Today.

I went over to visit a friend. We popped in Braveheart. What a beautiful noteworthy movie. Though the whole film was intensely moving, this line really stood out to me.

Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.


This speaks of infinite potential. Of choice and passion and courage. It speaks of the warrior heart that we all have access too.

This movie to me, is an metaphorical representation of the male heart. A passion that is selflessly fighting for freedom and adventure. There is a beautiful woman to fight for, and a hero role to be played. It shows true life, even if it is an abstract representation.

This is a great inspiration for me in my search for passionate life.

Nothing.

Nothing to blog about.

Its Christmas. I'm wracking my brain for ideas. But yep. Nothing.

I'm really interested in a few things right now. First off, I'm really finding a lot of new music lately. A lot of it is electronic. Um. Second, I'm starting to really pay attention to the way I view people, and how I act around them. Its really helpful in building confidence and security. Its kind of sketchy to just post that up on a blog, so ask me the next time you see me if you want.

Haha. Anyway. I'm out.


*I'M LISTENING TO: Breakfast*

Glitch.

Isn't it such a beautiful experience to have all the creativity and passion sucked completely out of you?

Now I don't mean the feeling when someone robs you of your joy and life. I mean the feeling you experience when you've spent an entire day creating, drawing, painting, composing, writing...whatever it is you do to express yourself, and you've got absolutely nothing left. You're spent, but you've been productive and creative. You've introduced new beauty to the world, and all you have left to do is sit back and enjoy the fruit of your toil.




*I'M LISTENING TO: Aphex Twin*

The Passive Revolution.

Hi.

For those that actually read this blog, heres a bit of an explanation.

No I haven't posted in a while.

No I haven't forgotten about this blog.

Yes I have exams.

No I do not have time to post until I am done exams.

Yes I will continue to post once exams are through.

Yes you should WATCH THIS VIDEO. This is radiohead.


Groovy.

Go.

If I could do anything at all right now with 2 allowances, unlimited money and zero school responsibilities, I would go on a drive. Not a road trip, because a road trip seems to imply that we are headed to a destination. No, I'd just grab my sister and jump in the car and drive. I'd stop to pick up my friends, you know who you are, and we'd just go. The goal wouldn't be to find the most amazing place, or do the most amazing things. No, the goal would be to have no goal. To just drive and stop and explore and have fun, and when we got sick of driving, we'd get a hotel, or camp out somewhere. We'd take a million pictures. We'd do everything, and nothing at all.

j.



*I'M LISTENING TO: Pilot Speed*

Just one.

I love that 1 song in a million that can be played a million times without getting old. I love the feeling of sheer joy when I realize I have found a song that will never let me down.

Currently the song A Sunday Smile by Beirut is tickling my fancy. I've listened to this song for a few months now over and over and I love it more than ever. This song is available for listen on Beiruts myspace.

Cherish these songs when you find them, as they are few in number and part of a dying breed.

*I'M OBVIOUSLY LISTENING TO: Beirut*

Cyclic Redundancy Check

So I'm sitting here, studying for my telecommunications course, and I'm reading up on error detection methods within binary sequences. I stumble across a method of testing entitled Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), and of course the name jumps out to me instantly and screams;

"BE INSPIRED!"


and its obvious that I was.


Those two beautiful words; Redundancy.... Check. What a dangerous and provocative duo. I began to question my own life, "How often do I do redundancy checks? Does my life just repeat? Can I safely say that I make a solid effort to change things up on a regular basis?".

I could attempt to think of an intense and exhaustive list of things I can do to prevent redundancy, but as you know, I am studying telecommunications. So here are two things I have done in the past (and plan to do more in the future) to make life more interesting.


Instead of listening to music on the way to school or work, I will sometimes listen to sounds. I'll listen to traffic and wind and any number of background noises. When you stop to listen to sound for entertainment purposes it can be intensely interesting.

I'll scout out colour. Colour is beautiful if you stop and pursue it.

