Man, I missed this baby. Sorry to all for the long absence, I guess I just needed a break from blogging for a while. I've had so much going on, good and bad--let's just call it a "chronic writer's block." On the bright side, I have finally set up my Tumblr account, which I'll post a link to in a bit. It will take some time for me to get settled in and to get used to the whole thing, learning the ropes and whatnot. As for this blog, I will probably still keep writing in it, mainly if I have a long list of events to talk about. But for other, mini updates, those will be up on Tumblr, along with my other craziness I can find there, so be sure to give it a look-see! Anyway, without further ado, let's get right to it.
First off, this won't focus on a set of current events as usual. Rather, I will recap what's been going on in my life these past two weeks. Business as usual. School, work, friends, family, you all know the drill. Things are going fairly smooth, but will be crunch time soon, though, what with finals coming up and whatnot, so that's gonna be a hell of a ride. For all you musical purists out there, don't get mad at me when I say that for the first time, I've listened to a Motley Crue song. I've never really been into the "old" stuff, though I've heard countless good things about it, and now that I've gotten into this particular band, I might actually update my music playlist on my phone (wink wink). Why did I start now? Well I remembered way back in the day when I, too, was a scene kid listening to Asking Alexandria and Black Veil Brides and whatever other stuff the kids are into these days. I will admit, I do like a few of their songs, I mean, music is music, no matter how "good" or "bad" it is. I personally don't like getting into beefs over how rock or music in general is "dead." New stuff will pop up as time progresses, and not every single band or group will sound the same. Music as a whole, however, will always be the same, and that's what I love about it. Anyway, I was reminiscing over those good old days, and I decided to look into the bands that inspired today's groups, and I was pretty much hooked. Motley Crue is my first, now I'm thinking of my next target...
Speaking of Asking Alexandria, I was totally caught off-guard when I heard the news that Danny, their ever-egocentric lead singer, has left the band as of January 22nd. As I said before, I went through my early teen years listening to these notorious "rockers," for lack of a better term, and now that their frontman has decided to out of the blue abandon ship, it's like "Whaaaaaaaaa??" Now I know there are some of you out there reading this thinking Shut up scene kid! Asking Alexandria sucks balls, uuuuggggh! Listen to real music! Go die you emo f*g! Okay, I'm gonna kindly ask you to watch that tone of yours, mister. As I said before, I listen to all kinds of music, and I'm just surprised that someone with as much momentum and success as Danny Worsnop would abandon the very band that made him who is today. Well, we should all take this moment to bow our heads in silence and mourn the loss of a landmark band that contributed ever so much to the rock/metal industry. This is indeed a very sad time for all of us....now please tell me you all caught that sarcasm ;)
Moving on, I am currently going through a rather pivotal moment in my life that I never thought I would see. As you probably know, my father and I have not been on speaking terms for about a year now, and I was beginning to think that there would be no chance at reconciliation. As fate may have it, though, I was wrong. Long story short, graduation planning has begun for most of us seniors, and now that I am gathering names for people I will invite to the big event, I considered contacting the old man. I mean, no matter our differences, he is still my father. He is the reason I am here right now writing this post. And I am his only son, so I just can't deprive him of the experience of seeing his spawn graduate. Just goes to show how important it is to always put family first, no matter how ugly and sour circumstances become. I just don't know how to feel about all this, especially since we agreed to meet up one of these days to catch up. Will it be awkward? Will it be normal? Will it get heated halfway through our convo? What the hell will go down when we see each other again? As always, only time and fate will tell...
Well, there's my update peeps. Again, I apologize for the two-week absence. I guess I just need a break once in a while to focus on my life and process everything that's going on. Thanks for reading, and until the next one. As always stay safe out there everyone :)
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Sometimes, You Just Gotta "Write" it Out
A starting point for my future as a freelance writer and (hopefully) a full-time journalist.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
A War on Creativity
Got a lot to say for this post peeps, so get comfortable and enjoy. Let's do this...
