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.

A "GAS-ly" Disaster

(sorry for the bad title puns...including my last article...haha)

Did you think paying $4.50 per gallon of gas is expensive (even though it is)?

You obviously haven't seen Oslo, Norway's price per gallon.

For unleaded gas alone, it costs about $2.68.

Oh, hah! I forgot to tell you: that's the price of gas per quarter gallon. The real price per gallon costs about $10.72. Don't worry, your eyes aren’t deceiving you.

For a full, 10-gallon tank, that would cost you about $107.20. I don’t know about you, but that's just insanely mad. For the same 10-gallon tank over here in the U.S., that's more than double the amount you'd have to pay.

Eight years ago, about around this time of year, the price of unleaded gas was only $1.59. People would die for prices like that. We could get 30 gallons of gas today for $45, with that $1.59 price. Imagine what you can do with all that money you could save...

It's sad how this whole gasoline ordeal is affecting us. It's bad enough that the Earth has to suffer for our convenience, but our money and economy has to go through disastrous spending. If we had the technology back then, we could've started our transportation with renewable sources, but now, it's a bit too late. Just imagine—if we were to switch to floating cars (which will probably never happen), the entire world's highways and roads would have to be replaced (if it was required). That would result in even more spending.

But if we simply switch to hydrogen/electricity-powered cars, it would still cause problems. Where will all the people in the world get their gas if they still have a gasoline-powered car? Does that mean the government will have to give out free hydrogen/electricity-powered cars? Think of the costs!

You know, it might well be too late to change our way of transportation, but I still believe that we can change the way we treat the Earth. Personally, I try to recycle any goods that are recyclable. Look at it this way—you're saving the Earth, and you're getting money for recycling. It couldn't get better than that. Besides, you don’t want that CRV tax to haunt you forever.

With all that said, I saw this hilarious depiction of our crisis. Take a look (it's my favorite!):

(thanks to the source written in the corner above for the image!)

-the clam.

The Day Before Tomorrow...Today!

(Thank you to all these wonderful sites, and to Yahoo! Images & Google Images, for the images in this article).

I'm staring at this blog right now, and I am really depressed at the blankness over the past week. So, in complete stupidity and spontaneity...

It's world, tv, and music talk time!

Yeah, how bad is that? But since there's been so many things going on (and since I have alllll the time in the world yeah right), I'll just blabble about all of it right now.

Let's start off with...uh, well, since it's been so big in the news: the world's natural disasters. The mother of Caspian—there's been an earthquake in China, a cyclone in Myanmar, wildfires in California and Florida, tornadoes in the mid-west/east US, and hail/snow and thunderstorms in southern California (right after it was BLAZING hot). You know, Mother nature is finally giving us the spank we deserve for not taking care of mommy.

Hmm...ooh! I just read this up on Yahoo. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (who is pregnant with twins...what's up with Hollywood and twins?) just bought a brand new estate in southern France. A $70 million home. Yeah. Some people live under a rock (no, seriously) and some people live in homes that includes a three mile long driveway, a private lake, a moat (yup), and a private FOREST. Absurd, but cool. With all their different children, it must be really international at home. But really, Brangelina are truly good people. The two celebrities I hear most that have helped the less fortunate countries are these two.

Then there was Dancing with the Stars. It ended about a week ago (from this post). Kristi Yamaguchi won (as expected from day one...or even day negative fourteen). Mark Ballas finally got the win he would've gotten last season, so yay for both of those two.


And how can we forget about American Idol. Congrats, David Cook. I've watched some of his interviews, and really, Cook's a good speaker in interviews. He has a good choice of words (that I could never think of), and he answers everything confidently (and if you haven't noticed, a pretty versatile and good singer). David Archuleta, sadly, didn't win, even though his ballads were well sung (but you can't imagine him singing anything else). Sorry Archie, Ms. Sparks still holds the youngest spot.

"AAARRRGGGGHHH!!! I AM TOA!" Calm down there, Gladiator. Ever since American Gladiators (season 2) started, I've been watching it. I personally think it's better than the first season...I really like the new challenges. Pretty uberly cool. Even the slim guy who won last season, Evan, is back, and he's the buffed up gladiator named Jet. Amazingly, he's doing a good job at being a gladiator.

