there's so much sad gonna flood the ocean, we're all in tears for a world that's broken

there is something really wrong with the children in the world today. they have gotten way too vicious. this whole bullying thing has gotten way out of control. articles about the victims of bullying flood the media lately. and it's really really sad. kids have resorted to suicide as a means of escape. does no one else see a problem with a system where ten year old children are found hanging from a belt in their closet because they couldnt take the bullying anymore??

this article hurt my heart. a five year old boy was attacked by a group of older kids, one of them his "buddy" that was supposed to protect him because he had complained of being bullied. the kid was "chased into a brick wall and scalped, prevented from using the toilet to the point he wet himself, and was a target for stone-throwing. He was also hit, kicked, teased and ridiculed." who would do that to a five year old?? people are messed up.

how many stories like this are we going to have to hear before schools do something about it?? yes, i know that most schools are "dealing with the problem," but really, how well can they be dealing with it when stuff like this is still going on?? a lot of what i hear is just laying the blame on everyone and trying to get them to fix the problem. fingers could be pointed at lots of people, but maybe everyone should focus more on helping the kids now and finding who to blame later.

*We Cry - The Script

happy birthday to you

i like to read the 'eye openers' when i get the express, pretty funny stuff. anyways in yesterday's paper, an 82 year old guy called the cops on his neighbors. apparently it was always someone's birthday. he would hear the happy birthday song at "irregular intervals and at all hours." so the cops came to investigate and found the problem. he had one of those singing cards on his windowsill - only he didnt know it sang. breezes coming in through the window would open the card just enough to start the music and kill the dude's nerves.

this other dude got thrown back in jail after he was released. why?? because he had stolen his prisoner t-shirt as a souvenier. i mean, really?? who needs a memento from prison?? is your criminal record not enough for you??

*uh... it's pretty universal

the confidence of a man who's never known defeat

since my academic career is, at long last, drawing to a close (or at least according to the admissions office, though i hope to draw it out a little longer) i have decided to share my secret to success. yes, i have a secret to success and you should all feel incredibly honored that i am sharing it with you. i assure you that i dont intend to sound condescendingly cocky or retardly cliche, though what i'm about to tell you could be interpreted as either.

so, ready for the big revelation?? here it is: if you go into a class with complete confidence that you're going to do well in it, then you will do well. no i am not saying just think positive, anything is possible, don't give up before you try, or any of those other motivational sayings. but, honestly, it makes sense.

say you start a class, and from the first day you walk in, you know that you'll do fine. you're not hoping that you'll do okay. you're not worried about the amount of work there is. you dont care that everyone else has marked the class as an automatic fail. you are completely certain that you'll pass, and not just barely scrape by, but really really pass. since you already know you're going to do okay in it, there's no need to stress. no need to get overwhelmed. everything seems manageable, because you know. a paper is just a paper. a test just a test. and then, because you are not blowing everything way out of proportion, you do do well.

and so that's it, i go into every class knowing that i'll be fine, and sure enough, i am. the hardest part is that you cant have doubts. at all. you have to go into every class as if you're walking into a class about basic addition. you already know that 2 + 2 = 4 so theres nothing at all to worry about.

*Let It All Out - Relient K

we sing, we dance, we steal things

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: 'It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.'"

this quote is awesome. and yes, i do realize that the post title is not actually lyrics from any song but i'm too lazy to think up anything right now and it still has to do with my music so whatever.

*Jason Miraz album title

look at this photograph

these are all done completely with ball point pens by Juan Francisco Casas. don't they look like real pictures?? i love them... they're amazing.

speaking of artsy stuff this is a fun site to check out. be creative. kill boredom. whatever.

*Photograph - Nickelback

a starlight in the gloom

i always wished i was artistic.



on a side note, i think i stuffed too much telecommunications into my brain over the last hour. it may explode. oh, and today's cinco de mayo. yay.