So first a little update on what's been going on in "Markville." Not much to say, really. Everything has been going smoothly, but I will say there is major change for me on the horizon. As some of you may know, I, along with my fellow AP students, have been suffering in my classes, specifically AP Stats, but there is some light at the end of this tunnel. Call it "giving up," call it whatever you will, but I have finally decided to take the first steps towards dropping that class. I have tried week after week, day after day, to make the least bit of progress in that class, with no results whatsoever. I know some people think otherwise, but I believe that it is better to drop that class and spare the trouble of watching my GPA dip than to stay and keep on suffering and wasting my time and effort. Now I bet there are some of my fellow AP Lit classmates reading this and thinking Bro, why not ditch AP Lit instead? You know our teacher is impossible to deal with! Get out while you still can!! I'll be honest, yes it is a pain to have to deal with preaching over teaching almost half the time, but keep in mind my major has to do with writing (hell it is writing), so I'm willing to go through the trouble of dealing with our teacher in a class that will undoubtedly help me in the future than struggle in a class that's helping me not in the slightest bit.
One last bit before delving into today's topics, if any of you reading this are into Anime (or not), you all should check out Tokyo Ghoul. I'll admit, I was a little incredulous on what to expect for this, as I myself am not into Anime or Manga, but when my bro introduced me to it, I was HOOKED. For those of you who do watch Anime, TG specifically, the new continuation of the show, Tokyo Ghoul: Root A, premieres today, and I just finished watching the first episode, and I must admit...it was okay. I mean I haven't read the Manga (yet), so I can't comment on what was left out or anything like that. Obviously I'm not a big-time Manga/Anime fan, but I will say that I am pretty stoked for what is to come and what's to become of the series. If you're not into that stuff, you should definitely give it a try. You will not be disappointed. On with today's stories.
Parlez-vous Freedom?
So I'm sure many of you--if not all of you--know or at least heard about the bloodbath in Paris not too long ago which was carried out by a group of terrorist sympathizers. The attack on Charlie Hebdo, a French newspaper, is another example of the consequences brought by the blessing of free speech, as well as the more-harm-than-good sentiment of religion. Now I'm not gonna single out any one particular religion, but I will say that this is why more and more people become unaffiliated with these beliefs. There is no such thing as a "religion of peace," especially not whatever it is these terrorists are promoting.
So first a little update on what's been going on in "Markville." Not much to say, really. Everything has been going smoothly, but I will say there is major change for me on the horizon. As some of you may know, I, along with my fellow AP students, have been suffering in my classes, specifically AP Stats, but there is some light at the end of this tunnel. Call it "giving up," call it whatever you will, but I have finally decided to take the first steps towards dropping that class. I have tried week after week, day after day, to make the least bit of progress in that class, with no results whatsoever. I know some people think otherwise, but I believe that it is better to drop that class and spare the trouble of watching my GPA dip than to stay and keep on suffering and wasting my time and effort. Now I bet there are some of my fellow AP Lit classmates reading this and thinking Bro, why not ditch AP Lit instead? You know our teacher is impossible to deal with! Get out while you still can!! I'll be honest, yes it is a pain to have to deal with preaching over teaching almost half the time, but keep in mind my major has to do with writing (hell it is writing), so I'm willing to go through the trouble of dealing with our teacher in a class that will undoubtedly help me in the future than struggle in a class that's helping me not in the slightest bit.
One last bit before delving into today's topics, if any of you reading this are into Anime (or not), you all should check out Tokyo Ghoul. I'll admit, I was a little incredulous on what to expect for this, as I myself am not into Anime or Manga, but when my bro introduced me to it, I was HOOKED. For those of you who do watch Anime, TG specifically, the new continuation of the show, Tokyo Ghoul: Root A, premieres today, and I just finished watching the first episode, and I must admit...it was okay. I mean I haven't read the Manga (yet), so I can't comment on what was left out or anything like that. Obviously I'm not a big-time Manga/Anime fan, but I will say that I am pretty stoked for what is to come and what's to become of the series. If you're not into that stuff, you should definitely give it a try. You will not be disappointed. On with today's stories.
Parlez-vous Freedom?
So I'm sure many of you--if not all of you--know or at least heard about the bloodbath in Paris not too long ago which was carried out by a group of terrorist sympathizers. The attack on Charlie Hebdo, a French newspaper, is another example of the consequences brought by the blessing of free speech, as well as the more-harm-than-good sentiment of religion. Now I'm not gonna single out any one particular religion, but I will say that this is why more and more people become unaffiliated with these beliefs. There is no such thing as a "religion of peace," especially not whatever it is these terrorists are promoting.
