to use his arms to make his feet walk. Instead of resting the monks encouraged him to keep going through the exercises (which they did two rounds of a day) and sure enough in a week his body was used to the difficult tasks. No one seemed to respect him since he was just another white foreigner who was in over his head, and would eventually end up quitting. In an attempt to prove them wrong he decided to train 7 hours a day instead of the usual amount. The monks began to notice this and a few started to visit him in his hotel despite the elder monks dis-advising them to.
Deqing is Matthews first and best friend in the temple. They first meet each other during an interview of why Matthew came to china. While Matthew was stumbling over his Chinese Diqing winked at him and encouraged him to speak up more. Later in a restaurant Diqing gets challenged to a match, but instead Matthew is sent in to assess the opponents skill. Although nervous Matthew was glad to help out his best friend in the temple.
Coach Chen is one responsible for teaching Matthew while he is in China. Matthew did not know this at the time, but this was a huge task. Most monks don’t mind teaching a foreigner, but that’s when they are there for a few days or weeks. Matthew was there for two years so in that time frame Coach Chen had very little time to work on his own technique. Although immensely burdened by this Coach eventually saw past Matthews foreignness and started to see what he was really like instead of what everyone else expected of him. (Such as knowing famous Americans)
The conclusion of the story has Matthew getting second place in a tournament, and getting his top 5 to do list crossed off. Although now living in America Matthew keeps contact with the monks (via letters) and travels around America giving presentations.
This book is definitely on of my favorite reads. Straight from the beginning I could relate to the author. His great interest in an Asian culture, the need to improve yourself, physically (although he is a lot bigger than I in height we weigh around the same) and a sense of wanting to learn everything and anything that will stick in your mind. I feel as though the author and I would be able to talk for hours and be good friends.
The first sense of wonderment once you finally start getting in deeper into a martial art is shared between us. Although I’m not as dedicated as Mat, I still try my best and try to improve myself. Although at time seems very difficult as I have some habits that are hard to break, such as keeping my head down. My first impression of martial arts was like something as a show or performance. I’m really just beginning to see all of the different aspects of martial arts of all kinds not just Shaolin or Judo. The kazushi (spelling?) and balance is so important. I never really noticed, but during a match I find myself more focused on trying to keep myself balanced. Kazushi is rather difficult for me to do fast, and still relatively difficult to do even at a slower pace. So much goes on that you have to be really focused. From reading this book and reflecting on what I do in class really makes me want to meditate more.
I really like how the author was a 98lb scrawny guy. He proved that with dedication it doesn’t matter what your build is. I love how he advanced so much in 2 years, a short time for a Shaolin monk. Although Mat is considered at a really low class, he has improved in so many ways. American Shaolin also touches upon spirituality. To mediate while in motion, it seems inconceivable to me how you can be moving in such ways while trying to keep my mind blank. Heck, its hard enough keeping your mind blank.
This book also made me think about all the different kinds of fighting styles. Its amazing how with one body and several different minds can make the body intricate and distinct movements that are so easy for some and impossible for others. Definitely in top 10 favorite books.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
book letter
So far i am loving every part of this book. The story is really progressing at a speed that i like. It's not too slow or too fast that makes you have to reread a whole chapter to just figure out what happened. Although the writing style is a bit difficult to get used to. At first i thought the story revolved around this one girl. Only to find out that the only time we see her thoughts and opinions it's in the gold print. It turns out the majority of the story is read by her mom's diary. A bit confusing at first, but eventually i got it.
Earthseed the religion of Acorn. Acorn being the city of course is a religion i wouldn't mind converting to. God is change and change is God. You may influence God and God may influence you. Very appealing in my eyes. A religion whose goal is to spread it's self into other planets in space is what really captured me. Acorn is a nice little town that i would love to stay in, in my post-apocalyptic world. A tight community where everyone has your back and has their own trade is very comforting in a world where you can barely trust the food you eat. I would want to be a scavenger looking for materials the town would find useful. Not the safest job, but definetly won't be boring.
I really enjoyed learning about how their world is so much different then ours. Although it seems so immensely different it feels like that kind of thing could happen at any moment. I mean they found life forms on mars, and yet the US sell all of their space equipment for aesthetic money for the higher ups. People just elected an obviously danergous racist president. People want to join the side of the oppressor instead of standing up and defying them.
