I am bored

Some may inquire, why am I bored when I am a senior? With college app and SAT in front of me, I should not be free at all. Sadly, I am bored. Somehow, I am bored. I do not know why!!! I really want to work but I do not know where to start. I tried to do some SAT practice sections, but I just can't do it. I just want to relax. I tried to do pleasure reading, reading Newsweek. The events bore me, and they shouldn't. I am a cynical guy, so I enjoy articles on social disturbance, particularly riots. And when this release came in, it wrote about the British riot. Much to my surprise, I lose interest in 1 minute. No Joke. I am just plainly bored out by it. I cannot stand those awesome stories, when I really should enjoy them. I hope I can get out of this misery soon. Now I am just stuck in this hell without any help. My determination for success just won't last till for more than 30 seconds. My conviction is wore out by the boredom of life. It is certainly true that life wears away the edges of our minds, good and bad alike. I surely hope I can focus soon so I can ace the upcoming SAT.

I am struggling with my thoughts!

Frankly speaking, as the title suggests, I ran out of cool profound topics. Mr. Dahl told us to write "I am struggling with my thoughts" when we can't write any more during free write period. It is actually a pretty profound line if we take a second look at it. You do not really engage a fight with your thoughts, so it is not a metaphor by itself. Although it appeals to normal readers as a simple statement- I am out of ideas, it really mean much more than that, something deeper. It suggests that we are not thinking as what we are thinking. It surely does sound paradoxical, but if you think about it, what if I have split personality? My alter ego is represented as my thoughts. Thus, it really means the exact opposite of running out of ideas. The phrase really mean, I have too many ideas conflicting with each other that I cannot decide which one to put it down on the paper or type it out on the screen. This is the direct result of the indecisive nature of writers. When there are two or more possible endings, it is really a pain to actually decide which one to be published. Therefore, I should correct my earlier statement. I have plenty of topics/ideas to post and yet I cannot decide which one is better so I typed this out!

GOSSIPS: Greatly Obsessed Secrets Searched Intensely by Parents and Students

Gossips are casual rumors that usually involve unproven detail and personal speculation. News is all about getting up-to-date, and details can leave for the future. People are just merely interested in relationships that have yet to be confirmed. The student body, usually most in high school and college, loves gossips. A little courtesy from a guy to a girl can spark a story of romance in no time, and before you know it, the entire school knows it. I do not know if this is only applicable to Asian parents but, sadly, they are really engaged in these tell tales. Parents, in fact, are more desperate to know who their kid is having a relationship with. Not only would they persistently interrogate their kids about their relationship status, but also stalk their kids on social groups or try to search for clues by establishing a network of information trade within parents. Its way too sophisticated for we students to handle this, especially from parents, aside from the high expectation of schoolwork. In the end, gossips, is still one people enjoy yet dislike to be the target of it.

Life is Cool

Life is a misery. People always fall when they are having their peak, that one day, and realizing all was nothing but just a dream. Sometimes it feels so bad that you lie on the floor and cry, thinking it is my life. It might be a heartless rude boy who want to break your heart and crush no one but you saying bye bye. You can't throw a grenade at him(you don't have one in the first place), because dangerous as he is, can strike a war with you, light off your home and watch the fire burning or bust your windows and put a dynamite in. Trust me, heaven can wait for you longer than now. You must be optimist as being down won't get you anywhere.  However, there is hot and cold in life, and just be faithful. Soon, when it is second time around, you will realize its a good life after all. All you need is a little motivation for the better telling you "I wanna go" and no one can stop you. Do it well one step at a time. After you succeed, in your afterthought, you can imagine you are on the peak of the world with no other one over you till the end of the world. Chances are that he would apologize and ask for a second chance. You can be breaking his heart now or, if that is ok with you, enjoy another stay with your guardian angel as he is now and have a great ending for your love story. Afterall, Life is Cool.

