I've decided I'm going to start updating this blog with not only my own thoughts and stories, but also with anything I find that inspires me. In this way I will keep track of the things I find that inspire me, and I will hopefully be able to help others find the same inspiring things.
With that in mind, here is my first inspirational thing that I will put up:
This is a clip from an amazing film called In The Mood For Love
It is a Chinese film from Hong Kong, directed, written and produced by Wong Kar-wai who is one of the most influential and highly acclaimed directors in China.
I find this film and this clip with the music very inspiring, and maybe you will too.
The link (unfortunately you'll have to copy and paste. I don't know how to put a video into the blog post. Will find out soon):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjcTPRkAfL0&feature=related
The music is actually not original to the movie. The piece played here is called "Yumeji's Theme" and was originally composed for the film Yumeji by Seijun Suzuki. Interestingly enough, as the name denotes, Suzuki is a Japanese director. So this is a Chinese film with at least one piece of music from a Japanese director. To me this is surprising considering the relationship China and Japan have traditionally held throughout history.
Just a bit of interesting info.
Hope you like the clip on youtube!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
How Doth The Little Crocodile
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!
-Lewis Carroll
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!
-Lewis Carroll
Mourning the Lost
Just don't suck up the carpet! That's been the death of many a valiant vacuum cleaner. :'(
They were my friends.
They were my friends.
Monday, February 14, 2011
1888
Twas a dark, dark night;
Lament the double event!
Did none cry for them?
DISCLAIMER:
I hope that this doesn't offend anyone or sicken them. The article attatched is true, but dark and a bit vulgar. I found it interesting and was inspired to write this, but I would caution those who are faint of heart about violence mentioned in the article. It talkes about true murders that took place in 1888 and I wanted to give you warning before you read the article. It is a wikipedia article so it is purely facts and doesn't go into gruesome detail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders
Lament the double event!
Did none cry for them?
DISCLAIMER:
I hope that this doesn't offend anyone or sicken them. The article attatched is true, but dark and a bit vulgar. I found it interesting and was inspired to write this, but I would caution those who are faint of heart about violence mentioned in the article. It talkes about true murders that took place in 1888 and I wanted to give you warning before you read the article. It is a wikipedia article so it is purely facts and doesn't go into gruesome detail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders
Friday, February 4, 2011
Batman
Batman is the Ultimate Hero
Batman is the best hero, clearly, because he does what's right all the time. He knows what is right and he fights for it, regardless of popular opinion or bias. He would rather be seen as the bad guy than not do what’s right. He doesn’t care about being liked or popular. He just knows what’s right and does it.
Another reason Batman is the ultimate hero is because he has the best villains. The bad guys he fights are queer, crazy, powerful, ingenious, inventive, diverse, and unexpected. Batman is only one man, but he outsmarts and outplays all of them. He proves time after time that he is the smartest, defeating enemies even when he is way outmatched. Where other heroes have villains that are unintelligent, unrealistic and just plain silly, Batman faces real people that are powerful, both politically and physically, villains that are incredibly smart, and villains that are extremely resourceful.
These villains push Bats to his limits every time. But The Dark Knight is extremely intelligent and resourceful himself. He is a detective, seeking out the truth systematically until he knows it.
Batman is also just. Again, whether something is popular or not, Batman will do what’s right no matter what. He knows that justice is blind and that their is one right thing. He fights for an objective truth and doesn’t ever give up until justice is served.
Knowing all this, I must ask one question. Why isn’t their anyone who fights as relentlessly for truth and justice in real life? Why isn’t anyone man enough to do what’s right in real life? (That’s two questions but they embody the same idea).
I guess Batman truly is a Superhero...and there aren’t any of those in real life.
As for me, I want to fight as hard as Batman does for truth and justice. And I will do it even more nobly than he, since I do it for a higher calling. The justice and truth that I fight for is Christ’s truth and justice! And I will fight for a third thing that Batman doesn’t necessarily know, and that’s love. I will love as unbiasedly and relentlessly as Batman fights for justice, regardless of popular opinion and appearances.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Just a Day Like Any Other
Reflections upon the little interactions of the day.
Morning Work:
On my way to my first shift of my new job today, I walked towards the campus library with my friends Stephen and Becca. The three of us walked in a row. Stephen told me I had shared some good insight in class about the history of Mass Media Effects. We had reflected in class about the inability for us to predict how media will effect people 100% accurately. We talked about the "War of The Worlds" broadcast on October 30, 1938, and some consequential studies.
