Saturday, February 28, 2009

February's Theme: Heartful Desire


A month February has been... Our first anniversary whizzed by like it never came. But that's alright. That just shows that we somehow have lives. *cough*

I'll cut straight to it:

yippee - Random blurb on Tegan & Sara, 2010 Olympics, and our so-called lives.
Due to copyright laws, I am unable to show the title of this post. - The pirating of music on the internet.
Bitter and just a little sweeter - Some [fun] facts about Valentine's.
Distinctive, Not Separated - A point of view on The Last Airbender casting decisions.
I Shouldn't Have Said That - Inappropriate things that are said, due to our race.
Let's Get to It - Love is only describable by those that are loved or loving.
Routine. - Is everyday a schedule?

Colors in the Dark series:

the clam - Feeling cold?...or maybe blue?
digital delay - Gray but never dull.
my.great.ESCAPE - Why choose a color when you can have all colors?

Put into March:
karma police - Green is limitless in all the mediums we do.

There you have it. Let's get to next month, March, already (:P): The Greener Side.

-the clam.

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Colors in the Dark: my.great.ESCAPE.

color my world Pictures, Images and Photos bunch of balloons Pictures, Images and Photos


Okay, while we were coming up with this 'color' theme post, I thought to myself, almost all the colors of this world are beautiful. Why should I have to choose one?

Red. A bright red reminds me of the embarassment I felt when I got hit in the face by a tennis ball. That's the bad part.
Maroon. A darker red, like maroon, is more appealing. It's the color of warmth and cheerfulness in the air, sort of like around the holiday season...
Orange. Orange is like, a person who you dont quite like, but dont quite not like. An acquaintance, you could say? It's the taste of tangy sweetness, like citrus (hah), where something's sort of sweet, but sort of sour...and you just cant quite decide. Orange is also the color of victory, the feeling you get when you win:]
Yellow. Yellow's not my favorite color (at all). It's because it can be too bright (not that a blind person would know what "bright" looked like). But it's something you can't stare at, something you must look away from. Yellow could be describing a person who is very vibrant and positive, all the freakin time.
Green. Green is a sigh of relief. Getting something off your chest, a sh!tload of work or some guilt you've been putting off. To feel free...of everything.
Dark Green. Dark green describes a mysterious person. Someone who wears a mask and doesnt talk about their feelings much. Dark green is a very lonely person that needs to be needed.
Dark Blue. You probably dont know where I'm getting this, but to me, dark blue is the feeling of falling head over heals for a special person. Having butterflies in your stomach and your face lighting up. Dark blue is the feeling of coming home after the most wonderful night out, and feeling just infinite.
Purple. If you have a great friend that you've known and can always talk to, then you know what purple looks like. A beautiful friend that is there for you to love you, to make you laugh, to be there when you cry, and for you to do the same in return. That's purple.
Light Pink. Pink is the sweeeet taste of cotton candy (or any type of candy, really) that just lingers in your mouth.
White. White is the feeling of emptyness and the color of something new.
Gray. Gray is doing the same old thing, but never getting bored of it.
Black. Black is the color of forever: far and wide, never ending.

What color would you describe yourself?
-my.great.ESCAPE.

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Colors in the Dark: digital delay


I decided on the color gray. It's a personal favorite of mine, although I've decided not to try and ponder a lot about why it is. To me, gray has always just been that color. Blue is beloved, red is strong, yellow is bright, white is soft, black is dark and sleek, but gray, gray is just gray. It's dull. It's doesn't stand out. It's just...there. It's an absolutely wonderful color though. I wouldn't say that its "overlooked", or "misunderstood". It's just...gray.

Gray is also a neutral color. It's in between the ever battling colors of white and black. It's right in the middle. It's not extreme. It's not vibrant. It's not "earthy", or "dream-like". Gray is a pretty modest color, it doesn't have a whole lot to brag about. Gray is the color version of having a day that's not great, bad, simple, complex, or frustrating, but just...one of those days. More like, another one of those days.