Hmm, and then the one my mother watches...The Bachelorette. All I know (from what I've overheard) is that the girl, Deanna Pappas, got dumped by the guy last season (The Bachelor...which, by the way, never happens unless something is seriously knocked up with the guy) and now she's been given the chance to rub it back in his face. Girls are scary, aren’t they? -runs away from angry mob-

Ooh, that must have been painful... The new season of So You Think You Can Dance? has just started. As usual, a bunch of ballet, hip-hop, poppers, and the ordinary weird dancers appeared at the auditions. But that one single dude at the very end of the first audition episode made my day--that popper--is downright the BEST one ever.

Hahaha, and I keep laughing. Kobe Bryant's latest attempt to "jump" over ridiculous and seems-like-impossible things is a jump over a pool of snakes (that, to me, look harmless, especially because other people are swimming in the pool with no problem at all). So really, if he fell in, nothing would happen (so where's the excitement?). His first attempt was jumping over this car that was speeding towards him. Don't ask me on that one, I have no idea if that was real.

There's this extremely cocky guy on Top Chef (on Bravo channel), and he's irritating me to the tips of my nerves. Seriously—he punched a locker and BENT it because he lost a simple challenge...jeez, deal with it, dude.


The wild definitely isn't a fear of Bear Grylls'. He's the guy that's on Man Vs. Wild, on Discovery Channel. He fights his way through all different sorts of terrains, and shows us important survival techniques. It's awesome...especially when he picked up this lizard, swung it like a baseball bat, hit its head on a branch, skinned it, cooked it, and ate it like a carnivore. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

"Dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun, dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun dun!" Uh, how many D's are in that thing? Anyhow, that's the theme song from Indiana Jones. It's all hyped up right now, although I'm not. You know why? Last time I went to Disneyland, they threw me off the line from the Indiana Jones ride because I was too short...TOO SHORT! Shame on them.

Leona, just keep on bleeding, and we'll keep on hearing. I swear—I think I've heard her song a gazillion times already on the radio...even now, "I keep bleeding, I keep on bleeding love" is still ringing inside my head. Ahh!!

-breathes- -pants- I'm serious—that was probably the most satisfying article I've written so far. I actually enjoyed myself while writing it...since this time around, I'm not teaching some cheesy life lesson. Instead, I'm just ranting about the world!...if that was even a rant...

-the clam.

April's Theme: Pride and Prejudice

Wow, talk about a big, big drought.

This month, April, we've had only 13 articles (including this one), compared to last month's 25. Oh well, 25 will still be the record for now.

Back to the subject. April's theme was: Pride and Prejudice. I was really hoping for a lot of good articles, but as it turns out, 'pride and prejudice' is just too much of a good theme. Both pride and prejudice are extremely strong and varying things, which made it harder to write about. Everyone has their opinions on what 'pride' and 'prejudice' is.

As usual, the following is a summary for April's articles. If you would like to view any of them, locate the article title under the month 'April' on the right side of the blog, under 'Blog Archive'.

Faux Pas: Feeling like reading something random?
HELLO, Greetings, Salutations...: One word, one world.
Hard to Explain: What's the real meaning of 'malaise'?
Hypothetically Speaking: Real-world, humorous dramatization of prejudice.
The Privilege of Childhood: We all had our good, young days.
A Matter of Life and Death: Life is simple...or is it?
Now There's Just No Point: Walking blind isn't the only problem in life.
And I'm the only one to blame: Pride can speak a lot for itself.
To Here Knows When: Who and what do you consider yourself as?
Pride's Gettin' in the Way: The little pest that gets in everyone's way.
Warning: Not for Cavity-Conscious People: All sweet-tooth s welcomed!
Pardon Me: Darn, give me a break, Pride!

Even though we had only a small amount of articles this month, they had strong messages in each and every one. Quantity doesn't always necessarily mean quality!

Thanks for voting in April's polls. Let's cheer for next month's theme: Desperation and Greed!

-the clam.

HELLO, Greetings, Salutations...

It's probably the first word a baby learns.

The first word you say when you greet someone.

The first word you say when you pick up the phone.

The word that you say when you're frustrated by your stupidity ("HELLO?! What was I even THINKING?")

It's such a universal word. You can go to another part of the world, and say "Hello", and they will understand. (So, technically, you know at least one word in every language). The very word itself brings a sense of hospitality when you greet someone. What a simple, yet, sophisticated word it is.

Of course, "Hello" may not always be so kind. It all depends on the tone in which you say the word. Are you greeting a houseguest? Are you greeting an enemy? Are you reluctantly greeting someone that you didn't want to meet? They all belong in a different tone of voice.