Fashion

Fashion, a profound area of knowledge, is the leading occupation for the public. Fashion can be inspired and invented, though not popularize, by some stellar artists. When talking about fashion, most people will immediately think of clothing. However, this idea is in fact, very mislead. Fashion covers every aspect of life, from accessories and clothing to practices. Lady Gaga, a celebrity, always make her appearance with extravagant and rather exaggerated outfit. She not only sparked a great deal of revolution in clothing, but also suggested the public that being unique is good, no matter how ridiculous it might be. She injected a fashionable mindset- originality and creativity into the world. Again, such fashion cannot be done alone. Her fans promoted her ideals to the rest of the world. Now, many comedy channels began to adopt her costumes or her idea. This is fashion. Nobody can know what the next fashion will be. Fashion can be never be everlasting. In fact, its always evanescent. Nobody knows where the next brilliant idea will come from and nobody knows the next fashion. That is exactly why I call it profound.

Appreciation of Tetris

Tetris is an all time favorite game! On the notorious Facebook, there is this popular game known as the Tetris Battle. Tetris, the little 4 block combination known as tetrimino, stick into each other to form great pretty patterns. When it sees a fit, they stick in. Lines disappear like magic! It is the best feeling when you destroy an opponent. The colorful blocks compose a unique masterpiece each game, whether it wins or not. It is tetris that gives us comfort! When you see the pieces intersect and insert to each other, the feeling is better than any others! It is true that sometimes we may be depressed from losing but the game is always encouraging. Also, playing tetris can improve hand eye coordination! However, like everything else, overdosing, I mean, overplaying tetris can have the Tetris effect, which is seeing blocks falling from the edge of your sight or when your eye shuts. It is really awesome a game to play. In fact, when I was running for the student council president, I put this in my agenda. Though I lost the election, it was worth trying and I realize how popular Tetris is among student body.

Cynical view on society

Society, that one lie people claim about equality, freedom, altruism and friendship. It is that one lie that makes innocent souls believe in the good will of man kind. But, just are humans really born good? Heck no. Without government, people steal, robe , rape, and all sorts of crimes. It is evident that humans are evil by nature. Thus, society is merely a platform for those evil minds play chess on, with victims as their pieces. When is there equality when innocent people go to jail and rich criminal flee away safely? Where is the justice when criminals are still running and instead of pursuing, authorities argue of district power? Where is the freedom when people are thrown to jail or fined just by blogging out their thoughts (whether personal attack is in the blog is none of its matter anyways)? Where is the altruism when rich people keep money to themselves and only donate to charity to reduce tax? Where is friendship when best friends backstab each other (examples will not be given for this issue)? Its all lies. In the end, society, is in truth, a game of chess played by the evil minds. We shall not, under any circumstances, believe in such outrageous claim. Surely, not everyone is evil, but its always true the evil dominate over the innocent.

Tests

Tests are weapons, tools for teachers to massacre children's lives. In their evil plan to conquer the minds of the 21st century, they use mediums like tests and quizes to brainwash us in this so called curriculum and education system. Whether it be in the Asian society or in Western culture, tests are given out at completely random circumstances in order to fulfill their pointless purpose. Lets start from kindergarten. Nowadays, there are some educational systems where kids must take a kindergarten entrance exam. Those poor little souls don't even know how many years of education they need, and they must take a test to enter their painful journey of learning. In Taiwan, kids must take gateway exams to pass onto the next school level such as middle school to high school because the government requires it. Education primarily serves to enlighten people of the world around them, and prepare them to be fit for survival by various means. Testing academics as a standard for competence in abilities is simply ridiculous and insanely unreasonable.

Moon Festival BBQ

Many years, as I recall five, have passed since my last Moon Festival BBQ. I miss it really bad. My grandparents insisted my parents to take us out for BBQ as this is probably my last Moon Fest. in Taiwan for a good 5 years at the very least. My cousin who was currently enlisted and training gets a break as well, so my aunt drove him there. His friend, along with his girlfriend and his mom showed up. Plenty of people joined, adding to the party atmosphere.We went a sighting seeing place in Hsinchu, a scenic park on the Hsinchu 17km coastline bike trail. We went early and picked a big spot. However, much to our carelessness, we were far from the light so we BBQ in the pitch darkness. We in the end use cellphone lights to keep ourselves from tripping or overcooking. I think we enjoyed it more without the light. Somehow, the moon seem brighter and rounder from where we were eating. It was a great sight to enjoy. The office there also play loud pop songs, making our stay ever more pleasant. I really enjoyed Moon Festival BBQ, and I hope I can stay this late next year to enjoy it one more time.  For any people out there who haven't tried, you definitely should. As for those who couldn't do it, TOO BAD!!!