There's not a whole lot to say about it. It's the color of gloomy days. It's the color of smog. It's the color of an abundance of everyday items and occurrences. It just doesn't happen to be as lucky as all the other colors. It shouldn't be pitied, you shouldn't feel sorry for it. It doesn't get to be the "indie" color either, black gets that title. It just doesn't get to be as special as all the colors. But that's ok, I'm sure gray goes along just fine as gray.

-digitaldelay

thanks to arcticeice.org for the image

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Colors in the Dark: the clam

(big thanks to dryicons.com for the image!)

It’s tough to feel missed out. Especially missing out on the view of the world. The sounds, the smell, the feel…all are terrible things to live without, but not being able to see is most probably the worst (in my opinion). I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in the position of a person who has been vision-impaired since childbirth. Never to know what a human looks like, what your parents look like, what you yourself looks like, or what color is. Yeah, color…does color exist in a dark world? It’s hard to even think of colors when you haven’t really seen it before in your life.

Blue’s a particular favorite color of mine (if it’s not so obvious; I practically live and breathe in blue *ahem*). Yeah, yeah, it’s the color of the ocean, the sky, your date’s eyes, the Democrat’s represent. But a blinded person is completely oblivious to that. What a shame it is. Blue is such a brilliant color [/ultra-bias].

It’s the kind of color where you feel relaxed. The serene feel (*plays zen music*). Coolness, too, in fact. No, not I-am-freakin’-awesome-cool, the easy-breezy-Covergirl-cool. It’s the color you think about when you think of the cold. Like a nice…yummy…Slurpee on a hot summer day… *drool*. Or, or, a glass of icy cold tropical blueberry punch, sweet dulcet juice quenching that throat… *realizes puddle of drool in front*.

Alright, er, no more fantasizing about yummy drinks. There’s no point in that. No one will know what “blue” is. Oh, how about, the frigid icecaps at the poles of the Earth. Blue is that freezing, sub-zero chilly color that makes you shiver and tremble and shake and makes you hunger for the great warmth of the--

Okay, BAD idea. Blue…well, blue is the feeling you get when you stop and think about all the people in the world, and you wonder, “Why did it have to be me?”. Everyone deserves a fair chance at the world. Even though we will never be able to look through your eyes, we still try to be as understanding as possible. It’s not a curse, and it’s not a misfortune. In fact, it’s unique. You have the imagination that no one else would ever have. You can create every possible thing in your mind, and no one would have to share it with you. It’s all yours to keep, and to change at your will. So…don’t be blue. Define it however which way you want to. Haha, so don’t feel left out. We’re the ones left out of your beautiful world.

-the clam.

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Sunday, February 22, 2009

Routine.

Are you the type of person who likes routine?
Knowing what you're going to do next and when.
Liking how everything is in order and what's supposed to be.
Not minding boredom.
Mind you, that's so not me.
But I have routine anyway.
Even though I actually do mind boredom.
And I actually dont like knowing what I am going to be doing at that time tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.
But I do it anyway.
Because my life is routine.
How do I change that, exactly?
I'd want to do something exciting, like climb the world's highest mountain or save a life. Just something amazing, you know?

routine Pictures, Images and Photos

Have you ever felt alone in a crowded room? (- Jack's Mannequin's Dark Blue)
I know how that feels.
At a party, where you're mind's set on something else.
Sitting at lunch where you're not quite acknowledged.
Or in the middle of a dance floor, without a partner to hold.
It's this real emotion. Deep and intense. But not in a good way.

I am just jumping into random puddles of ideas today.
-my.great.ESCAPE.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Let's Get to It

rose Pictures, Images and Photos

Who said that love is overrated? Those who don't know the feeling? Those who have never loved nor been loved? You know the saying, "it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" (or something along those lines). It really is a good quote, in my opinion.