As you already know (and I assume that you do...if you're capable of reading this article, then you're old enough), "Hello" has many uses. That is why you can see the word being used in every aspect of life. Maybe it's that Target commercial..."You say goodbuy [they changed it to goodbuy for the commercial version], I say hello, I say hello." Or maybe it's Lionel Richie's infamous Hello song? Oh, and how about that little voice that suddenly pops out of your Motorola phone when you turn it on?..."Hello, Moto."

You yell "Hello?" in a store to see if anybody is there. You ask "Hello?" to see if someone has occupied a fitting room. You say "Hello?" while poking an animal to see if it's dead. You say "Hello" to someone because...well, you have nothing else to say to them.

But as always, "Hello" will always become the start of something new. Try saying "Hello" to new dreams, and greet the future. Don't mind saying "Hello" to a new student in your class. Who knows? They might become a life-long pal.

-the clam.

P.S. I just noticed--this is our 50th article on the blog! -throws confetti- Here's to another 50...or 100...or 1000...or 10000000000000 more!

Stressing out about out stressing.

Stress.

Stress.

Stress.

I can't stress that any further.

Being a human is such a tough job. You constantly have to worry...and you worry when you don’t even know you're worrying. Kids and adults alike, we're all stressed. Humans are made that way.

Let's take a look at an innocent little student:

"Ugh, okay...well, I have math, history, science, and English homework today...don't forget the science fair project...OH! FREAK! THERE'S A PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT DUE TOMORROW! I haven't even started...not to mention two benchmarks, one test, and one writing exam this week...why, oh why..."

Okay. Now an adult:

"What a tiring day at work...stupid boss...that machine was fixed just moments ago, I swear...I just have to take the blame, don't I, nice-guy...let's see...mail, mail, bill, mail, bill, bill, bill, and bill...FIVE BILLS?! I ain't Bill Clinton here...how am I going to pay all this...I only earn enough to keep my family alive...wow, I'm hungry...OH **** I FORGOT TO PICK UP CODY FROM PRACTICE!"

You can imagine that adult as a woman or a man...same either way.

It's completely never-ending. As a child, we only get five years of rest (more like actually learning to become a normal person), and then we have to go to school for a minimum of 16 years...then you learn more (if you choose to), get a job...find a family...settle down...do more of your job...survive with your family...get old, and...you know what happens next.

Society has made us like this. We can't do much about it. If you choose not to do well in education, you live on the street...and there goes your life. If you choose not to work your job, say bye to your family and future.

Finances, health, and contentment...these three things are like serial killers waiting to strike at the right moment. Like I stated previously before in my post before this...a person constantly worries if the career they choose will earn them enough money, earn them the right amount of cash to support their lives and family. Then comes health dancing into life. One smack from health will send your life tumbling down. Fearing that a loved one may get health problems is another stressful factor. Then contentment...I just want to restate what digital delay said. Contentment doesn't necessarily mean that a person is happy, or satisfied. A person never truly is happy, but content, yes. Even when you're dead excited about getting a new Wii, there's still a small dormant evil hiding behind your mind, waiting for the right moment to explode and pop your bubble of happiness.

Why, do you ask, am I writing an article on such a depressing, but very surreal, actual event occurring everyday topic? Well...because I'm stressed out myself. This blog was meant to help relieve ourselves...release our feelings, and let others know that they're not the only ones that are dealing with these similar problems us Acquired Minds are having. We're all people, and people behave like people, and people have the same feelings as other people.

Enjoy what's left of your day.

-the clam.

P.S. Please remember to vote in this week's poll!

Brighter Than Sunshine

I've been searching for things. Important things.
Inspiration.
Motivation.
Ideas.
Just ordinary thoughts.


Have you ever felt the need that you are missing out on something in your life? Maybe even someone or someplace?
Maybe you have a desire to travel the world and go to places like Paris or Italy, Tokyo or Alaska. Or, if you'd prefer, a made-up land, like NeverNeverLand or World's End, Narnia or La-La Land?

Have you ever dreamed of being in a fairytale or fantasy?
It's like, this moment of awe, and then it's gone. Sometimes I just wish it could stay...for a bit longer. Or maybe it would even take me into the Make-Believe World, the Disney World, with the storybook endings and fairytales coming true...?