I wonder if the daughter will stop reading the diary and take the main role later in the book. That is what i think is likely to happen.
Earthseed the religion of Acorn. Acorn being the city of course is a religion i wouldn't mind converting to. God is change and change is God. You may influence God and God may influence you. Very appealing in my eyes. A religion whose goal is to spread it's self into other planets in space is what really captured me. Acorn is a nice little town that i would love to stay in, in my post-apocalyptic world. A tight community where everyone has your back and has their own trade is very comforting in a world where you can barely trust the food you eat. I would want to be a scavenger looking for materials the town would find useful. Not the safest job, but definetly won't be boring.
I really enjoyed learning about how their world is so much different then ours. Although it seems so immensely different it feels like that kind of thing could happen at any moment. I mean they found life forms on mars, and yet the US sell all of their space equipment for aesthetic money for the higher ups. People just elected an obviously danergous racist president. People want to join the side of the oppressor instead of standing up and defying them.
I wonder if the daughter will stop reading the diary and take the main role later in the book. That is what i think is likely to happen.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Just the begining
I'm sure many of you are already aware of the protests and marches on March 4th. Sutherland, a handful of his students, and I went to the gathering in Oakland's city hall. I tried my best to try to document everything that stood out or was important to me. While at the same time adding my own thoughts and whatever was running through my head at the time. This current part is straight from my notes that were taken on the day without any doctoring besides grammar and spelling issues. This first blog is just a prequel to the actual happenings of the protest. There is just so much that went down it couldn't all be processed in one night, unlike several newspapers have. This is mainly my own personal thoughts of the morning of March 4 until I get off the bus.
Before: I am really nervous about this whole ordeal. In the back of my head i hear myself saying that it (the protest) could turn violent, that its not worth the risk. It's definitely worth it. A good education is worth ever risk. After all nothing gets accomplished by being passive as events move around you. It's about time I get active in something that will determine how my future will turn out.
This in itself is a whole new learning experience for me. I am so used to reading about such amazing changes, but have never actually participated in anything. I've never dreamed of going to a protest so early in my life, but right now I am questioning why i haven't done so earlier. I'm excited to take in and learn so much from this event. I'll also get first hand witness to observe human behavior (which i am fascinated in) in a crowd of such a mass but also at a youthful moment in life. Overall my feelings are curious and excited, but i also know to be weary and feel a bit nervous.
Bus: I met with what seems to be the group from AHS, sadly it's not an abundance of people as i hoped it would be. I envisioned at least 30 people from our school, it seems as if no one cares. The people who have decided to show up are mainly girls. Although i was not completely alone in gender as one other boy came. From what i can see none of us has brought any signs, banners, or megaphones. Perhaps that's an illusion that movies make?( boy was i wrong. There were actually dozens of clever signs that made me grin or chuckle) We had alot of cameras though, awesome. Hopefully we will be able to catch a lot of what is going down over there, and perhaps inspire other people to get involved once they see what the environment is like. Our group isn't as lively as the raging protesters in my head act. I expect that to change once we get pumped at the rally. I'm curious to hear peoples thoughts and opinions about what is going on. Currently it seems to be a number game with several people mass texting there phone books to tell people to come. I also tried to encourage people to join us, but like many of the others i failed to do so. I'm excited to see the turn out when we reach the actual event.
Next post will be solely focused on the events as seen through my eyes.
Before: I am really nervous about this whole ordeal. In the back of my head i hear myself saying that it (the protest) could turn violent, that its not worth the risk. It's definitely worth it. A good education is worth ever risk. After all nothing gets accomplished by being passive as events move around you. It's about time I get active in something that will determine how my future will turn out.
This in itself is a whole new learning experience for me. I am so used to reading about such amazing changes, but have never actually participated in anything. I've never dreamed of going to a protest so early in my life, but right now I am questioning why i haven't done so earlier. I'm excited to take in and learn so much from this event. I'll also get first hand witness to observe human behavior (which i am fascinated in) in a crowd of such a mass but also at a youthful moment in life. Overall my feelings are curious and excited, but i also know to be weary and feel a bit nervous.
