The Universe

Have you thought about the universe lately?

I mean, is it ever possible to not to think about the universe? As Carl Sagan once said, to make an apple pie from scratch, you have to first create the universe.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up about our daily lives, our day to day, and we forget that there is more out there. We forget about the stars, about space… about its silence. Our lives our too busy with sounds, with problems, so can’t realize that all around us there is nothing but silence.

Just think about it. We are here on earth, a small planet on a galaxy out of million and billions of galaxies in the entire universe. How is it possible to even began to comprehend that distance? While we may get facts, figures about its size, we don’t (and maybe can’t) truly understand it completely.

And yet, we worry about petty problems, we have rich lives which are full of emotion, we concern ourselves with only our society, only our time, only the NOW. For the universe we are nothing. We are just a speck of dust.

Think about this: No matter what we do, IT WON’T MATTER. No matter how loud we scream, they won’t hear us outside of earth. No matter how much havoc, how much destruction we cause, the universe won’t care.

Just a little perspective… try to live in awe of everyday. After all, we’re made of starstuff

Stress

I’ve been super stressed these last couple of days. I’ve missed the homework for VHS and math, and now I have to do a bunch of stuff Stupid birthday and forensics…

Well, it was worth it!
This presentation for my mystery project is so close to being done! I can’t wait!!

Saving and fixing stuff

Well, today I’ve spent it fixing or trying to fix stuff.
First, I tried to fix my mom, who felt really bad because of her allergies. That didn’t go well.

Then, I tried to fix my presentation for geometry with my geometry partner, Daisy. That went better, but I still couldn’t finish it because we still need some information.

After that, I kept trying to help my mom, who was feeling completely horrid, but I kept failing.

I looked into myself because I felt bad that I could not help my mom, and try to fix the part of myself that felt that nothing was enough. I realized that lately I haven’t been feeling well, and dug deeper to fix that.

I have just been feeling like I am not doing enough. Really, an unsatisfactory feeling. I get why, though. I have been engaging in unhealthy behavior in that I have been procrastinating too much, I have been putting things off too much.

I get it, I have to have fun once in a while, but I can’t let that be all the time! I haven’t had time to really learn! Instead, I live stressed that I am not caught up! For example, I have not worked on my new project, which is one of the things that I feel the most motivated about. Or practiced Japanese. Or learned anything!!

Well, because of this introspective glance, I was able to fix this, partly. I wrote down the things I NEED to do, and the things I WANT to do. Then I tried to make a loose weekly schedule (I can’t do the daily, hourly schedule…), which I wil try to follow this week. Hopefully, with this, I will be able to balance what I want and what I need, and be happier!

So today I fixed or tried to fix many things. Some I didn’t succeed, some I did

My last couple of days

Wow, it has been several days since I write anything. Anyways, my birthday day was one of the best birthdays of my life! I really enjoyed it. Also, my family bought me a mini hp (netbook), which is incredibly awesome! I can now take it to school and write notes with it! I prefer to carry this over a million pieces of paper. Also, it is so much more convenient! I am just so excited!

Also, yesterday (March 12th) I participated in the forensics tournament. They tell me I was really good, and indeed, I got to the finals! However, my poem was too short (2 minutes out of the 4) and since this is real life and not a movie, I was penalized and got third place (they took of 5 points! My teacher says I might have gotten 1st place otherwise!). However, I had so much fun.

After forensics, I got home at around 6, so I was dead tired. Maria Laura (my best friend) came to my house and we celebrated my birthday (late) by playing Resident Evil 5 until 1 am. We had to fight not one, but TWO chainsaw-wielding maniacs… Needless to say, we got killed way too many times…

I also was incredibly tired, after all I had slept the past day at about 11 and woken up at 5, so I decided that I wasn’t doing any work that day I have on late assignment because of that, but, as one of the characters in The Things They Carried (one of my favorite books) “oh well, what the hell.” I’ll do it today anyways, when the lights come back on (how annoying, they’ve been out for more than 4 hours by now…) Yeah, I’m sort of writing this in MS Word in my new laptop, and when the lights come back on I’ll just publish it XD

Hmm… anything new… well, I finished my presentation for the new idea that I’ve been hatching, my brain child. Hopefully I’ll be able to pitch it soon.

Well after I do, I’ll post the presentation here. Anyways, now I’ll leave because I am really starving!

Nuevo Poema

Este es un nuevo poema que escribi ayer. Es una Oda para la Burbuja de Jabón

La Burbuja de Jabón

Cual cristal irisado,
La pompa de jabón flota en el cielo
Y refleja los rizos dorados del sol alegre.

Abajo, los niños persiguen mariposas y libélulas,
Hojas y flores que, como la burbuja,
Bailan con el vivaracho viento de primavera.

La burbuja, formada cual Adán de jabón y agua,
Dada vida de un respiro, un soplo mágico
Que torna materia en cuerpo,
Que convierte aire en alma.

Vuela, como hecha de frágil cristal,
Vive como sueño infantil,
Esperanza fugaz,
Deseo inocente.

Pero la burbuja se encuentra con sueños de piedra
Esperanza de tierra y de tumba
Deseo de cuerpo
Con fuego, hambre, y tristeza.

Y, súbitamente, explota,
Sin una palabra,
Y es olvidada.

-Selene Rivas

Mono: Post-Rock Goodness!

Mono is this Japanese Post-Rock band that is absolutely fantastic. Post-rock is when musicians use typical “rock” instruments, but the rhythm and practically everything else is not rock. In fact, most of the times it is mostly instrumental music.

Mono is an incredible band of this genre that I stumbled across at the end of last year. They are able to convey feeling through music… and that is not just me being corny. My favorite album “Hymn to the Immortal Wind” is breathtaking… specially my favorite song “Ashes In The Snow”.

I don’t know what it is about this song, but it reminds me of wind-up toys, the enormity of the sea, solitude, and sadness… all in one song! It is just too beautiful… I truly recommend this group for those that like powerful emotive music that washes over you like a wave on the ocean… Man, this song is great!