I think Redundancy Tests should be used for more than just binary.

A Softer World

I recently stumbled upon a site intriguingly titled A Softer World. Run by Joey and Emily, the site reeks of their beautiful satire. The main element of this site is the comic that they both take part in making. Joey writes the comic, and Emily designs it.

click image to enlarge

Joey also writes some very interesting "application" letters to various companies. My personal favourite is a letter to Bill Gates entitled "Money is Awesome" [link].


A Softer World *note that this site contains some questionable subject matter and language.

Surprise me.

Msn messenger responses to "Say something inspirational".


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 1: when life gives you lemons, squirt them in people's eyes


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 2: Follow your heart... to Jesus.


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 3: those moments have to come naturally; i can't just say something to inspire on the spot.


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 4: do or do not, there is no try


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 5: i had a full head of inspirational sh*t yesterday because i was watching the boondocks. but now im waching kill bill. so sorry.


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 6: each human being has infinite value and potential


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 7: try again.


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 8: inspiration


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 9: Naww


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 10: its not about the ending. its about the journey to get there. what's learned is better than the outcome.


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 11: miller lite has more taste than bud light and only half the carbs.


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 12: A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies.


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 13: never regret anything. thats my motto


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 14: The true things in life worth having are the ones we have to fight for -- the things we have to overcome every obstacle to get to


Me: Say something inspirational.
Person 15: y? u want a new screen name?



Well I'm inspired.


*I'M LISTENING TO: Kkrusty*

Sabrepulse

I don't plan on doing this often, however, I will post about a band when I find one that really stands out.

Ash E, aka sabrepulse, creates high intensity electronic music. Now I could go into the specifics of this music and define it in elitist musical terms that most of you wouldn't even understand OR I could just explain how this music will make you feel.

Imagine being shot 10'000 feet into the air. All the clouds you soar through are made of rainbow coloured cotton candy, and the entire world is pulsating night and day as if the sun is a huge strobe light in the sky. Right before takeoff that beautiful girl (or awesome hunk of a guy) you've had a crush on for years just kissed you for the first time, so needless to say your emotions are at an all time high.

This is sabrepulse.

With 2 full lengths and a handful of EP's under his belt sabrepulse is taking 8bit music by storm. All his music is free on his myspace (check the left hand side under "sounds like"). I would suggest listening to "Gare d'Europa" on his myspace if you get the chance.

Colour is Intimidating

Of all the concepts I have attempted to understand, colour is one of the most devious. In my exploration of the metaphysical, I will turn concepts around in my mind, a process that will often take weeks or even months. This being said, I'm convinced that colour will take a lifetime to assimilate. The essence of colour, its meaning and its depth, has been evading me for some time now. I am sure that there are many deep spiritual ties to colour, and that eventually they will reveal themselves to me.

I believe the main reason that colour has been eluding my comprehension for so long is that it has the ability to remain silent unless pursued. If colour isn't sought out, it remains unappreciated. I have found that I often forget to acknowledge colour, and that when I stop to flirt with its beautiful aura, I never leave unsatisfied. A simple glance around to look only at colour is always an overwhelming experience. I realize this beauty and passion is right there, screaming in my face, and yet I so often miss it.

Illegal Advertising

Apparently MANY of the advertisements that we see every day (billboards, signs on buildings, etc) are illegal. Many are not properly licensed and/or do not meet the standards for size.

There is a wonderful organization now acting in Toronto called Illegal Signs which aids in the removal of these horrendous abominations.

The Toronto based site tracks illegal signs, as well as lax enforcement through freedom of information requests and old-fashioned sleuthing. Since starting earlier this year, his organization was able to remove 200 illegal signs in just their first 2 months.

Taken from Anti Advertising Agency

IllegalSigns.ca

*I'M LISTENING TO: mewithoutYou*

Enlighten me

Why do people care about animal rights more than they care about CHILDREN?