Bus: I met with what seems to be the group from AHS, sadly it's not an abundance of people as i hoped it would be. I envisioned at least 30 people from our school, it seems as if no one cares. The people who have decided to show up are mainly girls. Although i was not completely alone in gender as one other boy came. From what i can see none of us has brought any signs, banners, or megaphones. Perhaps that's an illusion that movies make?( boy was i wrong. There were actually dozens of clever signs that made me grin or chuckle) We had alot of cameras though, awesome. Hopefully we will be able to catch a lot of what is going down over there, and perhaps inspire other people to get involved once they see what the environment is like. Our group isn't as lively as the raging protesters in my head act. I expect that to change once we get pumped at the rally. I'm curious to hear peoples thoughts and opinions about what is going on. Currently it seems to be a number game with several people mass texting there phone books to tell people to come. I also tried to encourage people to join us, but like many of the others i failed to do so. I'm excited to see the turn out when we reach the actual event.
Next post will be solely focused on the events as seen through my eyes.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Steam
So this is a story that was inspired to me by Mr. Sutherlands prompt of the girl and the box. I have included the first part (but am not counting it towards my total word count) just for the ease to read it all in one post.
She touched the box in her pocket and smiled to herself. The Royal messengers had no idea that Rin had so easily pick pocketed. They were engrossed in watching a common street fight unfold. What hope did the government have if such high ranking messengers were so easily amused and distracted. This was why she couldn't wait to leave the corrupt lands of Japan. Judging on the messengers clothing Rin determined that those men worked for the shogun.
Rin gracefully weaved in and out of the crowded streets of market day. The excitement of fresh new goods was wafting through the air. The feeling of excitement could not be compared to Rin's though. The rush of successfully stealing from the royal messengers was still pulsing throughout her body. The rush was only one factor of her excitement. With such an item being put in the trust of royalty meant that what ever was inside was going to fetch a hefty sum. Deciding she was far enough Rin slipped inside an alley to take a closer look at her loot.
The box was wrapped in a brown cloth with black black designs that seemed to pop out at you from within the cloth. The cloth alone would sell at a high price alone, and this made Rin's smile even deeper. She would be able to buy some actual fitting clothes instead of the glorified rags she made. Carefully unwrapping the box she noticed it was incredibly heavy for a box the size of her fist. The box was made out of redwood, which meant it came from far away since Japan did not have redwoods. It was smooth and every centimeter of it was decorated in a coal black or a deep red. In the upper right corner was the obvious sign of a red disc symbolizing Japan. It was definitely Rin's best steal.
Slipping the smooth box back inside her pocket she started to head out of the alley, into the bustling streets. As she turned she noticed a man standing at the entrance slowly walking towards her. Slightly turning her head she saw another man from behind. There were no misplaced bricks or things she could jump onto to escape by roof top, sadly someone created these shacks with good quality. She was trapped she had to confront them.
"What do you guys want with me? I'm just a frail girl!" Rin whimpered. Playing the pity card.
"We see a girl walking into an alley alone... do you expect us to not jump on an opportunity like this? So do you have any valuables or are we going to have to sell you to a slave owner?" the first guy said triumphantly pulling out a wooden club. The bigger of the two remained still acting as a wall, preventing her from running away.
"Hand over what ever you got, and maybe we'll let you go," the man with the bat said with a sneer.
Looking down Rin walked over to the man. He had a tattoo with a red crescent moon on his forearm with a bright blue slash going behind it. It was obviously fresh with the skin around it still blazing red. Standing two feet away from the man with the tattoo she stood there waiting for further instruction from her aggressor.
"Hurry up! Do you want to see the light of tomorrow?! Give me what you got!" he yelled getting impatient. Rin put her hand inside the out pocket of her worn deep red outer jacket. Pulling out a smooth envelope with a red crest holding it together.