Privacy and Publicity

Facebook, a social networking platform, has gone viral since it was put online in 2004. Facebook is one of the most profitable corporation on the internet. In recent years, many users complained how it was invading personal privacy. Although the Facebook sharing private information to the public is indisputable, people really in fact, enjoy the publicity. You do not want any kids to see sexual content implied ads, or cartoon ads for adults. The information stripped from you only makes your surfing more enjoyable. It is also the main income for the company. Publicity has done us great good. Furthermore, the leak of privacy is not something to be complained. Every piece of information on Facebook was keyed in by the user and many "leaks" were authorized by the user. Thus, it is not only unfair but also unjust to blame Facebook for such issue. Think about how much fun Facebook brought us, connecting with your old friends, playing Tetris, and stalking people. In conclusion, we love Facebook, and if anyone wants to downplay Facebook with privacy issues, they should just quit it and stop whining.

Online Music

As technology advances, it became harder each day to support oneself as a musician. Good songs are often, if not always, uploaded onto video sites such as Youtube or other file sharing platforms. Of course, with all those people working on laws and debate, there will not be any infringement of copyrights. When its on Youtube, it surely does gain popularity and recognition, but it imperils the music from extraction of sound of the videos and etc. In short, technology is a double edged sword for those musicians. Unless you have a solid amount of faithful fans who are willing to spend money on those CDs or songs, you won't make any money. I highly doubt the songs are what boost those top tier singers into prosperity. I suspect its mostly the side products from fame, such as acting or commercials, that contributes to their income. From time to time, I fought against my conscience when ripping those songs out of those platforms, not for the affluent singers, but those that just started their career. Good music can drop out of the market without financial support. I believe, one day, when I have money to do so, I will buy them.

Procrastination

Procrastination, a skill that is greatly used by students, is the greatest weapon against school's oppression on life. Most students know how to do this intuitively. This intrinsic behavior gives students a chance to enjoy their life while they can. In the very depth of human soul lies laziness and indisputably, we don't like working. Therefore, we play, and enjoy as much entertainment as possible. It can be understood that by then, we will procrastinate. For most humans, we are near-sighted into the future, and we enjoy the benefits before the consequences. For example, credit cards are invented under this concept, enjoying the shopping experience and pay later. It is not a crime, like teachers said, to procrastinate. Sometimes, last minute work if completed under the correct amount of time and pressure required, can become brilliant work that rivals those made over the period. Furthermore, procrastination is, simply just doing work by the end of the time limit. People can start on it right after its given but do it carelessly since there's no time pressure and may even spend less time on it that those that procrastinate. In the end, I recognize procrastination as a way to get the job done, regardless of the ill fame people put on it.

The Digital Fortress of Mind

The name of this blog was named based on the book Digital Fortress (1998) by Dan Brown. Although I haven't read this book, I wiki-ed it before. Wiki-ing movies and books I intend to read later became a habit of mine. I do not like surprises, and my reading delight lies in the details, not the actual story. Back to the topic at hand, Digital Fortress, in the book, is a code that destroys the security of computer and allow all data to flow out. Its a worm that eats away all the protective layers of files and disperse them to the world. This blog is the journal blog, a device to type out my thoughts. From my mind and the world, there is this layer of protection. Nobody can read my mind and to engage a conversation with a wider audience, it is the internet that allows me to do so. In some way, this blogging tool breaks that barrier between my mind and the world, allowing me to pour out my thoughts into this world, hence the name "The Digital Fortress of Mind".