Sunday, June 29, 2014

The Pillars of Society

            Books like Divergent and Hunger Games have been ruling the Young Adult book scene lately (and by lately, I mean before John Green), and, from what I've seen, they're very traditionally Dystopian with a Twilight(-ian) twist to them*. These Dystopian worlds they've created are...well, they're different, and seem miserable to us who aren't used to it, but for people living in the Hunger Games/ Divergent/ The Giver dystopia, it must be quite normal and what they're used to. Maybe if people from the 50s (supposedly the Golden Age of American Government) or even the 70s read a book describing our society, they'd be a bit upset themselves.
           If anyone were to write this hypothetical book about American Society in the early 21st century, what would be the main theme?
1984, by George Orville, had a theme of government spying on society all the time while Hunger Games had a theme of working class people (Districts 1 - 12) being forced to live amongst themselves with no prospect of raising their standard of living. What kept society in the book 1984 was the lack of connection between people which was created by the paranoia of always being spied on. In Hunger Games, the pillar keeping their society up was the absolute belief that one could only do for a living what one's father used to do; the belief that things must, and can, never change.


What keeps our society going? What is the never ending cycle of our society? What are some beliefs that can never be broken?


I mean, in comparison, our world seems perfect right? Yeah, there are some orthodox, homophobic people, but change can be brought about by protesting and court rulings....I mean Gay Rights became a thing recently right? We have a lot of change.
But what is one thing that can never ever change? What has always been a part of society, what is one thing that, coming to think of it, we don't need at all but we still have?


Trends in society...Trends in society...What are they?


In a world of change there can be no trends. But that's the answer to my question.
In a world of change.
Change is a trend in our world. Everyone is looking to change, to upgrade to the next level; everyone is ambitious.


        It's the need to succeed. Yes, that is what keeps society the way it is today.
           Our society today is defined by a manic rush for jobs; you are your job in this world. If you don't have, what society deems, a respectable job, then you have nothing. (Along with riches and fame,) job-glory/the image of prosperity is what drives the typical 2014 person the way he/she does (and I said typical).
              It consumes us: this need to prove ourselves as better, the best. Sometimes we forget to look at what we really want to do, because, maybe, what we want to do isn't accepted in society as “better” or “the best”.
This glory and idea of success are the pillars of our society. We're all hardwired to want glory and prosperity. The moment we stop listening to this preconceived idea of success, and start making our own plans, we break the cycle.

*Okay...whoo am I kidding? I read Hunger Games, and really wanted to read Divergent for a while.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Quote of The Day ~ Kurt Cobain

          Nirvana was before my time; I wish it wasn't. If music like that was on the mainstream in the 90s, it's no wonder my parents no longer listen to the radio today. I'm not a punk rock/grunge kinda girl myself, but their music is just so intoxicating, and so heartful. Under that lush sound is a song that's not all crap.        
         I've been wanting to do a Kurt Cobain quote for a long time now. Judging from his tumblr quotes, he seems like just the person who could spew profound philosophy just because; just the troubled misunderstood soul who comes up with untapped knowledge.

Did Kurt Cobain's death/suicide come as a surprise? I wouldn't have be too startled...
        I don't agree with Kurt Cobain, but I don't disagree with him either.

        If it's the difference between throwing a giant good-bye party for yourself and slipping away unnoticed, I would definitely pick the second option. It's so much better to fade away into the background without much ado; without a fight. Because it hurts both sides; it hurts to leave, and it hurts to be left. I believe it is wayy better to fade away and let the pain subside without making a it a big deal. The problem with slinking away unnoticed (besides making you look and feel like a coward) is that it puts a bad taste into all your memories. It doesn't provide closure (Philosophy Fact #2 Everyone seeks closure); saying goodbye -sometimes grandly- does. It would be nice to be remembered as the person with the fantastic party, and as the person from 'good times'. There are benefits to both fading away and burning out.

                Ugh there are soo many ways to look at this!

Burning out is like a tiny spark that lasts for a second; one minute it's there and the next, it's gone. The most important part of its existence-the thing it will always be remembered for- will be the way it ended with a show.
Burning out is like ripping a band-aid out quickly, feeling only momentary pain.
Burning out is like that one vibey tune you heard on the car radio on your daily commute one morning; it's short and sweet, and it makes your day.
Burning out is short. It's momentary. It's quick. And it's spectacular.
           Would a spark be any more beautiful if it lasted a long time? Would it be easier to gradually peel away the band-aid, fearing the pain more than feeling it? Would it be better if that fun, vibe-filled, tune lasted more than a couple minutes?