Why is fast food so popular when no one actually likes it?

Since when is TV more fun than human interaction?

Why are holidays celebrating death accepted while holidays celebrating rebirth are deemed offensive?

When did shopping become a national pastime?

When did blogging and facebook become societies only outlet for expression?

Random Vandal.

I stumbled across a very interesting blog the other day. Its called Random Vandal and can be found here. The blogger has managed to capture and collect some very interesting graffiti photographs. He leans towards vandalism that makes clear political or social commentary.








*I'M LISTENING TO: Aphex Twin - Cliffs*

AND.

Life doesn't end.

Joy is all consuming.

Peace is everlasting.

Creativity is infinite.

Freedom is free.

Love is forever.






And you are important.






*I'M LISTENING TO: Right Away, Great Captain*

123456789

Today I'm doing homework and listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Sometimes things are better if you have to wait for them.

Life is good.

stale.

I was sitting on the porch yesterday as a tiny leaf scraped along the otherwise deserted and cold street. Pushed rudely by the wind through the gritty silence, its racket was throwing colourful thought into my empty mind.


fresh.

The Photograph.

Photographed By: Kamela M.


For years I have been searching for a photograph that I can regard as my favorite photograph. This search has come to an end. The photograph shown above is the most thought provoking image I have ever seen. The intense symbolism that this picture delivers is both beautiful and painful. The following is a small fraction of what I see through this photograph.

This photo is a metaphor that represents our societies twisted view of female beauty. Its as if the woman is desperately searching for her beauty amidst the fog, but the haze is introducing her to a wave of despair. She is overshadowed by a darkness which is choking out her beauty. She is a memory, but if you look into her eyes a hint of redemption surfaces. She knows she still has something to hide, a part of her is still valuable enough to be pursued. She's reevaluating her strategy. Her eyes are looking upward in anticipation, and contemplating the things to come.

This picture is a violent mix of both beauty and corruption. It is both elegant and dirty. It's beautiful and horrible, it instills fear and peace. It is screaming and silent. It is in these contrasting elements that this photograph contains its power.

*I'M LISTENING TO: Cold War Kids*

I am alive*

*This isn't necessarily true.

Voting is crowd control.

Voting gives us a very misleading sense of control over our surroundings. But honestly, what does voting do for the individual? Close to nothing. Voting allows us to breath easy thinking "Well I've done all I can, and now its up to them". But the fact of the matter is that it isn't up to someone else once your vote is cast. After you've finished voting you can still deeply affect your environment and those that exist around you.

The government doesn't have a whole lot of control over what goes on in every day life. Assuming that the whole system doesn't crash, life will remain fairly stable. You can't change society through a vote so much as you can affect everyone you know, and this in turn will cause them to affect those that they know. Sure you can cast a ballot and get the liberals or the conservatives voted in, but what really matters is getting into peoples minds. The power to change comes from affecting individuals, the government doesn't have that power because they don't have access to the individual. Only you have access to the individual. You have influence. Use it. Stand up for changes you want to see. You can affect those around you through your lifestyle. It doesn't end at voting, it doesn't even start at voting. Voting is simply crowd control.


*I'M LISTENING TO: Pinback - Blue Screen Life*

1.

Today has been one of those days where things just don't go my way. I was pretty bummed about a few things that I'm not going to get into. I was pretty excited to begin posting, but I didn't want to make my introductory post one full of griping and whining.
And then BANG. I got blasted with a totally new mindset. I realized how much potential I have and in turn how much potential each day holds. I can do anything I want to do. Regardless of the boundaries people put on me, or the limits I think I have. Creativity is infinite. I have the rest of my life to create, and to explore, and to grow.
HONESTLY thats beyond encouraging. Its up to me. The rest of my life can be full of growth if I want it to be. The rest of my life will be full of creativity if I want it to be. I have the ability to really live if I want to. I'm not passing that up.


*I'M LISTENING TO: Beirut - A Sunday Smile*