But no. Since we're in reality, we should think realistically.
Have you ever thought of where your life would be, say, five years from now? Or ten? I'm not talking 'what you want to be when you grow up' if you do grow up, I'm talking the BIG PICTURE: 'He's going to be living in a two bed-room apartment on Main Street of New York City, working part-time bagging grocery bags at the Wal-Mart two blocks down (every Monday through Friday), while he takes Intern Prep classes at the local College to become a somebody.' You know what I mean? Have you ever planned your life out that specifically?



You're twenty-one.
Have you ever fantasized about meeting your true love? When that's going to happen, where you're going to be, what it's going to be like, or who it would be? How would you know for sure that s/he is the one? Either you just have that feeling or, that's right, you just don't know.
How's your wedding going to be like? Life after that? You just don't know.

You're thirteen.
Ever imagined your first kiss? What it would be like? Who with? Where? More importantly, HOW that would work? I mean, there must be millions of thoughts running through your mind...

• How are you actually supposed to kiss someone?
• Am I doing this right? I mean, it's not like someone actually taught you, right????? Picture this: 'Who taught you how to kiss like that?'...'My older brother...' Can you say awkward!?
• What if I'm wearing glasses?
• What if I have on braces?
• What are you supposed to do with your...nevermind.
• What to do...
  

You might turn out to be the most amazing kisser in the world...or the absolute worst.
Is it something you just...pick up? Who knows.....You'll figure it out, you're smart ;]

What kind of person are you?
Are you the type of person that would sit back, watch Global Warming and other problems occur right before your eyes?
Or are you the one that would actually get up off your lazy @$$ and do something about it?
You might say 'Fuck the world' today, but tomorrow you might actually care.

Be BRIGHT [brighter than sunshine!] and SPONTANEOUS.
Be romantic and FUNNY, relaxed and SERIOUS.
Be POSITIVE and INTELLIGENT, OPTIMISTIC and DAZZLING.
Feel FREE and LIVE LIFE.
First and foremost, be YOURSELF.

My advice to you.
*Peace Out*

- my.great.ESCAPE

((...Woah, that's a lot of bullcrap right there. Don't listen to me. They're just guidelines and things to think about anyway. And believe me, that one part [with the bullets?] was really awkward for me to write.))

Fear

“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

What is fear, exactly? And what do we fear of? It ranges from being as simple as that geometry test tomorrow to something as complicated as the end of the world. What are YOU afraid of? Disappointing someone? Public speaking? Death of your own or a loved one? Loss of love, or even love itself? We can find a reason to fear everything and anything. When you think about it, isn’t fear just a psychological thing? Something our mind just creates when we imagine the worst that could happen? If we separate the world into the categories of the brave or the cowardly, where would you stand? Can we even do that? Everyone has the brave and cowardly moments.

Perhaps Roosevelt was right. Is life really about taking risks? But I admit I am afraid of doing something I may regret. I just don’t trust myself enough to know that I’ll make the right decisions in my life, thus screwing it up. Everyone sees me as the girl who has everything together. I’m just as big of a mess as anybody else, maybe even bigger. But everyone is bound to make mistakes and I know I will. I need to accept that. “The brave may not live long, but the cautious do not live at all.” Yes, it was from the movie The Princess Diaries. But who said a Disney movie can’t be insightful?

When I was little, I was terribly scared of Chuck E. Cheese. Yup, that guy in the rat suit. I think I still am. Something about that rat still gives me the heebie-jeebies. However, I am perfectly fine with Mickey Mouse. In fact, Mickey Mouse is awesome! Weird, huh? I know he’s also in the “fictional rodent character” family, but Disney has a way with things like that.

You know, some people are afraid of a tarnished reputation/low social status. Some pretend not to be, but really are. Some are truly not. Everybody is busy worrying about what other people think. You know what? Cool people aren’t people who follow the crowd or even people who go out of their way to be different to prove that they’re not following the crowd. (Was that hard to follow?) Cool people are the people who just are and that’s good enough for them. Cool people aren’t people who never embarrass themselves. That’s impossible. Everyone does. Cool people are able to honestly laugh (maybe even snort) at themselves. Isn’t it strange how many things are connected to stereotypes and social junk?

I think what makes some of us fear death is the fact that this life is all that we’ve ever known and they don’t want to leave that. I am not afraid of death; it’ll happen to everybody someday. I’m afraid of time; having too much or not enough. I am afraid of not being able to do anything with my life. I want to make an impact and change the world for the better. I know that was such a Miss America answer, probably right along up there with, “World peace,” but I mean it. I want to live, not just exist.