"That's more like it, looks like you stole this from a high positioned official. Do you steal from your clients?" he sneered as he tore open the seal. Hearing the tear Rin slightly looked to the side, the big man was standing there possibly 20 feet away. She returned her glare to the man who was shaking her down. His face soon turned with surprise, for there was not money in the envelope, but a neatly folded paper. His greedy eyes scanned the paper reading the characters carefully hand painted with a brush that read, "FUCK YOU" Rin noticed the sudden change of face, and quickly acted while he was still in shock. Skillfully grabbing a concealed curved knife in her sleeve she placed the deadly blade and plunged it into his sore forearm. Blood obscured his new tattoos making them un-distinguishable blobs. Eyes tearing he crumbled to his knees clutching his wound, trying to put as much pressure as possible to make the blood stop. Not taking time to notice her handy work she quickly turned to see that his companion was making a bee line towards her.He had a bulky build so he wouldn't be too fast. Holding her knife so naturally it was like her hand she sprinted towards the man. Crossing her arms to make an X, she turned the knife to face away from her and threw her body to the ground. The momentum from his sprint sent him stumbling over her body with his calf scraping across the smooth blade. His wound visible only by the cloth of his pants darkening. Wiping the blood from her blade onto the inside of her already deep red jacket she made herself look as if nothing happened in the past two minutes. Silently she slipped out of the alley leaving the mess behind. Rin was late after all and she hated making her friends wait.
no crticism is too cruel or useless, all(honest) comments wanted :D
She touched the box in her pocket and smiled to herself. The Royal messengers had no idea that Rin had so easily pick pocketed. They were engrossed in watching a common street fight unfold. What hope did the government have if such high ranking messengers were so easily amused and distracted. This was why she couldn't wait to leave the corrupt lands of Japan. Judging on the messengers clothing Rin determined that those men worked for the shogun.
Rin gracefully weaved in and out of the crowded streets of market day. The excitement of fresh new goods was wafting through the air. The feeling of excitement could not be compared to Rin's though. The rush of successfully stealing from the royal messengers was still pulsing throughout her body. The rush was only one factor of her excitement. With such an item being put in the trust of royalty meant that what ever was inside was going to fetch a hefty sum. Deciding she was far enough Rin slipped inside an alley to take a closer look at her loot.
The box was wrapped in a brown cloth with black black designs that seemed to pop out at you from within the cloth. The cloth alone would sell at a high price alone, and this made Rin's smile even deeper. She would be able to buy some actual fitting clothes instead of the glorified rags she made. Carefully unwrapping the box she noticed it was incredibly heavy for a box the size of her fist. The box was made out of redwood, which meant it came from far away since Japan did not have redwoods. It was smooth and every centimeter of it was decorated in a coal black or a deep red. In the upper right corner was the obvious sign of a red disc symbolizing Japan. It was definitely Rin's best steal.
Slipping the smooth box back inside her pocket she started to head out of the alley, into the bustling streets. As she turned she noticed a man standing at the entrance slowly walking towards her. Slightly turning her head she saw another man from behind. There were no misplaced bricks or things she could jump onto to escape by roof top, sadly someone created these shacks with good quality. She was trapped she had to confront them.
"What do you guys want with me? I'm just a frail girl!" Rin whimpered. Playing the pity card.
"We see a girl walking into an alley alone... do you expect us to not jump on an opportunity like this? So do you have any valuables or are we going to have to sell you to a slave owner?" the first guy said triumphantly pulling out a wooden club. The bigger of the two remained still acting as a wall, preventing her from running away.
"Hand over what ever you got, and maybe we'll let you go," the man with the bat said with a sneer.
Looking down Rin walked over to the man. He had a tattoo with a red crescent moon on his forearm with a bright blue slash going behind it. It was obviously fresh with the skin around it still blazing red. Standing two feet away from the man with the tattoo she stood there waiting for further instruction from her aggressor.
"Hurry up! Do you want to see the light of tomorrow?! Give me what you got!" he yelled getting impatient. Rin put her hand inside the out pocket of her worn deep red outer jacket. Pulling out a smooth envelope with a red crest holding it together.