Where to begin? Well first of all, I stand by the employees at Charlie Hebdo, and they have my 100% support of the way they go about flaunting their creativity. I feel like this what all newspaper/media companies should do. Just give the world the finger and show everyone how they truly feel regarding certain topics. I mean that's exactly what I do in my blog posts. I give my honest opinion on what's going on in the world and when it comes down to expressing myself, nothing else matters to me. This is what I want to do with my life. Write. Express myself. Make my voice heard. These terrorists and other opponents of free speech think they can get away with their actions and deter the future of journalism and free expression? Nope. You are dead wrong. I am fully aware of the risks that come with the package. I mean all you hear about in the news these days is journalists getting their heads cut off or massacres like this one. But you know what? If it is my fate to die doing what I love to do, then so be it. Freedom of speech means everything to me, and to have that blessing in this country full of wrongdoings is something I do not take for granted.
Second, this is exactly why (no offense) the religion of Islam is looked down upon. Now, obviously, just like with cops, not all Muslims are terrorists or terror sympathizers, even if it seems like it. And to be fair, I don't just have a bone to pick with this particular religion. I loathe religion as a whole. As we all can see, it just brings more harm than good. Religion is the main reason we as humans are divided and are tearing each other to pieces. The way I see it, religion and the practice thereof is simply a way to keep us on a leash. A way to prevent violence. Tradition. It means nothing. But some people just take things way too seriously. Speaking of which, I see nothing wrong with the depiction of Muhammad that sparked the violence. Other major religious figures (and non-religious) are satirized in some form or another, yet no one ever seems to give a hoot about that. That's the beauty of freedom of expression. That we can speak or draw what's on our mind without worry of being reprimanded. These terrorists want to take that right away from us. But it won't work. This blessing is here to stay, and I'll do my best to fully exploit that right when I'm writing front pages for the New York Times or some other major newspaper in New York (which is my future home, just FYI).
Who Let the Dogs Out? Not PETA, Apparently...
Take a look at this photo here:
See anything wrong here? Yeah neither do I. All I see is a boy harmlessly standing on his pet dog, a large dog, mind you, who doesn't even seem to notice that there is a much smaller human being standing on him. But, this was another no-no for, you guessed it, PETA. Jesus Christ, here we go with these people again...
Okay...where to start...he's a KID. A KID. KIDS like to have fun with their pets in other ways that are "worse" than simply standing on their dog's back. If this photo wasn't posted, PETA wouldn't even be getting their dirty paws into business that's not theirs, as they always do. Hell, I had a dog (100x smaller than a lab) who was practically tortured by my younger cousin, and yes the pooch was afraid of the little rascal, but he still loved his owners dearly as if nothing ever happened. Kids do the craziest things with their pets on a regular basis (pulling their cats' tail, throwing their birds into the air, etc), but that's just how they roll. If PETA doesn't hear about it, they butt out, but as soon as they catch wind of something as trivial as a small kid standing on his much larger companion's back, all hell breaks loose. C'mon now, PETA. Why not go after the people who are purposely abusing their pets? Ever thought of that? Nope. Standing on a dog's back is worse than actually hurting it, right?
Rise of the Millennials
So I'm sure many of you heard Kanye's new song "Only One" on New Years Day right? I'm not a fan of the guy myself, but the song was decent, and hey-yo, Paul McCartney! Then came the Twitter rage... Some of Kanye's fans seemed completely lost and were praising the rap star for giving this "new" star exposure. Whether they were serious or not is up for debate, but the reaction to the tweets were priceless. Left and right there were Twitter junkies losing their heads, preaching "I don't wanna live on this planet anymore" crap over, what, five, six people who didn't know who Paul McCartney was. Assuming this handful of people was serious, yes it is quite an embarrassment. Yes we should all be facepalming at their complete slowness. But--again, assuming they were serious--we shouldn't lose our heads and go all nuts just because a tiny percentage of Kanye's fans know no other music other than his. There are still major bands out there that have been around for some time that I'm barely starting to catch up on myself, but what do you expect?? Sure, we don't live under a rock, but it's not like we are the gods of music or something. We can't know every single artist out there. Now, assuming they were joking around, it is pretty funny, I suppose, but again, this kind of humor can attract the wrong attention from the millennials...
Close
So that's the end of this post, peeps. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Hope you are all having a great week. Stay up to date, stay safe out there, and until the next post. :)
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Hey all, hope 2015 is going great for yas! It sure as hell is for me! I've never felt so pumped up and ready for a new year (plus, my lucky strikes, shall we call them, have only been making things so much better!), and I have just so many fresh vibes and high hopes for what is to come. This is gonna be a hella great year, I can feel it...