But fading away is like a book that goes on and on, losing momentum gradually. You don't want to continue reading, but you can't just stop.
Fading away is like playing a favorite game a million (and one) times and seeing all the possible scenarios- it get's boring towards the end, but at least you know that you've seen it all.
Fading away is like cancer. You know you're growing less distinct everyday, and you're ready for the end.
Fading away is knowing. It's familiar. It's steady. And it's comforting.
           Is it better to read a gripping short book than the one long one which slowly grows on you? Is it more fun to stop playing the best game you've ever played after you finish it once?
Is it better to die suddenly; in the middle of life...in the middle of a sentence.. than to be ready for it, and accept it before-hand?

            So here I am, back at square one. I've successfully argued both sides.
It's just that I don't like the idea of an end. I want everything to go on forever; I have goodbye issues. Don't we all? We just have to grit are teeth and do it- decide to end things. Change is good; always.
         So whether this change/end has been a long time coming, or just happened before you had a second to think, it's always going to be different. Not an upgrade, or a downgrade, just different.
        So what I'm trying to say is that there's no point wondering whether it's better to end things gradually, by fading away, or end them suddenly, like an unexpected burn out. The end is always going to be a change that we shouldn't worry about until we get to it.

Monday, June 9, 2014

De-stressing is going on a journey (no pun intented)

        I've been stressed about college lately (I'm just 2 (or so) days into my senior year of high school, and the cold, swirling waters are threatening to give me hypothermia).
 They're making me come up with a whole list of colleges I'd want to apply to; they're also expecting me to have the picture of an ideal college in my mind; they want me to know exactly what I want to do 3 months from now
           (and by they, I mean society. Which means that I'm basically stressing out and doing things because I'm making myself stress out and do things. Because "society" doesn't make anyone do anything. To not care about what society is saying is perfectly fine-no one's stopping you-or me- from being different. It's just that we're too scared to be, or maybe even ignorant of being, different; and hence, force ourselves to care about society. That is why I will stop blaming my stress on society, and rightfully take the crown of that responsibility for myself).
                          Obviously, I can't cope too well with stress, it forces me into (more than usual) incoherence and pretentiousness.
            What makes it worse is that even if the college hunt (I hate calling it that. I'm not hunting colleges; they're hunting me. I'm repulsed by walking into my kitchen and seeing a formidable stack of college brochures on the counter. I hate it) makes me sick, I can't stop talking about it.

My Internet Browser History looks something like this:
Bing Search: Liberal Arts College
Bing Search: Journalism School
Bing Search: Liberal Arts College with Journalism
Bing Search: Difference between Journalism school and Liberal Arts College
...and on, and on, and on, and on...(and on)

So not only am I stressed and confused and overwhelmed, I am manically obsessed with being all those things. I feel like Victor Frankenstein, I really do. (That is good analogy, if I say so myself.)

         Besides compulsively looking for universities I might fit into, I've been..well... noticeably weird(er). I spent a third of my day cuddled up in my blankets inside a pillow fort, pretending I'm a homeless person who's being hunted by the "normal" people -not alone mind you, I'm not that crazy (I think), but with my brother-it was a childhood game.

           Coming to think of it, it was a pretty weird game. Why would 7-year-old me decide that the real enemies-the one's who can only be warded off by a pillow fort (which is a big deal for a 7-year-old)- are the normal people: the ones who walk on the street with their tailored to perfection suits, the ones with their disapproving glares, the ones who are indescribably mundane: natural, orderly...other thesaurus words. Why is it that 7-year-old-me fought what is natural, and normal, so instinctively (naturally?) ?

             While other little girls had tea parties and played with their little dollies, I hid from the normal world with all its traditions and rules (To be fair though, the world behind my pillow fort was perfect- I don't really remember what I did, but I do remember the bliss of staying there. A bliss that was no longer present when a fully (well kinda) grown me tried to recreate the circumstances). Nevertheless, that is messed up.

             Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a lonely child; I had friends, but I kinda pulled them into my little game too. At one point, my pillow fort had troop of 7 soldiers (consisting of cousins, best friends, and that one weird kid who lived around the corner). But really, why is being different so important to me? Why?

         Haha I've questioned everything about everything for as long as I can remember: culture and norms, public "decency", stereotypes, generalizations etc.
I've always been interested in patterns. Now I'm trying to find a pattern in my questioning. I'm questioning my ability to question... And it's time to stop before I fall into an existential crisis (trust me, those are dangerous)
          Questioning everything is profitable as long as you don't cross that invisible line you can feel- it's more of an invisible energy field actually- as you approach it.