People say 'I love you' all the time, and most of them really do mean it. The select few that don't, well, shame on them. You say you love your family, you love your friends, you love a special someone... But are all of those the same type of love? Of course, falling in love is different; it can be quite an easy thing to do. But how do you know you are 'in love'? When you've got nothing to compare it to, how do you know the magic is happening? People always say 'You'll just KNOW'...Fair enough?

A boyfriend here, a girlfriend there. They exchange 'Love you''s all the time, but what if they only think they're in love? What if, in the most random future, they break up? Is it okay to be in love at the time? I'm thinking, sure it is...But not for a week or a month, it isn't. Is it okay to be in love more than once? I'll let you be the judge of that.

If there is "the perfect one" for everyone, a soulmate, then good...But what if I never meet them, ever? Walk right pass them?

Like karma police had said, Valentine's day is a happy nice day for lovers. But those without are definitely not alone. You can't go wrong with flowers:D

Happy Luuurrrvvveee Day,
my.great.ESCAPE.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

I Shouldn't Have Said That

There's a little thing that half of the time pisses me off, and the other half of the time I think it's fairly appropriate. That thing, is, being politically correct. A good number of the time, it is perfectly wonderful. Being offensive to other races, genders, and different kinds of sexuality are acts that should not be swept aside so easily. The part I hate however, is when you by no means mean anything offensive at all, and are fairly oblivious at the moment the words leave your mouth, of what others would perceive of what you're saying, and yet people still take offense to it and refuse to turn the other cheek. That pisses me off.

It's a funny thing, it seems to be fairly relative.

"Hey, are you Chinese?"...(no, I'm Vietnamese dipsh*t...)

"Hey, are you white?"...(well, I'm Canadien...)

"Hey, are you Australian?"...(no, I'm from New Zealand dumbass...)

[in a bout of curiosity/fear,in the nicest, most non-offensive tone musterable] "Hey, what ethnicity are you or your parents, or something...? "Uhhh...what do you think I am?" (the f*ck am I supposed to know b*tch?...)

-{[(Honestly, I'm not sure what term to use sometimes to describe people. White, well, maybe Caucasian is more appropriate. Black, well, maybe African-American is better. Wait, if they're..."black", but aren't American? What the f*ck...I've never heard African-English, or African-French.)]}-

In actuality....that could really happen. The second part I hate about that, is that honestly, I was almost going to put in an example of perhaps blacks or Latinos. Then again, I thought about the kind of backlash I'd receive. Then, now I just realized that because I just said that, I'm going to receive backlash anyway. Oh well, f*ck you political correctness.

Yet, I meant absolutely no harm. I try utmost, as a human being, and as one living in our current time, to not be discriminative to anyone. But really, we all are. It's going to take a long time, probably never (for a more cynical view of things...) to get rid of the stereotypes. The only thing we can do, is to try and move past of our brain's hard wiring, and try to see things in the most logical, realistic, and unbiased manner we could possible get out of the shitty minds we have.

But in no ways do I condone the use of derogatory terms either. If someone uses words like "n*gger", "chink". "dyke", etc., etc., then by all means, f*ck them up.

But this extends beyond racial, sexual orientation, or gender matters. Look what I now have to say because of my statement "by all means, f*ck them up". I now have to say that by no means do I condone the brutal, cruel, unreasonable, and physical harming of any fellow souls. Well hell, I didn't even really mean anything bad in the first place. The statement was not serious in the matter that STD's, or babies being hit by cars would be. I mean, the matter and subject itself are serious, but my stupid statement wasn't.

Funny thing too, is amidst all this being nice to everyone when you're already trying to be nice, is that while people are trying to be so correct about this, there's something else that seems to be everywhere. I, we, live in a time where I can't watch t.v. without seeing someone stripping half-naked about to get horny (not politically correct-enough?...how about, getting ready to make additions to our already large population?) with someone else who's also stripping half-naked and about to get...ready. We live in a time where I probably wouldn't really want to watch a movie within 500 ft. of my mom or she might happen upon me watching a sex scene I never intended to watch in movie I heard was really good, and therefore won a few awards. Now look what I have to go on and say...

first of all...not porn...just...no

secondly...( heaves big sighs....) I do not hold anything against the fact that people (enjoy...some...at least do) copulate. It's a fact of life, and it is becoming more and more acceptable in our society. Well, that's fine, your beliefs are your beliefs, just ummm....well....I'll put this as..delicately as possible....don't do anything "stupid".