"That's more like it, looks like you stole this from a high positioned official. Do you steal from your clients?" he sneered as he tore open the seal. Hearing the tear Rin slightly looked to the side, the big man was standing there possibly 20 feet away. She returned her glare to the man who was shaking her down. His face soon turned with surprise, for there was not money in the envelope, but a neatly folded paper. His greedy eyes scanned the paper reading the characters carefully hand painted with a brush that read, "FUCK YOU" Rin noticed the sudden change of face, and quickly acted while he was still in shock. Skillfully grabbing a concealed curved knife in her sleeve she placed the deadly blade and plunged it into his sore forearm. Blood obscured his new tattoos making them un-distinguishable blobs. Eyes tearing he crumbled to his knees clutching his wound, trying to put as much pressure as possible to make the blood stop. Not taking time to notice her handy work she quickly turned to see that his companion was making a bee line towards her.He had a bulky build so he wouldn't be too fast. Holding her knife so naturally it was like her hand she sprinted towards the man. Crossing her arms to make an X, she turned the knife to face away from her and threw her body to the ground. The momentum from his sprint sent him stumbling over her body with his calf scraping across the smooth blade. His wound visible only by the cloth of his pants darkening. Wiping the blood from her blade onto the inside of her already deep red jacket she made herself look as if nothing happened in the past two minutes. Silently she slipped out of the alley leaving the mess behind. Rin was late after all and she hated making her friends wait.
no crticism is too cruel or useless, all(honest) comments wanted :D
Friday, February 19, 2010
Video games a hobby, a lifestyle
It doesn't bother me in the slightest bit that some people are super addicted to their video games. Everyone is entitled to do whatever it is they wish to do with their lives, that's the message that attracts so many people into America in the first place. People who devote their lives to playing and studying video games may very well make more money then your average joe at a "normal" job. Games are in a huge market right now. A single game for the 360 can go as high as 70 even more if your really dedicated. Their is a lot of money to gain in the universe of gaming. Even if your just a player, if your good you could enter a tournament and win a couple thousand dollars, or hey a life time supply of cup ramen haha.
I used to play all sorts of mmo's (massive multiplayer online games) bute lately they have been quite repetitive. A lot of the animes i watch depict a person playing a game where they are virtually put into another world with all senses active. Sometimes it would turn out that they could not escape the "game" and it ended up being the real world and "real life" was just a dream. A virtual reality where you could import your mind would be amazing, i would definitely look into it. A "reality" in which you can personally change at your will by inputting your own code. A chance to play God and create the world you think is fit for your new life.
Although i enjoy games and the advancements that are inevitable, I'm worried that the virtual reailt i dream can be very dangerous. Perhaps the game is too real and the senses are very real to your brain. Your brain is very powerfull your brain could shut down important organs in your body from functioning if it believes it is horribly injured or "dead". In a very good book series that i highly reccomend (fiction adventure) Pendragon it sort of dives into the realm of virtual reality. The main character ventures into a world where 98% of the population has turned to a device called lifelite where you get plugged in and get to live out your fantasies for as long as you want. Noone leaves these machines as its pure bliss inside them. The machines feed them food that the skin absorbs by itself and all seems perfect to the user. The only problem is that EVERYONE is on these machiens and noone wants to be in the real world where so much real troubles burden them. The city is in ruins since it is barely used by the people and society is falling apart, yet its citizens are either oblivious or don't care in the slightest. I'm scared that this will happen to humanity since we are so easy to dump our burdens away and ignore them.
In my eyes instead of making video games more life like we should make video games more applicable to the real world. Wars decided over a match of the newest shooting game. Space explorations manned by millions of people who log into their game systems and explore for themselves while simultaneously gathering space information for the world/government. We need to spread our imagination and ingenuity for the better of the Earth, education, science, and our beings. Video games not horrible not perfect, a lot like us humans.
off topic but i was very amused by this quote, "light a man a fire and he will be warm for the night, light a man on fire and he will be warm for life" haha
I used to play all sorts of mmo's (massive multiplayer online games) bute lately they have been quite repetitive. A lot of the animes i watch depict a person playing a game where they are virtually put into another world with all senses active. Sometimes it would turn out that they could not escape the "game" and it ended up being the real world and "real life" was just a dream. A virtual reality where you could import your mind would be amazing, i would definitely look into it. A "reality" in which you can personally change at your will by inputting your own code. A chance to play God and create the world you think is fit for your new life.
