Today's post is basically about my self-dissapointment I've been feeling lately. In Drake's song Look What You've Done he basically is rapping to his mother and talking about their relationship and the good and bad that has come from their relationship and how it affected his change. The song is kind of like a swan song to his mother for changing him through good and bad and him reassuring her that no matter what, he will always love her.
The reason that the title of today's post is Look What I've Done is because I have been having a similar conversation with myself these last few weeks as I've come to grips with all that I've done, both good and bad, and how much it has changed me and that while overall I've become a much better version of myself then when I was 16, I still can be better and have been but have relapsed on occasion and find myself in the middle of a relapse right now. I am basically writing this post today for my benefit, to make sense of the battle over my identity that I have been having for years.
Calvin, yes you have done terrible things. You have also done wonderful things. Yes, life has sucked. It has also been amazing. Yes, you have and still feel anger beyond anything else and wish to make everyone around you as well as yourself burn for it. You have also felt great happiness with friends and family.
Yes, you may not know who you are or where you are going or why it seems to take so long. You are Calvin, you are progressing to become a better version of yourself, one without anger and hatred, and it will take as long as it must.
Everything you've done- everything I've done, is what makes up the miles of your journey. That journey is not yet over and though you may regret those steps taken, without them you could never have advanced forward towards your goal.
Calvin, Look What You've Done. You've tried to find yourself, but don't give up for you are nearing your goal. You've gone through life with your great flaws and you've overcome the worst of them.
You've done wonderful. So say again,
Look What I've Done
Thank You
This is me
I've come to the conclusion somewhat recently that one of my greatest desires in life is that it won't be meaningless. Now what do I mean by that? I couldn't even really tell you that, it's an ever evolving thought that I only recently have come to grasp. To summarize it's current meaning to me, however, is something I can do for you, for myself.
My previous motto or meaning for life was, simply put, to live my life to the fullest without regrets so that one day I may look back and be proud of the journey I took. While I still share this dream it has changed somewhat slightly. I've come to realize that while that self assurance is all well and good, it alone will not make me happy with my years spent.
I want to live my life the way I see fit, along my own path on my own journey. I want to experience all that I can so that I may learn all that I can. I wish to regret nothing, embrace everything. And I wish to not simply fade away after my time has come with a sense of self satisfaction. I want others to learn from my time. Teach those that are lost without forcing them to see. Share my thoughts with those that would wish to hear them. From my future children to my present friends and forever strangers, I wish for anyone and everyone to be able to regard my stories as advice (with questionable reliability at worst) and learn something from me and learn of me.
I refuse to fade to nothing, depart this plane with no one to witness my absence. I will be heard, I will be remembered, I will die yet I will still live. This is my wish in life.
These stories are how I plan to make it happen.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Fiction With A Little FUS-ROH-DA
Well,
today I decided to share a little insight on one of my favorite hobbies and
what I do with it; writing. I have
always been a good writer (or at least that’s what “they” tell me) and I really
enjoy writing short stories and poetry/rap (I will always argue that
Rap.Is.Poetry). I hate writing
essays but always get 95+ on them.
Meh. So I decided to clue
you guys in to some of the fiction I write as well as how I am role-playing
(RP) in the amazing game Skyrim.
So first, a brief overview of what exactly I write.
I
mostly am working on two series of fiction. The first is a modern/ near-future action/espionage story
about an 18-year-old boy that grows to serve in the Marines and later recruited
into the Special Forces and becomes a part of an in-depth conspiracy between a
conglomeration of terrorist cells that is hell bent to start WW3. If you have ever been in one of my
creative writing classes with me then you know a little bit about the main
character probably. I won’t go
in-depth right now though.
The
second series is a hell of a lot longer as I am setting up a universe in which
to hold my middle-ages-esque environments, characters, and conflicts. This universe I will most likely use
for several series of tales within the same narrative universe. For example, I already know of a
general outline of the amount of stories I wish to tell with this universe I
create. All being under the
missive: Songs of Kamikari. In chronological order:
- · The Ethereal War (at least one book but probably two)
- · The Wolves of the Shade (two or three books)
- · The Rise of the Guardians (one or two books)
- · Enemies of the Shadowlands (trilogy)
- · The Legends of the New Era (trilogy)
And probably more. As you can see that is quite a lot of
fiction but it works with the massive size of the universe that I have thought
up of in my head. Like it’s lore
between the deities of the planet that are centered in The Ethereal War, the elite guild of warriors that serve under the
said deities are centered in The Rise of
the Guardians in which the main character of this series is the same as
that of The Wolves of the Shade. The Enemies of the Shadowlands tells
of the main character of the previous series’ son’s journey in the midst of an
extremely groundbreaking war between multiple races, nations, and a revitalized
main villain from The Wolves of the
Shade. This series immediately
bleeds over into The Legends of the New
Era as the previous series main character comes closer to his goal in a
dynamically altered environment due to some plot twists during the ending of
the previous series.