You know, being inoffensive is good. Being too sensitive about some comments is bad too sometimes.

I just hate how everything is always "not too much of this, not too much of that".

I'm just a bit tired of things.

That, or a bit crazy, loony, cynical, and just plain bored.

-digital delay

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Monday, February 9, 2009

Distinctive, Not Separated

(images courtesy of aang-aint-white.livejournal.com and also to iroh.org)

Sorry if this is a bit off-topic in regards to the posts below (they're great! They shouldn't be ignored just because this long rant pushed it down...). The story’s been hanging around for a long while now, but I feel like I should speak up on behalf of the issue as well, after floundering around and getting more uneasy on the subject.

There are many things that take a turn for the better, but also for the worst. So is the case with Hollywood. Sometimes, they might take a bad to average story, and turn it into a remarkable epic, but there are also times when they take a magnificent story and world and turn it into a plot-mush with missing storylines and maybe even some storylines that didn’t exist before.


But isn’t that something that should be expected? Movies were made to provide entertainment, but for the production company, they’re also made to bring in big bucks. Unfortunately, it can get a bit desperate. Every time that they bring a story or idea—that’s not heavily recognized by wide audiences, but that are more directed towards a specific audience—to the big screen, they’re taking quite a risk. Of course, that’s why they have large promotions and advertisements for the movie, but if they can’t get people to come and pay $8 to watch it, it’s a dead shot.

So, they decide to cast big-name actors. Surely everyone would come and watch their favorite celebrity, because they just know that he/she is going to make any movie great, right? Haha...ha.

It just doesn’t work. No matter how many household names you put into a movie, if the roles don’t fit correctly, it just fails. But what is especially annoying is when a movie is completely demoralizing a tale, and morphing it into an artificial money gobbler.


I could be talking about Eragon, but no, that’s not what I’m trying to focus on (even though I do have things to say about how they demolished the book, but that’s something else). My main point right now is The Last Airbender. Viewers of Nickolodeon are sure to recognize Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American “anime” of sorts, that centralizes around a Asian-styled fictional world where a struggle of balance upon four elemental nations sets the story. I’m not quite an avid Nickolodeon viewer, but I am an avid channel surfer. A couple years back, I was surfing, diving, and paddling through channels, and that’s how I stumbled upon Avatar. I’ve been a fan ever since, and probably always will be.

And yes, if you’ve been following this article, you would know what they’re planning for it—they’re turning this magnificent show into a movie. “Here it goes again…” is an expected thought. As with every story-turned-movie, it’s highly probable that it’s not going to be as stunning as the original, but at least it’d be decent…hopefully? Nope, no, nada. Here comes Tom Sawyer with his whitewash...too bad he couldn’t stick to fences.


In exchange for taking the story of Avatar and turning it into a movie, they decide to surprise the fanbase with HUZZAH four Caucasian actors in the lead roles (well, now it’s reduced to three), namely: Jackson Rathbone [from Twilight], Nicola Peltz, Noah Ringer (no actual visible picture of him as arisen yet, but still plausible), and Jesse McCartney (who backed out due to “schedule problems”…or so they say. He’s been replaced by Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire). “Um…and what’s so bad about that?” Let’s see…the entire world of Avatar is Asian-based, Asian-styled, and Asian-themed. Four major forms of martial arts are presented. Settings throughout the series depict Asian cultural monuments, items, and details. Chinese-language characters are frequently shown on scrolls, artwork, and other props. I think the big picture has gotten clear.

