Sunday, August 7, 2011

Procrastinating. (Penny #12)

"Procrastinate today, because the world might end tomorrow."

So, while I was meant to be working on a couple of assignments, I couldn't help but feel the incessant tug of the internet far too strongly to actually pay attention to what I was meant to be doing. Tentatively, I opened up a new tab and thought, 'I'll just look up this one thing, before I forget.' And so, by the end of the day, I had spent hours on Gmail and Youtube and ended up watching a variety of entertaining and nostalgic videos.

Well. So much for my plans to finish my Textiles assignment by the end of the weekend. All I can really say at the moment is that I've finally discovered how truly awesome Yuki Kajiura and the members of FictionJunction are. I'm also starting to realise how ridiculous my range of interests may be. They go from anime and manga, to Jpop, Kpop and Asian music in general (I listen to Thai music too - Tata Young FTW! ^^), to a variety of novels, short stories, fanfiction, journal articles, art, music, not to mention my fascination with steampunk, vintage and gothic clothing, as well as gemstones, computers, programming, etc, etc. The list goes on.

On another note, my friend recently made it as one of 12 finalists for the Sydney Young Writer of the Year Award, so cheers to her! I really do hope she wins. ^^

Well, I guess that's all for today. This was a really short post. Not that anyone cares. Or reads. Or even responds. Hmm. I feel like I'm talking to myself. Life is like that, I guess.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Penny #11

"I've had great success being a total idiot."
~ Jerry Lewis
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I've been getting told off recently, for being happy for my friends' successes and not ever getting anywhere myself. I do enjoy my fairly carefree life. And I'm not very happy with the idea that, just because I'm not doing anything that will ever 'get me anywhere in life' in my parents opinion, I'll never actually get anywhere. I'm starting to wonder how many school kids on average get told they'll be total failures on a regular basis. I know I'm just being childish and that I should stop complaining about a lot of these things, but really, is it all that bad that I've dropped Maths and Sciences for the HSC? I was never any good at them anyways. On the other hand, I do actually enjoy my other subjects, and wouldn't it be better to continue something I'm doing well in and enjoy rather than take up some subjects I completely fail at and hate?

My brothers say to take risks while you're young, so you don't regret it when you get older. My parents only seem to want to force their expectations on me. *sigh* Oh the trials of my life, so trivial and insignificant in comparison to the rest of the world.

Well, I think I'm done rambling for the moment.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Penny # 10 - The Name of the Wind

"We love what we love. Reason does not enter into it. In many ways, unwise love is the truest love. Anyone can love a thing because. That's as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect."
~ Kvothe, the Name of the Wind 
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So, I just got my book back (finally!). Anyone who knows me well enough will know that I've been pining after it for weeks now. (No, seriously, I may read fast, but three months for a nearly-700-page book? That's too much. I finished it in less than two days.) But the only thing that matters now is that I have my glorious book back, I can reread it now (and neglect my homework) and I am extremely, extremely happy about it.

:D

So now I'm just going to spam quotes. From both books. Just 'cause. ^^

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"Owls are wise. They are careful and patient. Wisdom precludes boldness. That is why owls make poor heroes."
~ Auri, Name of the Wind

"Music is a proud, temperamental mistress. Give her the time and attention she deserves, and she is yours. Slight her and there will come a day when you call and she will not answer."
~ Kvothe, Name of the Wind

“A tinker's debt is always paid:
Once for any simple trade.
Twice for freely given aid.
Thrice for any insult made.”

“What did you bring me?” I countered.
She grinned. “I have an apple that thinks its a pear. And a bun that thinks it’s a cat. And a lettuce that thinks its a lettuce.”
“It’s a clever lettuce then.”
“Hardly,” she said with a delicate snort. “Why would anything clever think it’s a lettuce?”
“Even if it is a lettuce?” I asked.
“Especially then,” she said. “Bad enough to be a lettuce. How awful to think you are a lettuce too.”
~ Kvothe and Auri, Name of the Wind

"Master Elodin, why don’t you want to teach me naming?"
"That’s the wrong question, try again."
"Why are you burning your clothes?"
"Nope. Not even close to the right question."
"Oh God, whose rooms are these?"
"Very Good. I would also have accepted, ‘Why don’t you have a key for this room?’ or ‘What are we doing in here?'"
~ Kvothe and Elodin, Wise Man's Fear

“A story is like a nut, A fool will swallow it whole and choke. A fool will throw it away, thinking it of little worth. But a wise women finds a way to crack the shell and eat all the meat inside.”
~ Vashet, Wise Man's Fear

“I briefly entertained the notion that I was insane and didn’t know it. Then I considered the possibility that I had always been insane, acknowledged it as more likely than the former, then pushed both thoughts from my mind.”

All I want is someone who likes me.”
“All I want is a clear sigh,” I said.
“I want a magical horse that fits in my pocket,” Wil said. “And a ring of red amber that gives me power over demons. And an endless supply of cake.”
~ Wil, Sim and Kvothe, Wise Man's Fear

"No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet introspection."
~ Kvothe, Wise Man's Fear

"It’s just ointment in case you get burned,” he explained. “But if you mix it with piss, it turns into candy.” Sim’s expression was deadpan. “Delicious candy.”
~ Sim, Wise Man’s Fear

“And if I mix it with piss it turns into delicious candy, right?” I laughed. “Did you make a bet with Wilem about how much of this I’d swallow? Nothing becomes flammable when you mix it with water.”
[...]
Thick orange flame roared up, burning three feet high until it flickered and died. Sim set down the empty crucible with a slight click and looked at me gravely. “Say it.”
I looked down at my feet. “I know nothing about alchemy.”
~ Kvothe and Sim, Wise Man's Fear

‎”I also felt guilty about the three pens I’d stolen. And since there was no convenient way to give them back, I stole a bottle of ink before I left.”