So
as you can see, I have created this web of tales to be told within this
universe that I have created. Now,
to get to my point about Skyrim.
Being
that Skyrim is an excellent RP game and it is the first game in the Elder
Scrolls series that I have played I have decided to take my playthrough of the
game seriously RP wise. This
includes me creating and sticking to a fictional character that I create in
game and creating this character’s backstory and playing the game acting
according to how I would “write” his tale if it were another story within my
universe. Now, while I by no means
intend to ever use any of this RP for anything more substantial than some fan
fiction short stories, mostly because that the lore of the Elder Scrolls hardly
fits into my universe of Kamikari.
In my Songs of Kamikari series, dragons are not widespreadly
trying to kill everyone and being wiped-out without impunity. No, rather they are an actual race in
my world that has there own land being that I stick to popular and preferred
dragon lore such as their depictions in LOTR, Eragon, and Skyrim. Also, the bond between the mortals and
my ethereal deities is more of a religious respect as my deities actually have
a complicated Hierarchal system within their divine plain that is several
layers deep.
As
of this point in time the lore for my series that I have most solidified is
that of my Divine Beings, The Order of the Guardians, and The Kenori Clan (the
central conflict of The Wolves of the
Shade). It is my lore of my
divine beings that I am using for my current character in Skyrim.
First let me list out how my
ethereal beings’ hierarchy is set up, all of it being broken up into the over
twenty elements of power that the whole series is centered around. There is generally one of each level
for every element of power (over twenty):
·
The Centurion
o Ultimate
beings that created existence itself.
They are the incarnation of the elements that they represent and all of
the Vuhr (mana) comes from them
o They
lay dormant unless forced awoken due to some traumatic disturbance of their
Vuhr (this happens in The Ethereal War)
o Don’t
content with the affairs of the mortal plain as they must watch over the
balance of the universe that they created and maintain
·
The Gods
o The
Next level of the divinity, the Gods are the most powerful beings in the
universe second only to their parents, The Centurion. The Gods live in the divine realm and watch over the balance
of the mortal plain that they dictate over as well as the connection between
the mortal and the ethereal plains that is the Vuhr Sheath
o The
Gods (like in most polytheistic worship in both fiction and reality) have an
altered and pure sense of morality and thus every god is not inherently evil or
benevolent but merely are Just within their own interpretation. Mortals just tend not to have the
breadth of scope to observe this fact.
o Most
widely worshipped by those of the mortal plain. Any mortal chooses their own personal god based on either
said God’s Element of Power, what the god represents, and/or the land that they
have watched over since their creation (It is said that any particular God’s
Palace in the Ethereal realm lies directly above their corresponding “governed”
land of the mortal plain. It is a
belief by the mortals that the particular land is the “Foundation of their
Lord”. Whether or not this is true
is not known.)
o The
God’s have several forms, in order of less to greater
§
Their Mortal Form. Generally resembles a mortal body of their choosing. Represents the God whilst at
peace. Often referred to in myths
and fables about The God’s trips to the mortal plain. However, the God’s don’t have to be in mortal form to be in
the mortal plain
§ Their Beast Form. Each God takes the form of some kinf of beast. For example, God Vuhr Pyro Salamandra (The God of Fire) takes the form of a powerful, burning dragon. This form can also venture to the mortal plain without disturbing the Vuhr Sheath
§ Their Daemonic Form. Each God has a form that is taken in act of war and hostility and represents that god’s raw power. For example, while Salamandra’s beast form is a dragon, his Daemonic form is that of a dragon-shaped fiend of living fire, forever burning with disintegrating flames. This form begins to disturb the Vuhr Sheath and is not used unless necessary.
§ Their True Form. Every God has a from that is somewhat of a combination of their true human-like form and their true beast form. Salamandra’s is that of an astounding warrior, the size of a tall human, with a burning tail, burning wings, and dragon-hard skin. Any time a God is in the mortal plain in their true form the place that they enhabit forever holds a fluctuation in the Vuhr Sheath. These places are sought out by mortals as worship sites since essence of ethereal has a rare chance of leaking through and causing miraculous wondering in the mortal plain, such as the ever-burning Charr Rock that houses the capital of dragon kin.
§ Their Beast Form. Each God takes the form of some kinf of beast. For example, God Vuhr Pyro Salamandra (The God of Fire) takes the form of a powerful, burning dragon. This form can also venture to the mortal plain without disturbing the Vuhr Sheath
§ Their Daemonic Form. Each God has a form that is taken in act of war and hostility and represents that god’s raw power. For example, while Salamandra’s beast form is a dragon, his Daemonic form is that of a dragon-shaped fiend of living fire, forever burning with disintegrating flames. This form begins to disturb the Vuhr Sheath and is not used unless necessary.