Yes, yes, I know that this is just how the big, bad movie industry goes. That’s the way of life in the world of Hollywood. But on a deeper level, this morally affects many people, both by Asians who feel betrayed and by the huge fanbase following (which includes me). There are so many Asian actors and actresses out there, who are struggling to find a chance in this industry. Not just actors and actresses, but talented ones. But for some reason, they just don’t seem to get a breakthrough. This issue further exposes this struggle. The Last Airbender is a massive opportunity for Asian actors to show what they’ve got. Almost every character in the Avatar world is Asian and Inuit (this excludes what they physically look like—this is based on their actual character). But instead, they decide to cast trendy actors in the lead roles, in the hopes of bringing in an audience (which is a highly probable theory). But you know what? They’ve got that completely erroneous. Instead, they should try to bring in the audience that is already loyal to the series: the fanbase, which may I say, is giant. Not the hot-guy-obsessed-fangirl, NO.


This has been circulating for weeks and months now. Of course, I’m not the first to speak up on this subject. Take a look at Saving the World With Postage, a blog on LiveJournal that’s been in the process of a letter-sending campaign to stop Paramount in its tracks and to make them reconsider their decisions. Has it been successful? Well, the casting of Dev Patel and the removal of Jesse McCartney—*cough* emphasis on "due to schedule problems"—is highly suspicious. But it’s still a step into bringing some righteousness to the ordeal.

And to quote Vagabond Sal:
“What does this casting choice say to me, the angry Asian man? It says that every time somebody speaks more slowly and loudly to me because they assume that English isn't my first tongue, they're right to do so, because I'm not normal….It says that every time somebody asks me to translate a random set of pictographic characters for them, they're right to do so, because I know ancient Asian secrets. It says that when Rosie O'Donnell said that Asian people talk in alternating tones of ching chong ching chong, she wasn't being offensive, because we really do all sound like that.”

I’ve had my say.

-the clam.

Note: Racial issues and opinions regarding them are highly debatable and controversial. I am not encouraging the act of racism, but I am only expressing my thoughts and beliefs on how it should be correctly interpreted.

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Bitter and just a little sweeter

A recent study shows that four out of four people will die in their lifetimes.

That single line has put my identity on jeopardy! But here here, I'm sure that half out of those four people have a reason for their deaths and I'm pretty sure that somewhere amongst all of it's bitterness is a touch of sweet. It's T-Minus Five days until the day when disgusting sweet tarts are everywhere and cards that cost five dollars more than their actual sentimental value are given away. How exciting.

Here's a clip on my previous years' Valentines Day.... Okay, I really don't remember, but let's just pretend that I'm off gallantly drowning in chocolates and sweethearts and all those other hearts that come along on the fine occasion. Well, honestly that didn't happen, but in my future I wouldn't mine not spending a V-Day moping in self pity for being alone without a significant other.

Stupid timing.

The origins of Valentines Day are very mixed amongst the bitter and bittersweet. Taken from urbandictionary.com: ERnin_irene classifies Valentines day as "a day to make lonley people depressed and loved people possesed", Brandi says that it's "A scam made by the greeting card company", TheGoblin is quite possibly the most unnpessimistic- "February 14th. A great day for people in relationships, a time to spend lots of money on each other and feel loved. An awful day for single people, who become envious of couples who celebrate Valentines Day because they get nothing."

Hmm. How nice.

I decided to Wikipedia Valentines Day, and I found this part of it rather interesting:

In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia, observed February 13 through 15, was an archaic rite connected to fertility, without overtones of romance. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier "or "the chaste Juno," was celebrated on February 13-14. Pope Gelasius I (492-496) abolished Lupercalia.

So wait a minute? No overtones of Romance? BUT VALENTINES DAY IS ALL ABOUT ROMANCE!!!!! ! ! In fact it wasn't even called Valentine's Day it was called Lupercalia! And it was so icky that the POPE abolished it! Wow.