Stress can really do things to you, and stress-release can do quite some other things. This post really took me on a journey. It did (repeating things is always so reassuring haha).
That it shall. (1 Corinthians 1:8)

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Leibster Award Post :)

Turns out there are people out there who actually like me.
       I've been nominated for the Leibster Award- another one of those cute blogger awards which make for promoting blogs and cute content- and I absolutely love it!
Image Courtesy This is Nymisha^TM
First off...I simply HAVE to thank my nominators- Sunny Williams from (the brilliant) Slightly Awkward Geek and my long-time blog buddy Nymisha Dhavani from This is Nymisha (or the Weirdo Chronicles or the Cold Corridor)

You should definitely go check out Sunny's blog, she's got some interesting things going on...a bucket list, and a Book of the Month thing- just to name a few :)

Nymisha has a pretty amazing blog, and it is a must-visit :) One, it looks great (and is kinda sorta...totally the inspiration for my new blog look haha). Second (and more important), she has some great content! Misha does book reviews, everyday life posts, movie reviews....you name it! Check her out here.


Eleven Random Facts About Me


[Part of the goal of the Leibster Award is to make interesting content. So I think the idea was to get Bloggers to share some tantalizing tit-bits about their lives to make for more interesting reads...As you can see, I'm a pretty boring person, but i'll try :)]
  • I'm always going on about how left-brained, technology-minded people are boring. Turns out I'm a bit boring and technology minded myself. (Source: Random internet quiz)

    I have failed my creative self.


  • I can never walk past a McDonald's without a feeling of revulsion.....and desire (This applies for Cinnabon too).
  • I didn't watch Frozen...and I never will (this applies for the Divergent series: books and movies, too).
  • According to Goodreads, I pledged to read 40 books this year (I'm only on book 17 so far). I remember when we got prizes for reading in kindergarten...Why doesn't that rule apply to high school kids too? Why?
  • I'm both a morning person and a night person (nights are good for reading, and mornings are good for jogging). But, strangely that doesn't make me a non-sleep person; I get an abnormally large amount of sleep.
  • Sometimes I get hit by Cupid's arrow and I just beam out vibes of love to the world. Sometimes.
  • I'm a sucker for happy endings. I feel cheated if a rom-com ends without the words "and they loved happily ever after.."
  • I listen to Ambiance-y house/ neo-soul music when I'm particularly annoyed with my world and everyone in it, so that I can pretend I'm in an art gallery instead.
  • I always throw away (more of a subtle toss) any pennies I get for change so that people can find them and have good luck :)
  • I have a dream journal next to my bed. Opening it is like entering an alternative universe. Even for me.
    I've had that book since I was 10.
  • Last one...I'm in love with Ellen Degeneres (is that her name...Degeneres? sounds like the generous)


Sunny's and Nymisha's questions:


So both Sunny and Nymisha asked 11 questions each...Please bear with me while I try to be interesting again haha
  1. Where is you happy place?
    My happy place is...more of a happy person actually. When I need a confidence/ self-esteem boost, I always go to my happy person- who is the best person I can be. This best-me-I-can-be (or Anya 2.0, in case you're interested) is what helps me get through hard times (and my neo-soul/ soft jazz of course), because if I imagine myself as that cool, confident girl, I become her.
  2. If you were given a superpower what would it be?
    I love these questions haha...Umm my top choice of super-human powers would be mind-reading. If I could just read strangers' minds, I would sit on the streets of any big city and just listen. I'd listen to people's problems, their worries, and their joys. It would be amazing.
    Yes, I know. I'm a very creepy person.
  3. Do you consider yourself a part of any fandom?
    A year ago, it would have been Harry Potter (Ravenclaws for the Quidditch Cup!)
  4. What is your Big Dream?
    I feel the urge to put "big dream" in capital letters because this is it; it's our purpose in life. I haven't figured out my purpose in life yet, but I know I want to make an impact. I want to help rid the world of all the bad things (global warming: though that seems pretty inevitable at this point; sexism: #notAllMen was trending the other day...ugh etc. etc.), and I want to be happy doing what I'm doing.
  5. Do you believe in soul mates?
    Yes. I totally believe in that one person you're meant to be with. That one person who will just click.
  6. Favorite Quote?
    "Life's not about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself," ~ George Bernard Shaw
  7. Most embarrassing moment?
    Normally, I wouldn't tell. But maybe saying it will make it less humiliating?
    My most embarrassing moment was humiliating enough for my brain to only function in sentence fragments when I think of it. So here you go: Eating a banana. Cute little monkey. Momma monkey. No banana anymore. Pack of monkeys. Panting. Screaming. Blood on my calf.
  8. What's your favorite book?
    I don't pick favorites. I just don't. Books I feel strongly about include nearly every book I've ever read. I don't even have a favorite color or anything..
    But, as a kid, I loved The Journey to The River Sea by Eva Ibbotson.
  9. What is your worst pet peeve?
    I always just use one side of my eraser. Face my wrath if you borrow my eraser and use the wrong side. (I also hate interchanging 'its' and 'it's')
  10. Do you have one thing that you used to hate but now love, or vice versa?
    I used to hate sad-endings in books and indie movies, but now I kinda get it. I almost like sad endings in books and indie movies (rom-coms are still not off the hook if they end badly), because they reflect real life.
  11. Tell me one thing from your bucket list.
    Go to the TomorrowLand festival (only the hugest dance party with the best house music in the whole wide world).
  12. What\who is the best thing that has ever happened to you?
    The best thing that ever happened to me is when I first woke up in a daze after a crazy dream, and decided to write it down. I've been writing ever since.
  13. If you saw two people physically fighting on the road what would you do?
    Awkwardly walk away unless one of them is getting creamed. Then I'd stay and watch. Just kidding, but I wouldn't try to stop a violent fight...I'm too "practical" for that.
  14. Do you believe in the afterlife?
    Yes. I believe that dying isn't the end. There's got to be more than just this limited experience (no offense Earth, we love you).
    "To the organized mind, dying is the next great adventure," ~ Albus Dumbledore
  15. If you could be a fictional character who would you be?
    That is hard. I've always seen fictional characters are representations of different types of people. I couldn't imagine myself in a book except as myself.
    Except maybe I'd want to be Holden Caulfield from the Catcher in the Rye (he was the original hipster).
  16. Let's say there's an opportunity for a dying person to live...but only if you sacrificed yourself. Would you?
    As much as I don't want to seem like a selfish, egotist, no.
  17. Your house is on fire! What is the first thing that you'd grab as you run out?
    My laptop. My dear little laptop (and I hope my phone is on my person).
    And I think that I'm not technology-minded...
  18. Do you like teaching things or learning things?
    Both! I think teaching is a way of better learning a subject :)
  19. What's the one thing you've been dying to get your hands on?
    I've been dying to get my eyes on a whole bunch of movies and books...The list is just way too long..
  20. You have exactly one day to live before you die. What would you do on that day?
    I would enjoy the little things. I'd go through everyday life, but I'd pay attention to all the little quirks and turns of the world; I'd look for the imperfection that makes life so human and comfortable.
    I should do that everyday, but I'd do it especially on my last day (if I knew).
  21. Stars or Flowers?
    Stars. It's the shorter word, and they popped into my head first.


Bloggers who, I think, deserve this award.


This is the best part of the award :) I get to pick people to pass this little trophy around!

M.A. Barr from Twisted Dreams in Pen & Ink is a great writer. His concise form of story-writing is brilliant (100 word stories everyday...what more could anyone ask for?). I know he's been nominated a bunch of times, but I can't help it haha.

Sakshi Raina from Capturing Sunshine is really cool :) I love her writing. She's the kind of blogger who's going places..

I'd also like to nominate Young, bold, and Fearless....her blog is pretty amazing too :)
http://youngboldandfearless.blogspot.com/


My questions to you guys-my nominees...if you decide to do it


And when you thought I was finally done.....I've still got stuff to do.
  1. Creative Writing or Journalistic Writing? Pick the one you'd rather do.
  2. Do you follow the Royal Family (of Britain)?
  3. In your opinion, is Twitter better than Tumblr? (or do they just have different age demographics?)
  4. What do you like to do (other than write)?
  5. If you were to write a book, where would it be set?
  6. What time period would you (hypothetical) book be set in?
  7. What influences your writing?
  8. Does YA (Young adult) fiction appeal to you?
  9. Are you an outdoors person or an indoors person?
  10. Was writing the random facts hard for you?
  11. Do you have a Big Plan...for life I mean..


The Rules


  • Post the award on her/his blog.
  • Thank the nominator and link back to his or her blog.
  • Write 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Answer 11 questions about yourself that the nominator has asked.
  • Nominate 11 how many ever fellow bloggers.
  • Make up 11 original questions for your nominees to answer.
  • Let you nominees know they have been nominated.
Thanks so much for reading. If you've got to the end, and realize that you've skipped ahead for most of the post..I understand (more like..I forgive you this once). It was a long post. Thanks for reading :)