§ Their True Form. Every God has a from that is somewhat of a combination of their true human-like form and their true beast form. Salamandra’s is that of an astounding warrior, the size of a tall human, with a burning tail, burning wings, and dragon-hard skin. Any time a God is in the mortal plain in their true form the place that they enhabit forever holds a fluctuation in the Vuhr Sheath. These places are sought out by mortals as worship sites since essence of ethereal has a rare chance of leaking through and causing miraculous wondering in the mortal plain, such as the ever-burning Charr Rock that houses the capital of dragon kin.
·
The Amvastbars of the Gods
o The
“carls” of the God’s, the Amvastbars are the next powerful being of a Vuhr
(Element of Power) and are forever sworn to their God’s service in divine
partnership.
o While
the God’s rarely cross over into the mortal plain, the Amvastbars more
frequently (but still rarely) cross over and act out the will of their lords
o All
Amvastbars take the form of an animal or beast and are the second corresponding
animal of any given Vuhr that is worshipped by the mortals. For example, Salamandra’s beast form is
a great, burning dragon whilst his Amvastbar’s is that of a majestic phoenix so
any mortal that worships Vuhr Pyro (The Power of Fire) considers all dragons
and phoenixes’ sacred.
·
The Vasel’s of the Gods
o The
Vasel’s are the last of the hierarchy that belongs to the divine realm. The Vasel’s are a fallen warrior of a
particular Vuhr that, upon death, is favored by their God and are ordained with
a direct link to the Vuhr of the Ender-Furl (the domain of the Centurion, A
direct link to the Ender-Furl provides for a tapable source of unlimited Vuhr
of the Centurions. Only Gods,
Amvastbars, and Vasels have this direct connection.) that provides them with
limitless Vuhr to enact their God’s will.
o Any
given God can only house three Vasel’s at a time and upon a Vasel’s dismissal
they continue on to live in the divine realm (the divine realm is the after
life one goes to upon their death).
o Since
Vasel’s no longer belong in the world of the living, they can only cross over
to the mortal plain for direct business of the gods and are depicted in legend
as fallen warriors that later return to defeat whole armies in a single fell
swoop.
·
The Bridge of the Gods
o More
commonly known to mortals as Elders of Vuhr, The Bridges of the God’s are the
mortal prophets that the Gods choose to maintain a direct connection to the
mortal plain without the binding effects of the Vuhr Sheath. There can be seven members of any God’s
Bridge and when all seven combine their Vuhr together they can open a rift in
the Sheath to allow free travel inbetween the Plains as long as they can
maintain the Vuhr. Hence the name
“Bridge”.
o Even
though the Gods, Amvastbars, and Vasels can cross over whenever they see fit,
doing so creates a distortion in the Sheath which can eventually cause severe
damage to the Sheath and thus destroy the portion of both mortal and divine
plains and risking the awakening of the Centurion which would be detrimental to
both plains.
o The
ability of The Bridge allows for safe travel without the risk of
fluctuation. However in order to
do so The Elders must become one with the Sheath through chant. This requires great amounts of energy
and if held for too long then Elders will begin to die and the rift will
collapse, creating a black hole that instantly destroys the Vuhr Sheath of the
area. This is why The Bridge of
the Gods cannot overuse their ability.
(So it’s not overpowered).
·
The Guardians of the Gods
o The
last of the divine hierarchy. The
Guardians are the most mortal out of all of the divines. They have no connection with the Vuhr
of the Ender-Furl until they become strong enough to consummate themselves in
their Vuhr for brief moments within combat.
o The
Order of the Guardians is constantly recruiting young warriors and sheltering them
within The Order’s Headquarters, rearing them up in the proper education of the
Gods. Once a warrior reaches the
age that which Vuhr can become malleable, they are tested and the top students
are brought to the annual Passing of Vuhr ritual in which the Bridge judge the
students before them to trace if they have a possibility of becoming a
Guardian. If approved, The Bridge
Summon all of the student’s particular Vuhr’s Divine and if the Vasel and the
Amvastbar both approve then the student must come before their God as he plants
within them a miniscule seed of their Vuhr that would kill anyone not suited to
become Guardian. The reason both
divines must approve before the god intervenes is because if the student cannot
contain the God’s bestowed Vuhr then they most typically die.
o Once
student consumes the God’s Vuhr then they are the chosen to withhold the mantle
of the God as his mortal servant and savior of all mortals.
o The
Guardians are equipped with unique weapons and armor that adapts to the particular
Guardian’s skill and has an “overcharged” mode when the Guardian activates his
armor and then charges it with his Vuhr or Vuhr that can be stored in Power
Crystals.