Some more interesting information about KISSES:

Love letters throughout the year are often signed with a string of "X's" to represent kisses. Why? Our practice of using an "X" grew out of the Medieval practive of letting those who could not write, mark documents with an "X" to represent their names. This was done in the presence of Witnesses and a kiss was given upon the "X:" to show sincerity. The "X" then became synonomous with the kiss in the minds of most people. There are two possible explanations why an "X" was chosen to represent one's name. One explanation is that the "X" shape was originally thought of as a cross. This "X" shaped cross was the symbol of St. Andrew. It may have been that people were making a pledge in the name of the Saint. The second explanation is that it may have been a plege in the name of Christ. The "X", or chi symbol is also a letter of the Greek alphabet, which has also been used to represent the name of Christ.

Quite interesting, if I may so so myself :) Whatever the case for all those out there who absolutely despise Valentines Day, remember you're not alone. In fact, you're FAR from alone. So break out some good chick flicks or scary movies and forget about your pain.

FUNFACT: 61% of dudes want flowers, too. How odd.

-Karma Police

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Due to copyright laws, I am unable to show the title of this post.


Recently, it came to my attention that YouTube has begun to block/delete certain videos that have broken certain copyright laws. Well I had seen this before, I had only begun to start caring purely because Tegan and Sara videos have also been blocked (but they're still on other sites...), since they signed to Sire Records after they recorded The Con, to distribute it. Sire is owned by the large group, Warner Music Group (Warner Bros. Records). All this isn't really important to anyone, but, it brings into mind questions about legality among files online.

Honestly, the law is the law, but damn I kind of miss those videos. Anway, YouTube is probably the premier video sharing website on the net. So of course, it leads the way for other, similar, sites. If so, some conspiracy nutcases could ramble on about how The New World Order is trying to screw us over.

Also, YouTube is owned by Google, and they could track you down faster than a hobo on a ham and cheese sandwich.

But all this reminded me a lot the music file sharing stuff going on. Limewire, Napster back when it still did the kind of thing, torrents, etc. The RIAA has been trying to crack down on these things, but a lot of their cases make it seem like they've been pretty drugged up lately. But recently the've tried a new approach I believe. Instead of trying to sue the asses off of anyone they think is trying to download music illegally, they made some kind of deal with internet service providers (which, admittedly, sounds kind of scary) to slow down the internet of people they suspect of activity they frown upon. Well, I don't have really fast internet anyway.

Though I do wonder what kind of stances the artists would have.

But all this illegal stuff, well, it is kind of technically illegal...even if prices for music aren't exactly what some, including me, would consider ideal. Honestly, I don't download music illegally. Actually, my entire music library that I don't currently have a hard copy of was lost fairly recently. But I'm sure this issue is an everyday part of lives everywhere among the pirating, we-love-free-stuff (like music), community.

But really, I just miss those Tegan and Sara videos.

What a sweet video for them


good little article thing on the subject-The Consumerist How I Became A Music Pirate




Where the Blog Has No Name (thanks for the picture)

-digitaldelay

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Saturday, February 7, 2009

yippee

It's February 7.

Yesterday was February 6.

Yesterday, on February 6, Tegan and Sara played a show (with Broken Social Scene) in Vancouver for the 2009 Cultural Olympiad, or something like that...apparently it's this...celebration(?)....anyway it precedes the 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and this other little town near it whose name I can't remember (but it does start with a W).

It's ok Tegan, we're all getting old...:D=happiness/smilingness[sic]

also it makes me really sad that after this, they have to go record (which makes kind of happy actually), but that means they won't be doing a whole lot of other stuff in that time period, which means I'll be really...bored...


Now, on to the shit people care about...

ummm....well...i don't have much to say here...


Let's just see if we can get out of the 8-12 range this month...

and someone said we actually have lives...well...just for the record..we..must not mean me...I'm just too lazy to post stuff because then I would have to think about stuff to think about what to write since I can't just write something because I don't have anything interesting to write or say, or that would be interesting to read, I guess.

-digitaldelay

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