Anyway, pardon my absence; I've been a busy bee as always, working day after day after day, then having to pull another all-nighter this past Sunday to finish--scratch that, to do--my two weeks' worth of homework that was waiting for me with open arms for the last minute. Glad that's over with. I finally have a chance to have some "me" time, now that I have a 3-day break from work starting today. So let's dive into this thing.
I will start off with a bit of an update on what's been going on in my life besides school and work. So if you've been keeping up with my blog in the past week or so, you know that I "broke up" with my "unofficial" significant other (it's quite complicated, I know). Well, really, we just stopped talking for good after the fiasco with the "other guy." But this actually turned out to be a real eye-opener. As it turns out, she had a "thing" with someone else before me, then, of course, the new guy, and now she's left with no one. Turns out the new guy has a lady of his own, leaving her with no choice but to come back to me. But I've learned my lesson. There was no way in hell I was gonna expose myself to become attached to her again, so I broke off any sort of connection with her, and now I'm back to doing my own thing. I don't wanna give away too much, but let's just say that when that door closed, another flew wide open for me, and even though that opportunity was short-lived, it was still a damn amazing time. Coincidentally, this happened when I was at my lowest point, having gone through so much pain and, um...depression, this "new door" helped raise me back up, and now I'm myself once again, up and running, and ready for action. Aside from that, everything has been going well for me this new year, so far. There's definitely greater things waiting for me on the horizon.
Moving on, I'm gonna rant a bit on what's been going on lately on Facebook concerning the "copyright" BS that's got everybody losing their heads. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check these links out:
But I mean, c'mon, about 95% of people have a Facebook account. And about 99% of people have at least one friend or know someone who completely fell for this hoax about "copyright" or something of the sort. I know quite a bit of them, and every once in a while since this whole thing broke out, my news feed would show the Copy/Paste post. Shame on you, my friend. You're just another blind sheep who fell victim to mainstream media's corrupt clutches.
And if you're reading this and you're one of them and you got offended, #SorryNotSorry. Educate yourself and get the facts before doing something stupid like falling for this kind of crap. But I won't lie, I myself have fallen for hoaxes like this and others in the past, sometimes to this day. I'm not perfect. All I'm saying is at least get your facts straight before doing something like this. It feels like the "Send to 20 People or You Die Tonight" chain messaging days all over again. I thought they were dead and gone! This is 2015 people! We should know better by now. ;P
End of post. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this, peeps. Pardon my inconsistency. Hope ya'll have a great day and a great year! Again, always get your facts straight before falling for internet hoaxes. Stay safe peeps and until the next post. :)
I leave ya'll with another favorite of mine by my favorite group, Sick Puppies. Enjoy.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Deuces 2014!
First things first, Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a fresh start, a clean slate, and a new opportunity to make great memories and live life to its fullest!
Time to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future. 2014 had its good, bad, and ugly, and without a doubt, 2015 will, too. No matter, this year will be our year, fellow seniors. Finally graduating, finally taking a huge milestone towards the rest of our lives, and all in all, this year will undoubtedly bring us more than a few amazing moments to cherish forever.
Saying Goodbye to 2014
Although last year was pretty much an embarrassment in many crucial aspects (music, gaming, and humanity in general, to name a few), there's no denying that it had it's up moments, both in society and in my own personal life.
In the past 365 days, I:
-dug my way out of a 5 month relationship that was getting nowhere with someone not worth my time,
-made new friends, lost a few (and regained one), and broke off other relationships that were hurting me more than they were helping me get through life--in particular, my father, who was probably the heaviest burden on me and holding me down the most out of all obstacles I faced,
-experienced major change when I moved out of my home where I lived for the first 16 years of my life and into a new apartment, where I now have lived for about four months, which also spawned even greater change for the better,
-landed my first job at McDonald's, where I met a variety of personalities, good and bad; specifically, my once-best work buddy, with whom I had a really close friendship until things went downhill, which proved to be a blessing in disguise, as the whole event turned out to be a real eye-opener
-finally learned the struggle of balancing school, work, and a social life, while still enjoying the perks of having real money in my bank account
-discovered my passion and my talent for writing, which gave birth to this baby, my own blog
-and finally, I grew closer with my true friends, improved my once-rocky relationship with my dear mother, and experienced other amazing moments that I will forever cherish and look back on when I'm a senile old man.