*Apocolypse, Please - Muse

you can take back your memories, they're no good to me

this is kinda old, but i was just having a conversation about it so i thought i'd post it. i dunno how many of you have heard, but theres now a pill that can erase your memories. like completely. they scientifically abused people with spiders to give them huge phobias, and the ones that took the pill suddenly werent afraid of them. not like they had gotten over their fear, but like they were never afraid in the first place.

if you've ever watched the movie eternal sunshine of the spotless mind with kate winslet and jim carrey (good but weird movie) then you've basically seen what this pill can do. in the movie, they completely erase the memory of each other after they break up. if theres no memory of the other person, theres no heartbreak, no having to get over anyone because it is like the other person never ever existed.

of course, they arent just going to be handing out free samples of the pill when you go buy your vitamins. at least in the beginning, they will be using it for people suffering from addictions and post-traumatic stress. if you have no memory of how addictive cocaine or alcohol or whatever can be, then it's easier for you to just say no. they are hoping for miracles from this pill, and it looks like it may be able to live up to the hype.

but think about it, would you really want your memories erased?? i mean sure, you go through an agonizingly embarrasingly awful day or you break up with the love of your life, and you want nothing more than for the whole experience to vanish, but memories help to define who we are. a lot of what you do or think or feel is based off experiences you've had and the memory of those experiences. if they were to just suddenly disappear, would you still be the same person?? would you still have the same outlook on life that you had now?? would you like the same things, the same people??

so, while totally cool that science has been able to once again turn fantasy into reality, i'm not sure that i would really want it.

*Gives You Hell - All-American Rejects

what a big mistake

my latest method of procrastinating lately has been rewatching gilmore girls episodes. awesome show, except for one thing i always hated. warning: pointless rant ahead so feel free to stop reading. so i'm watching the sixth season right now, particularly the episode when april shows up and the ones immediately after. i dont like april. i dont mind the actress, or the character really, but her storyline could have been left out. should have in my opinion. a random girl shows up at luke's diner, takes a hair sample from him, and all of a sudden bam luke's a daddy. besides all the contradictions to earlier plot points in the series (yes i am pathetic and have watched the entire series from start to finish - in less than a week no less - so all the plot indiscrepencies became obvious) it was just so pointless. why would luke have to have a daughter?? why?? they couldnt think up any other way to screw up his and lorelei's relationship?? and why did they have to screw it up in the first place?? and i mean, if you are going to throw in a random kid, at least be creative. but no, the mom is a brunette who started her own business, has a great relationship with her daughter, and never got married. the daughter is super smart but still cute and loved by everyone. sound familiar?? but because they changed the names and made the mom be in the selling business and the kid be smart in science they are suddenly completely new characters. pssht. and i liked luke so much better before april showed up. i think teh 6th season is my least favorite one.

*Big Mistake - Natalie Imbruglia

raise your hand, remember everything you hear

exam time is rapidly approaching, and while most people are looking upon it with the dread reserved for only the most horrible things in life, i have to say that i'm actually glad. i like exam time. i always have. of course, having lived through the week or two leading up to exams which are always packed with final projects, papers, and presentations is always something to smile about, but that's not all of the appeal of exams. i have never really stressed over exams. i try not to get overwhelmed by anything school related and am usually pretty successful with this. so exams were a time when the only required school effort was going over notes and flipping through books for an hour or two. it's like an in between time between school and vacation. and everyone is so focused during exams. everyone has a purpose. the atmosphere is buzzing. sadistic as this sounds, it can also be fun to watch people panic. sometimes.

so weird as it may sound, i cannot wait for exams to finally start. one presentation and one project left.


*Sooner or Later - Michael Tolcher

and it's all in my head

swine flu is only step away from being declared a pandemic and has everyone in the world completely freaked out. i got a cold a couple of days ago and while i really wish it would go away, i'm fairly certain that i am not dying of swine flu. my mom on the other hand... not so certain. the fact that the odds of me being the first person to get swine flu in the DC area are so close to zero they are practically nonexistent doesntt seem to register with her. i'm not saying that the disease isnt serious and stuff, i just think people should calm down. the paranoia is getting a little out of control.

my brother has allergies - always has - but the nurse at his school called an emergency assembly to warn the students about swine flu and suddenly he's convinced that he has swine flu. my dad told him that until he starts to get a pig's tail and nose, he shouldnt worry about it... so he's been checking often for the tail to show up.

maybe it's not the best topic to joke about, but really, everyone who sneezes now is automatically thought to be infected. if you get it you get it people, not much we can do about it.

*Mr. Brightside - The Killers