As we walked to the library I told Stephen and Becca that I worked there now and they told me they also worked down in the basement of the library. Stephen said, "They've got all of us!" (or something like that).
When we reached the bottom of the stairs the three of us split off in different directions, all off to our jobs like busy little ant workers.
Chapel:
Today in chapel Dr. Gray, the president of the University was speaking. As soon as I remembered that she was speaking my immediate reaction was, "Oh no! I should have used my first skip today. This is going to be a hard chapel to get through."
Dr. Gray has a record of being a very sweet woman, but a very dull speaker. However today when she pulled out Kindle, then ipod, then ipad, then wires upon wires out of her bag, she had us all laughing (everyone that had actually come--there were a lot of empty seats today). The sermon she gave was brilliant!
What struck me at one point though, was the sudden presence of mind I had about where I was. I had been here before in a recent conflict. I looked around me, really looking at my surroundings, really taking it in. This was the chair I was sitting in, the coat I was leaning back against, the people sitting around me, the rows of chairs, the balconies, the stage, the pipes of the organ on the wall, Dr. Gray at the podium, and last of all the stained glass skylight windows in the ceiling.
It seemed just yesterday that I had fought a dragon here. How strange it was to be sitting here again, between the J and I rows in the senior section, serenely watching the president as she delivered her message to us. I soaked the moment up like a sponge, and then forgot about it all a moment later.
Afternoon Work:
I went to work again and spent a strenuous amount of time designing my google calendar with all sorts of colorful boxes to stretch out the time of sitting there, while I struggled to stay awake.
Philosophy Class:
I wearily came into the class that I knew would be hard to stay awake in on a good day. I immediately took out my drawing notebook and promptly started drawing a griffin on the page. As the class progressed and I became more and more desperate to make the time go by and to stay awake, I filled the page up frantically with sketch after sketch, filling in random phrases as I went, I liked the page as a whole as a stand alone art piece. At the end I was proud of something that appeared rather mediocre if I was honest with myself.
After Classes:
I fell heavily into a long nap.
Noteworthy moments of the day have officially run out.
End Transmission
Morning Work:
On my way to my first shift of my new job today, I walked towards the campus library with my friends Stephen and Becca. The three of us walked in a row. Stephen told me I had shared some good insight in class about the history of Mass Media Effects. We had reflected in class about the inability for us to predict how media will effect people 100% accurately. We talked about the "War of The Worlds" broadcast on October 30, 1938, and some consequential studies.
As we walked to the library I told Stephen and Becca that I worked there now and they told me they also worked down in the basement of the library. Stephen said, "They've got all of us!" (or something like that).
When we reached the bottom of the stairs the three of us split off in different directions, all off to our jobs like busy little ant workers.
Chapel:
Today in chapel Dr. Gray, the president of the University was speaking. As soon as I remembered that she was speaking my immediate reaction was, "Oh no! I should have used my first skip today. This is going to be a hard chapel to get through."
Dr. Gray has a record of being a very sweet woman, but a very dull speaker. However today when she pulled out Kindle, then ipod, then ipad, then wires upon wires out of her bag, she had us all laughing (everyone that had actually come--there were a lot of empty seats today). The sermon she gave was brilliant!
What struck me at one point though, was the sudden presence of mind I had about where I was. I had been here before in a recent conflict. I looked around me, really looking at my surroundings, really taking it in. This was the chair I was sitting in, the coat I was leaning back against, the people sitting around me, the rows of chairs, the balconies, the stage, the pipes of the organ on the wall, Dr. Gray at the podium, and last of all the stained glass skylight windows in the ceiling.
It seemed just yesterday that I had fought a dragon here. How strange it was to be sitting here again, between the J and I rows in the senior section, serenely watching the president as she delivered her message to us. I soaked the moment up like a sponge, and then forgot about it all a moment later.
Afternoon Work:
I went to work again and spent a strenuous amount of time designing my google calendar with all sorts of colorful boxes to stretch out the time of sitting there, while I struggled to stay awake.
Philosophy Class:
I wearily came into the class that I knew would be hard to stay awake in on a good day. I immediately took out my drawing notebook and promptly started drawing a griffin on the page. As the class progressed and I became more and more desperate to make the time go by and to stay awake, I filled the page up frantically with sketch after sketch, filling in random phrases as I went, I liked the page as a whole as a stand alone art piece. At the end I was proud of something that appeared rather mediocre if I was honest with myself.
After Classes:
I fell heavily into a long nap.
Noteworthy moments of the day have officially run out.
End Transmission
Sunday, January 16, 2011
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