Obama's executive action is undoubtedly the best thing to ever happen to us in 2014, as it opened TONS of new doors for those who came to this country illegally as well as those of us who are the sons and daughters of those who did. There were a few other great changes in society here and there, but for the most part, 2014 was not the best year for humanity. The influx of police violence, the rise of annoying new age lingo ("bae", "bruh"), and other gear-grinding fads like the Ice Bucket Challenge, which was a noble cause corrupted and turned into a game, just to name a few. Who can forget what an embarrassment this year was for the music industry?? That's right, I'm pointing my finger at you, Anaconda! Plus, the increase in money-thirsty corporations didn't make things any better. One can only hope that this year will see the return of ingenuity and originality for our entertainment.
Welcome, 2015!
Despite this past year's flops, I think we can all leave that in the past and look forward to the greatness to come this year, right? New friendships, fresh memories, an increase in minimum wage (my personal favorite!). Here come all the New Years resolutions that no one is gonna stick with! But hey, I could be wrong, and there are more than a few people who actually stay true to their resolutions, and I plan on being one of them, as soon as I come up with one...
Anyway, let's all take a moment to give thanks for a renewed 365-day passport, eh? Let's make the best out of this year, and every year we get to live our lives. Hell, enjoy every second of it; not everybody gets to see the dawn of a new day, let alone a new year. So let's raise a toast to 2015. May this year be better than the last, may we meet great people, may we be great people, and may we make amazing memories to cherish for a lifetime.
So that's all for now peeps. Hope you all recover well from your hangovers, and for those of us who work today, let's bear through it! Happy 2015 everyone! :)
Monday, December 29, 2014
Mini Update!
Since my last post, my personal turmoils have only worsened, and things have finally hit rock bottom, but, as life may have it, where one door closed, another opened, and as I am finally gaining the strength to move on, things are slowly starting to look up again.
So as those who have read my previous post from Christmas know, there were major...disturbances, you could say, in my close friendship with my once-best work buddy (emphasis on once). I thought things would only get better by humbling myself and trying to prove that I was willing to change my overly emotional ways. But, the wolf in sheep's clothing got his way. Like a lamb to the slaughter, I suppose, she follows. All figurative lingo aside, she let my one mistake ruin the great friendship we had, and now, without even blinking an eye, she quickly moved on to the next one, leaving our memories in the dust. Meanwhile, I'm still struggling to get over it all and move on with my life, and so far, it has payed off. I occupy myself with my pastimes, music, food, etc. To make things better, an old friend of mine--my former neighbor who is like a brother to me--has spent a few days over at our place, and long story short, let's just say I might just have a new coworker in the future. All in all, this was just another one of life's speed bumps--and I am ready to pick up speed once more.
Just a little update, no big news today. I will be back up and running by New Years, so keep an eye open for that. Take care all and let's look forward to them NY parties!
So as those who have read my previous post from Christmas know, there were major...disturbances, you could say, in my close friendship with my once-best work buddy (emphasis on once). I thought things would only get better by humbling myself and trying to prove that I was willing to change my overly emotional ways. But, the wolf in sheep's clothing got his way. Like a lamb to the slaughter, I suppose, she follows. All figurative lingo aside, she let my one mistake ruin the great friendship we had, and now, without even blinking an eye, she quickly moved on to the next one, leaving our memories in the dust. Meanwhile, I'm still struggling to get over it all and move on with my life, and so far, it has payed off. I occupy myself with my pastimes, music, food, etc. To make things better, an old friend of mine--my former neighbor who is like a brother to me--has spent a few days over at our place, and long story short, let's just say I might just have a new coworker in the future. All in all, this was just another one of life's speed bumps--and I am ready to pick up speed once more.
Just a little update, no big news today. I will be back up and running by New Years, so keep an eye open for that. Take care all and let's look forward to them NY parties!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Silent Night, Not-So-Holy Night
Before I delve into my convo, I wanna wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Hope you are all recovering from last night, enjoying your presents, and still stuffing that grub! Time to prepare for the New Years hangovers now, eh? Now let's get this thing started...
I'm gonna start things off on a bit of a personal note and say that for the past few days I've been going through a very rough time in my life--something every teenager has to go through at least once or twice in their lifetime. This work buddy I've mentioned to you guys in the past, some of you who have me on Facebook have seen the pictures of the great times we've had...let's just say that things are not going as hunky dory as I'd like them to. In a nutshell, my jealousy and uncontrollable emotion have all but driven her away from me, we haven't spoken in days and we probably won't until the weekend, and I haven't been myself since everything went downhill. I don't mean to sound like a drama queen or anything, but I've been really beating myself up lately and I fear for what may happen between us in the future. Don't you just hate when you get too attached to people, then you have to deal with possibly never having any sort of connection with them ever again--even when you work in the same place or go to the same school? Especially after so many great memories that it really seems like you were on the verge of sharing something special with them in the future?? It's like ripping out a band-aid...glued down with super glue...then held down with duct tape...and topped off with nails. Try pulling that baby off, right? But like the saying goes: "People who create their own drama, deserve their own karma." I've started a whole mess of unnecessary drama, and now I have to deal with my karma. All because of that little green devil we all know as jealousy. Just part of life and growing up. Learn from your mistakes, accept the pain, embrace it, move on, and keep living your life. Just sucks that all this had to go down on Christmas break...