In some ways, I am afraid of knowledge. “As they say, ignorance is bliss. Empty, meaningless bliss, but bliss nonetheless.” - Broken Crayons, Delilah121c. At the same time, I am scared of the dark. I am scared of not knowing what lies ahead and being vulnerable. I know it sounds contradicting, but it’s true.

I am afraid of the future; my own and the world’s. Some have their entire life mapped out perfectly, right down to the type of carpet their future house will have. I don’t even know what career path I want to go down. I want a goal to work toward, but I’m just making it up as I go along. What about the fact that we are killing our planet? Everyone says this, but does nothing. I don’t want to be one of those people. What can we do to keep the earth safe for the generations to come? Time is a factor here, which is one of the reasons that I fear it.

I just don’t want to grow up. Well, I couldn’t find a more sophisticated way to put it, so I just said it the way it is. Ahhh... the carefree state of being a child. It seems safer to be protected than exposed to that exciting, but harsh world out there. We are caught in between. Past being a child, but not yet adults. No, I’m not going to give you the puberty talk. Gosh, I got enough of that from last year’s life science class. Adults treat you like a child, but expect you to take on the responsibilities of an adult and blame acting out on your “crazy teenage hormones.” In some ways, I enjoy belonging in a grey area. Everything is not necessarily black or white. That’s the beauty of it, but also its downfall.

How do you conquer a fear? Is facing it head on really the best way? I think so. Honestly, I’ve never been good at facing my own fears. But I think that we all eventually have to.

All my love,
mourning.glory

Un-Mistakenly

Stupid mistakes.

Everyone makes them. Let it be small or a big disaster, we've all made a mistake in our lives that just begs to be forgiven. You could've broken your mother's favorite vase...gossiped bad about someone...made a dumb mistake on a test that you knew you knew but just didn't write it...or worn your shirt correctly and not backwards.

Sometimes you'll feel like a lump of clay. You're just a stone cold lump of matter that has no brain. Well, in most cases, that's true—I hope I'm not making you feel bad. If you cheated on your boyfriend/girlfriend, you deserve to be called a BROWNIE in fact. A brown, rotten brownie.

Anyhow, making a single mistake isn’t going to be the end of the world (unless it meant a loved one's life). You have many ways to redeem yourself. You have tons of opportunities in your lifetime. You just never realize it until it hits you smack hard in the face.

At times, I myself wish I could just travel back in time. Very cliché, huh? But wouldn't it be great, though? You could go back and correct all the wrongdoings you did, and pretended it never happened.

*buzzer sound* If you really think that, you're wrong. If you really did correct all the wrongs you made, then what are you ever going to learn? Life gives us mistakes so that we can learn from it. We have the mistakes that we have so that we can improve ourselves, better ourselves, and hopefully, be a more "productive member of society". (I feel like I've heard that somewhere before...).

Mistakes are mistakes. Deal with it. Live with it. Learn from it.

-the clam.

Minds Are Now Acquired...

Hey there.

I bet you're wondering why you're reading this.

It's one of two things: 1.) You randomly clicked a random blog. 2.) You were bored.

Either way, you're here.

Let's get to know a little about me first of all. I'm a gajillion years old (perks of being a clam?). I live in the deep darks of the sea--living my life not that I have any other choice.

'K, let's get to the point of why I'm here and talking to everybody in the first place. I'll lay it down directly--I want to share my opinions of the world...*a shreik is heard in the distance*. If you find that uncomfortable or boring, you may press that little 'X' in the corner of this window to exit. I simply want to get my ideas and opinions out there, and let everyone think of the world's problems and topics in the perspective of another person other than themselves. Well, TA-DA! This is why the Acquired Minds are here. If you're having a problem with deciding on what to do with a certain topic, we'll be here for your 'other-man-perspective' (O.M.P.!...ugh, cheesiness). I, personally, speak my mind (and at times, I'll be biased), but it's all up to you to take that opinion in and consider it to your advantage (ever noticed the comments button?).

I'm not doing this alone. There's a couple billion people out there in the world--I'm sure a few others would like to share their opinion as well. And so, I will have other people than myself write in the Acquired Minds (share the love, peoples). Hmm...now where's karma police...

As for now, I must go. I will update my new blog with the first topic (whenever I have the time). If you think all this is boring, again, you may leave. Just don't regret it...damn, my reverse psychology isn't working, is it?