Although i enjoy games and the advancements that are inevitable, I'm worried that the virtual reailt i dream can be very dangerous. Perhaps the game is too real and the senses are very real to your brain. Your brain is very powerfull your brain could shut down important organs in your body from functioning if it believes it is horribly injured or "dead". In a very good book series that i highly reccomend (fiction adventure) Pendragon it sort of dives into the realm of virtual reality. The main character ventures into a world where 98% of the population has turned to a device called lifelite where you get plugged in and get to live out your fantasies for as long as you want. Noone leaves these machines as its pure bliss inside them. The machines feed them food that the skin absorbs by itself and all seems perfect to the user. The only problem is that EVERYONE is on these machiens and noone wants to be in the real world where so much real troubles burden them. The city is in ruins since it is barely used by the people and society is falling apart, yet its citizens are either oblivious or don't care in the slightest. I'm scared that this will happen to humanity since we are so easy to dump our burdens away and ignore them.
In my eyes instead of making video games more life like we should make video games more applicable to the real world. Wars decided over a match of the newest shooting game. Space explorations manned by millions of people who log into their game systems and explore for themselves while simultaneously gathering space information for the world/government. We need to spread our imagination and ingenuity for the better of the Earth, education, science, and our beings. Video games not horrible not perfect, a lot like us humans.
off topic but i was very amused by this quote, "light a man a fire and he will be warm for the night, light a man on fire and he will be warm for life" haha
genocide final
Genocide is purely a human species invention. You don’t see other species of animals killing each other for a stupid reason like different shade of fur. It’s quite ridiculous how humans, as such an “advanced” species who has developed such a complex array of language and comprehension we still revert to violence when we see it most effective. What is the use of words if we don’t even take them in account and go straight for our fists and guns? Animals may be violent, yes, but they do it to survive. They never go overboard and wipe out a whole species. Dolphins and whales have a huge brain size compared to their body hinting that they are rather intellectual beings. They even have one more layer of brain that humans don’t have (if my recollection is correct from an article I read) some would say they are more intelligent then us. Humans (in my eyes) seem to judge intelligence on how advanced animals are at using and creating tools. The way I see it when species do this they rapidly deplete their resources. In like what, a tiny three thousand years, give or take? A single species has never tormented the Earth in such a way, that was not caused by natural forces. I believe an intelligent species is one that doesn’t make its environment turn on them and support its own food source. Dolphins are friendly to most species. It eats small fish and dolphins even protect other marine life by taking on a shark now and then. It isn’t rare to hear stories of dolphins saving people whom are under attack from a shark. Dolphins have even used a tool that other animals use and turned that into a language, sonar. Point being species with similar brains and diverse biological tools don't use those tools to eliminate what they need to survive. They keep the circle of life revolving instead or diverging on a different path.
A philosopher I studied a few months ago, Thomas Hobbes, believed that humans were born evil. That if a human were to be left unobserved they would take the selfish and naturally evil course of actions. Hobbes continues to say that humans need a single person (philosopher) to lead the rest of us like sheep, for we cannot make the correct decision on our own. To some extent I agree with Hobbes. It truly takes an evil being to even process the thoughts of genocide let alone actually commit to the idea and carry it out. I don’t think all of humanity would agree to killing off a certain race or religion, but sadly I think there is still a percentage that would gladly agree. Humans are rather easy to give in to pressure. Fear could make parents throw away their own children if they are scared enough, whether for the children or themselves. Other just like the power if being "superior" to another group of people that is not them. Either really confused or not bright people may think genocide is better for the world. "Maybe that race IS out to get us all. We must band together and get rid of them before they get rid of us." Hypocrisy thy name is humanity. People like Hitler actualy though they were doing the world a favor by eliminating people that were not "good enough" What in nature could inspire this way of thought? I don't think nature has the ability to be so hateful. Instead of Hobbe's idea i believe that society shapes the individual human, depending on how they see the world and universe around them. A chaos filled environment will have some obvious side effects on the development of a person.
I think religion has a huge impact on this also. As far as we know humans are the only species who can think of the idea of religion. Personally i don't really have a religion i strictly follow, although my family is Muslim.