Moving on, I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas break, hope you got some great presents and stuffed your faces with more food than you can handle--I know I sure as hell did! This Christmas was rather different from my previous celebrations. Instead of being huddled around with a bunch of people--which is amazing, don't get me wrong--I spent this silent night with my mother at our place. Just us two, watching television, snapping photos, eating all the tamales we can stomach in one night. Present-wise, I did some shopping on the 23rd with my best friends ever at the Irvine Spectrum, and boy was it a hell of a fun night. Granted, I was still freshly-depressed (yes I said "depressed" even though I hate that word) over what's going on, but I did my best to bear through it and make the best out of my night with my true friends, and for the most part I was able to overcome it--even more so when my friends graced me with their ever-helpful advice over how to deal with all this and what to do/say when the time comes. So to my two besties, if you are reading this, God bless your souls, I am one blessed guy to have people like you in my life! Anyway, my bank account really did take quite a punch that night, but that's why I work, right?? That night at the Spectrum scored me a sexy, flaming hot sticker for my phone, two new bracelets, a charming necklace for one of my besties, a super-cool, hot-red, checkered flannel for my other bestie, some clothes for my dear mother, among others. I even got her, yes her, a little something-something as well, just as a decency, I mean it is Christmas.
On another note (sorry if I'm flying all over the place, I just have so much to say!), as you probably may know, Sony finally grew a pair and decided to release The Interview after all. Not only did they agree to screen it in theaters on Christmas Day as originally promised, but they treated us to an early present and streamed the film on every service you can imagine just last night on X-Mas Eve. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and watch the flick myself (up yours, Kim Jong-"Umph"!), and I gotta say...I was not disappointed, but I was not blown away either. It was a good movie, but it was really nothing to get so worked up about. Rogen and Franco gave it their best as always, and there were a few laughs here and there, sprinkled with a few tense moments that have you close to the edge of your seat, but in all honesty, the film was just another cliched predictable, linear story-telling attempt at making something distinguishable for the ages. That, combined with an amazing cast, great cameos, good use of practical effects, and a somewhat decent storyline all add up to my personal rating of a solid 7.5/10.
Overall, my winter break so far is...meh. It's not off to a great start, I will admit, but hey, it's Christmas time! "The season of perpetual hope!" right? With all the drama lama aside, I'm having a great time with my friends and my family, the people who will never leave my side no matter what. That right there is all I need to hold my spirits up in this difficult time for me. Now I know, my teenage problems don't compare to other, more serious issues, like the recent murder of, surprise surprise, another black man at the hands of, you're not gonna believe this, the police! BUT...I must admit, I'm on the popo's side on this one. In case you don't know what I'm talking about and you're like:
I'm gonna start things off on a bit of a personal note and say that for the past few days I've been going through a very rough time in my life--something every teenager has to go through at least once or twice in their lifetime. This work buddy I've mentioned to you guys in the past, some of you who have me on Facebook have seen the pictures of the great times we've had...let's just say that things are not going as hunky dory as I'd like them to. In a nutshell, my jealousy and uncontrollable emotion have all but driven her away from me, we haven't spoken in days and we probably won't until the weekend, and I haven't been myself since everything went downhill. I don't mean to sound like a drama queen or anything, but I've been really beating myself up lately and I fear for what may happen between us in the future. Don't you just hate when you get too attached to people, then you have to deal with possibly never having any sort of connection with them ever again--even when you work in the same place or go to the same school? Especially after so many great memories that it really seems like you were on the verge of sharing something special with them in the future?? It's like ripping out a band-aid...glued down with super glue...then held down with duct tape...and topped off with nails. Try pulling that baby off, right? But like the saying goes: "People who create their own drama, deserve their own karma." I've started a whole mess of unnecessary drama, and now I have to deal with my karma. All because of that little green devil we all know as jealousy. Just part of life and growing up. Learn from your mistakes, accept the pain, embrace it, move on, and keep living your life. Just sucks that all this had to go down on Christmas break...