Elias: “That, was a damn fine pie.”
“Don’t you cuss Elias, there’s no call for that.”
Elias: “Oh, honey, don’t get yourself in a twit. Damfine is a kind of apple, innit? Sort of foreign apple from off in Atur. They named it after Baron Damfine, if I remember correct.”
Kote: “I got these from the Bentons”
Elias: “Oh, that’s my mistake then. I’d swear it was a Damfine pie for all that. Maybe the Bentons got themselves some Damfine apples and don’t know it.”
~ Wise Man's Fear

“It was almost as if up until that point, he’d just been occupying space around her, like a piece of furniture. But this time when she looked at him, she took all of him in. His sandy hair, the line of his jaw, the span of his shoulders beneath his shirt. This time when she looked, she actually saw him.
Let me say this. It was worth the whole awful, irritating time spent searching the Archives just to watch that moment happen. It was worth blood and the fear of death to see her fall in love with him. Just a little. Just the first faint breath of love, so light she probably didn’t notice it herself. It wasn’t dramatic, like some bolt of lightning with a crack of thunder following. It was more like when flint strikes steel and the spark fades almost too fast for you to see. But still, you know it’s there, down where you can’t see, kindling.”
~ Kvothe, Wise Man's Fear

"Congratulations. That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Ever."
~ Elodin, Name of the Wind

"Blue! Blue! Blue!"
~ Elodin

"Wow, Uresh. Your next assignment is to have sex. If you do not know how to do this, see me after class."
~ Elodin, Wise Man's Fear

... And everything else Elodin says. LOL. God bless Pat Rothfuss for writing such awesome books. Everything is quotable. Not to mention brilliant. :)

Monday, July 25, 2011

Penny #9

"Do you know what it's like to run spellcheck for six hours? It's like a party in purgatory. A party in purgatory where all they have to drink is sugar-free Kool-aid, and the only game to play is Monopoly, and none of your friends show up." 
~ Patrick Rothfuss
 
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So I officially love this guy's books.  I would be quoting from them, but this is just a quick post and I lent them to a friend (and miss them terribly, they're awfully good books).

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Can of Worms: Is it okay to spy on your teenager online?

Or rather, Is it okay for parents to spy on their kids online?

I recently discovered the new show 'Can of Worms' which discusses a variety of topics/issues we see present in society nowadays. While the first half asked us whether being called 'Bogan' was offensive, the second half brought up the more serious issue of children and parents in relation to the internet.

The question itself brings up various issues. If I were to ask the average teenager, the stereotypical response would be a definite NO, with invasion of privacy being used as an excuse. This is typically overridden by parents who state that 'It's only for their own good.' That's almost like stating that hacking into another country's military satellite in order to gather information about their actions is perfectly fine, since we're only keeping tabs on what they're doing to make sure that nothing bad happens to us.

Okay, so that was a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the general idea.

So, is it okay to spy on your kids online? If we were to rephrase that question as, 'Would you like it if your parents were spying on you online?' My answer would most definitely be NO. After careful deliberation, my answer to the original question would still be 'No.'

I think it'd much better if you didn't introduce a child to the internet until they reach a certain age, or rather, a certain level of maturity. It's be best if you didn't allow a child to run around blindly on the net on his/her own, so the whole 'spying on your kids online' makes sense. But, if they're at an age where they've established a decent set of morals and rules for themselves, you should be able to trust them not to do anything too dodgy online.

So why wouldn't I want my parents spying on me online? Well, isn't it obvious? I'm not necessarily doing anything dodgy and I'm' not a fan of social networking sites. I don't play that many online games (anymore), either. But really, the thought that they're spying on you while you're researching, while you're downloading music, reading blogs, or just watching funny videos really bugs me. I once had my aunt sit down next to me for about half an hour while I was browsing DeviantArt. Just watching what I was doing. It's very awkward and uncomfortable. It's like having someone looking over your shoulder at everything you're doing. It's annoying.

The fact of the matter is, there will always be something parents don't want their children to do. It may not be something as drastic as smoking or taking drugs, but it's still there. My parents hate anime. I don't stop watching it. I treat it like I treat my books. It's a hobby and I love it. My parents hate the music I listen to as well, but that's not gonna stop me from listening to it. That little bit of freedom we may or may not have on the net is like a dose of medication that helps us get through our hectic teenage lives (which we're really overreacting about, according to the majority of adults I've met) and I would honestly hate it if I found out that my parents were monitoring every little thing I did both online and in real life. Control freaks, much? They can't protect us from everything out there and we're not all as naive as they think. Unfortunately. I think that if we've grown up well enough, we'll know our limits, know the dangers, and know what we should or shouldn't do.

So that's my two cents on the topic. What do you think?

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Penny #8

"Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of your heart."
~ Mort Walker

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Went to the Quilt and Craft Fair yesterday. (The Penny is completely unrelated) Everything was so pretty! It was so awesome. Lace and beads and fabrics everywhere. The only problem was I ran out of money before I could get everything I wanted, therefore, I plan to save up as much as possible for next year. ^^

Oh, and quilts are trippy. Some much more than others.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Untitled #5

They moved us;
Left us in a different place.
We were walked into a room
Toys scattered everywhere
So many toys...

And atop the table
A rainbow!
Condensed into a jar
Divided.
We picked up a colour
And played with it.

We drew ourselves.
Nothing but geometric shapes.
Simple
But undeniably us.


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