A lot of people blame their radical ideas on their religion. I bet when i say this a lot of people instantly think of Muslims. Hitler was on a religious craze and he wasn't Muslim. People interpert their religious beliefs their own way even Christians start shooting people if a certain message in the bible seems like thats what it is saying. I don't like religion because it gives people an excuse. In my eyes religion has a huge similarity to the shocking( not adjective) experiment that took place in Europe. There is one authority figure giving out directions. It's not all too clear what his true objective is, but it seems to be important. People sign up for their own accord and listen to instructions. When things start to become scary and uncertain they ask the authority figure for conformation. This is when some people can choose to leave or continue on blindly following what he says. It seems like you can replace several words in the past couple sentences with religious words and it would make perfect sense. I'm not trying to bash on religion saying its the cause of genocide, but it dosnt always condemn it either. "I just did what i was told, i wasn't aware that I was doing anythign truely harmful." is a nice resemblance to what nazi soldiers have said and the shock experiment. Blindly following orders is always a dangerous idea.
People who have given up and just don't give a damn anymore. Yet people who have a drive to achieve something that is correct and great in their own mind, both can be the sparks leading to the bonfire of genocide. Brilliant people, stupid people, and even regular joes can commit genocide. Humans are the ones stupid enough to commit genocide and humans are the ones with the complexity to commit genocide. We are in need of an upgrade, hopefully we will do something about it before we are on earth version 5 in a different galaxy.
"Humans are like a virus. They feed off of a host, once its not useful we just move on to the next host. Rinse Wash Repeat."
A philosopher I studied a few months ago, Thomas Hobbes, believed that humans were born evil. That if a human were to be left unobserved they would take the selfish and naturally evil course of actions. Hobbes continues to say that humans need a single person (philosopher) to lead the rest of us like sheep, for we cannot make the correct decision on our own. To some extent I agree with Hobbes. It truly takes an evil being to even process the thoughts of genocide let alone actually commit to the idea and carry it out. I don’t think all of humanity would agree to killing off a certain race or religion, but sadly I think there is still a percentage that would gladly agree. Humans are rather easy to give in to pressure. Fear could make parents throw away their own children if they are scared enough, whether for the children or themselves. Other just like the power if being "superior" to another group of people that is not them. Either really confused or not bright people may think genocide is better for the world. "Maybe that race IS out to get us all. We must band together and get rid of them before they get rid of us." Hypocrisy thy name is humanity. People like Hitler actualy though they were doing the world a favor by eliminating people that were not "good enough" What in nature could inspire this way of thought? I don't think nature has the ability to be so hateful. Instead of Hobbe's idea i believe that society shapes the individual human, depending on how they see the world and universe around them. A chaos filled environment will have some obvious side effects on the development of a person.
I think religion has a huge impact on this also. As far as we know humans are the only species who can think of the idea of religion. Personally i don't really have a religion i strictly follow, although my family is Muslim.
A lot of people blame their radical ideas on their religion. I bet when i say this a lot of people instantly think of Muslims. Hitler was on a religious craze and he wasn't Muslim. People interpert their religious beliefs their own way even Christians start shooting people if a certain message in the bible seems like thats what it is saying. I don't like religion because it gives people an excuse. In my eyes religion has a huge similarity to the shocking( not adjective) experiment that took place in Europe. There is one authority figure giving out directions. It's not all too clear what his true objective is, but it seems to be important. People sign up for their own accord and listen to instructions. When things start to become scary and uncertain they ask the authority figure for conformation. This is when some people can choose to leave or continue on blindly following what he says. It seems like you can replace several words in the past couple sentences with religious words and it would make perfect sense. I'm not trying to bash on religion saying its the cause of genocide, but it dosnt always condemn it either. "I just did what i was told, i wasn't aware that I was doing anythign truely harmful." is a nice resemblance to what nazi soldiers have said and the shock experiment. Blindly following orders is always a dangerous idea.
People who have given up and just don't give a damn anymore. Yet people who have a drive to achieve something that is correct and great in their own mind, both can be the sparks leading to the bonfire of genocide. Brilliant people, stupid people, and even regular joes can commit genocide. Humans are the ones stupid enough to commit genocide and humans are the ones with the complexity to commit genocide. We are in need of an upgrade, hopefully we will do something about it before we are on earth version 5 in a different galaxy.
"Humans are like a virus. They feed off of a host, once its not useful we just move on to the next host. Rinse Wash Repeat."
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