Moving on, I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas break, hope you got some great presents and stuffed your faces with more food than you can handle--I know I sure as hell did! This Christmas was rather different from my previous celebrations. Instead of being huddled around with a bunch of people--which is amazing, don't get me wrong--I spent this silent night with my mother at our place. Just us two, watching television, snapping photos, eating all the tamales we can stomach in one night. Present-wise, I did some shopping on the 23rd with my best friends ever at the Irvine Spectrum, and boy was it a hell of a fun night. Granted, I was still freshly-depressed (yes I said "depressed" even though I hate that word) over what's going on, but I did my best to bear through it and make the best out of my night with my true friends, and for the most part I was able to overcome it--even more so when my friends graced me with their ever-helpful advice over how to deal with all this and what to do/say when the time comes. So to my two besties, if you are reading this, God bless your souls, I am one blessed guy to have people like you in my life! Anyway, my bank account really did take quite a punch that night, but that's why I work, right?? That night at the Spectrum scored me a sexy, flaming hot sticker for my phone, two new bracelets, a charming necklace for one of my besties, a super-cool, hot-red, checkered flannel for my other bestie, some clothes for my dear mother, among others. I even got her, yes her, a little something-something as well, just as a decency, I mean it is Christmas.
On another note (sorry if I'm flying all over the place, I just have so much to say!), as you probably may know, Sony finally grew a pair and decided to release The Interview after all. Not only did they agree to screen it in theaters on Christmas Day as originally promised, but they treated us to an early present and streamed the film on every service you can imagine just last night on X-Mas Eve. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and watch the flick myself (up yours, Kim Jong-"Umph"!), and I gotta say...I was not disappointed, but I was not blown away either. It was a good movie, but it was really nothing to get so worked up about. Rogen and Franco gave it their best as always, and there were a few laughs here and there, sprinkled with a few tense moments that have you close to the edge of your seat, but in all honesty, the film was just another cliched predictable, linear story-telling attempt at making something distinguishable for the ages. That, combined with an amazing cast, great cameos, good use of practical effects, and a somewhat decent storyline all add up to my personal rating of a solid 7.5/10.
Overall, my winter break so far is...meh. It's not off to a great start, I will admit, but hey, it's Christmas time! "The season of perpetual hope!" right? With all the drama lama aside, I'm having a great time with my friends and my family, the people who will never leave my side no matter what. That right there is all I need to hold my spirits up in this difficult time for me. Now I know, my teenage problems don't compare to other, more serious issues, like the recent murder of, surprise surprise, another black man at the hands of, you're not gonna believe this, the police! BUT...I must admit, I'm on the popo's side on this one. In case you don't know what I'm talking about and you're like:
Here, check out the details on this here article. A black man brandished a gun against some cops near Ferguson, and the coppers naturally defended themselves and shot the man dead. This is justified, I must say. What, you're just gonna let some guy point a firearm at you and not do anything? In this case, the copper's life was in danger, and he was in his full right to shoot the guy (which is extremely rare these days). Now, the people have gone too far and are protesting against this act of defense, which really stirs me up inside, because it shows that they just don't give a crap anymore. They don't care if the popo pulls the trigger out of self-defense or just because it's their nature, they just wanna protest...to protest! Yes I know guys, these people (the popo) are natural-born killers (the majority of them, at least, not all of them) and they know nothing more than how to fire a gun at other human beings, but in this case, they were the ones being assaulted, and only in this case must I defend these creatures, much to my dismay. How much ya'll wanna bet that this broken "justice" system is gonna rule against the coppers and convict them of homicide, even though the video evidence speaks for itself. I guarantee it. What a Christmas present that will be, huh?
So that's the end of my rather bleak post, peeps. I know, 'tis the season to be jolly. But honestly, this hasn't exactly been the jolliest season I've ever had, ju follow? I know these problems I'm having will shortly come to pass, whether it all turns out okay or it all goes to absolute crap. All that aside, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and let's all look forward to those New Years parties! Have a good one everyone, stay up to date, and stay safe out there. :)
I close this post with an all-time favorite of mine by the Pixies. Enjoy.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Poetic Justice or Shameless Murder??
First of all, let it be known I do not condone the cold-blooded murder of anyone, whether it be a black male or a white male...or even a policeman, just like in the event that I will discuss today. I know there is a LOT of controversy over this, so I will try to embrace both sides for argument's sake. Without further ado, here's today's topic.
So just a few days before Christmas Eve, two NYPD cops were shot and killed in an ambush by an assailant who then took his own life after committing the deed. No gunfight. No provocation. No warning. No nothing. Just the sound of a gun setting off and just like that, two police officers were dead with a bullet in their heads. The NYPD was of course devastated by the despicable murder of two of their comrades. Now three bodies lie in the morgue with no real sense of justice for the people of the Big Apple. Then along came the controversy...
One side of this is that the cops got what they deserved, that two cops is nothing compared to the hundreds of innocents they must kill every year. These people were obviously still referring to the recent murders of Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown, among others. On the other side are those who don't see these murders as justification for the assassination of the two innocent cops.
You want my honest opinion? I am not sure what to feel, in all honesty. Yes, this was a cold-blooded murder no matter how you look at it. These two coppers were probably having just another normal day, munching some donuts, maybe planning some holiday shopping and popping, and out of nowhere some deranged lowlife pops a bullet in their heads and then turns his gun against himself. Murder. Plain and simple.
On the other hand, I will say that what goes around comes around, and it was only a matter of time before someone decided to give the coppers a taste of their own medicine. These cops feel no remorse (even if they say they do) when they're choking the life out of black "criminals," and now they expect the country's sympathy when two of their own are taken from them? Sorry fellas, but that's not how America functions. If you push a dog into a corner, she gon' bite. And you, the police, have already pushed the country far beyond its limits, and you couldn't possibly have expected your unpunished actions to remain that way. But still, these two particular cops have done no wrong, at least as far as anyone knows, so they didn't deserve to pay for the mistakes of their majority. I would be more comfortable justifying this action IF it was either Officer Pantaleo (Garner) or Darren Wilson (Brown), as they are the ones who should be punished for their deeds. Nobody deserves to die, but everyone who does wrong deserves to be reprimanded.
One question still remains in my mind: How is it that the two coppers who had a reason to shoot Rice after the boy brandished a gun against them are convicted of homicide, yet the other two cops (Wilson and Pantaleo) were set free despite the mounds of evidence against them? Just another reason why this broken "justice" system needs MAJOR fixing.
End of post. Stay up to date peeps and have a safe holiday, and thanks for reading.
So just a few days before Christmas Eve, two NYPD cops were shot and killed in an ambush by an assailant who then took his own life after committing the deed. No gunfight. No provocation. No warning. No nothing. Just the sound of a gun setting off and just like that, two police officers were dead with a bullet in their heads. The NYPD was of course devastated by the despicable murder of two of their comrades. Now three bodies lie in the morgue with no real sense of justice for the people of the Big Apple. Then along came the controversy...
One side of this is that the cops got what they deserved, that two cops is nothing compared to the hundreds of innocents they must kill every year. These people were obviously still referring to the recent murders of Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown, among others. On the other side are those who don't see these murders as justification for the assassination of the two innocent cops.
You want my honest opinion? I am not sure what to feel, in all honesty. Yes, this was a cold-blooded murder no matter how you look at it. These two coppers were probably having just another normal day, munching some donuts, maybe planning some holiday shopping and popping, and out of nowhere some deranged lowlife pops a bullet in their heads and then turns his gun against himself. Murder. Plain and simple.
On the other hand, I will say that what goes around comes around, and it was only a matter of time before someone decided to give the coppers a taste of their own medicine. These cops feel no remorse (even if they say they do) when they're choking the life out of black "criminals," and now they expect the country's sympathy when two of their own are taken from them? Sorry fellas, but that's not how America functions. If you push a dog into a corner, she gon' bite. And you, the police, have already pushed the country far beyond its limits, and you couldn't possibly have expected your unpunished actions to remain that way. But still, these two particular cops have done no wrong, at least as far as anyone knows, so they didn't deserve to pay for the mistakes of their majority. I would be more comfortable justifying this action IF it was either Officer Pantaleo (Garner) or Darren Wilson (Brown), as they are the ones who should be punished for their deeds. Nobody deserves to die, but everyone who does wrong deserves to be reprimanded.
One question still remains in my mind: How is it that the two coppers who had a reason to shoot Rice after the boy brandished a gun against them are convicted of homicide, yet the other two cops (Wilson and Pantaleo) were set free despite the mounds of evidence against them? Just another reason why this broken "justice" system needs MAJOR fixing.
End of post. Stay up to date peeps and have a safe holiday, and thanks for reading.
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