o There
can only ever be two living Guardians of a specific Vuhr at any given time. One male and another female. Race does not matter. While it appears random to many who
observe the ceremony it is actually known to the Gods who the chosen guardians
are but they put them through the final test because it is what awakens their
power and any who die in the process are invited into the highest halls of the
Ethereal
As
of right now, In Skyrim I have a level 42 Kajhiit and I have only completed the
main quest up to where you fight the first resurrected dragon and I have
already completed the Companion’s Guild storyline and have started that of the
Thieves’ Guild. My character is
named Krae after one of my ethereal beings. Krae is the Wolf God of Shadow and Hidden Ferocity. One thing that I have been toying with
whether or not to do for a possible story arch in my series is whether or not
at some point the Gods take turns to ascend to the Ender-Furl to commune with
the Centurion and the only way they return to their throne afterwards is by
reincarnating into their mortal form and they must live out a mortal life until
they get to the point where they reclaim their connection with the Vuhr of the Ender-Furl and ascend to
their God seat once again. I was toying
with the idea of featuring one of the most important (plot wise) Gods go
through this process and so basically that’s what I am Role Playing in
Skyrim. My Kajhiit is the
reincarnated Wolf Shadow God (ironic I know but at least he's a werewolf) and he must journey to the
Ethereal to reclaim his God Vuhr (since I know you go to Savengarde it kinda works).
Of course, for it to not be completely predictable when I write it I’ll
have Krae have no memory/knowledge of his divinity but he is naturally drawn
towards the path that leads him back to his Vuhr. Obviously I have no “Dragonborn” concept of absorbing dragon
souls and shouting but I can (for the game at least) pretend that the
dragonborn ability is a sign of divinity and since I know you journey into
Savengarde later then Krae will actually return to the Ethereal.
It’s
not perfect but it’s fun for me to play as one of my favorite divines I’ve
created but with amnesia and as a cat (that turns into a werewolf though which
is like Krae’s beast form except Krae’s actual Beast Form is much more
badass).
So yeah, I didn’t realize how long
this would be but you can’t say
that it isn’t interesting. Well
happy slaying!
Fuuuuus… ROH DA!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Darin's Parting Words
Today I decided to share with you all one of the most personal experiences of my life. It happened almost two years ago and I've never told anyone, until last night. A friend of mine seemed to be going through something that reminded me of this moment and so I told them, being the first time I've verbalized this moment ever. Here is what I said and the words that I have taken to be my motto for life.
" You know, one of my best friends back home told me something once that has effectively shaped my desire to put up with the tough slog of life. My friend, Darin, had just saved my life two weeks prior and had stopped me from doing something that would have forever ruined my life just three days before he told me one thing.
I was at a point where life seemed as if it were some great mountain that which in order for me to succeed in, I would have to take the ardurous journey up to the peak, but if I turned back towards the base that I had been accustomed to for the past two years, I would have an easy journey but would forever be on the ground, wishing of the possibilities of the peak. When I explained this to Darin (in these exact words) he merely looked at me and said:
"Calvin, if you decide to view life as some great slog up a mountain then what stops you from getting to the top?"
"Because I keep falling." I had answered. "everytime I get to a stable point some rock comes loose and I fall back down. And falling... Failing hurts.".
With that he merely looked me in the eye and said "Have you tried falling in reverse?"
And the next day he left for the Marine Corp and I haven't seen him in almost two years. But his words stuck with me and have become somewhat of my motto. For awhile I wasn't sure exactly what they meant but recently I have interpreted them as the fact that, yes, life is hard and, yes, we will fall at times but as long as we get back up and don't allow ourselves to fall too far, eventually we will succeed.
And I will reach the peak of my mountain. "
" You know, one of my best friends back home told me something once that has effectively shaped my desire to put up with the tough slog of life. My friend, Darin, had just saved my life two weeks prior and had stopped me from doing something that would have forever ruined my life just three days before he told me one thing.
I was at a point where life seemed as if it were some great mountain that which in order for me to succeed in, I would have to take the ardurous journey up to the peak, but if I turned back towards the base that I had been accustomed to for the past two years, I would have an easy journey but would forever be on the ground, wishing of the possibilities of the peak. When I explained this to Darin (in these exact words) he merely looked at me and said:
"Calvin, if you decide to view life as some great slog up a mountain then what stops you from getting to the top?"
"Because I keep falling." I had answered. "everytime I get to a stable point some rock comes loose and I fall back down. And falling... Failing hurts.".
With that he merely looked me in the eye and said "Have you tried falling in reverse?"
And the next day he left for the Marine Corp and I haven't seen him in almost two years. But his words stuck with me and have become somewhat of my motto. For awhile I wasn't sure exactly what they meant but recently I have interpreted them as the fact that, yes, life is hard and, yes, we will fall at times but as long as we get back up and don't allow ourselves to fall too far, eventually we will succeed.
And I will reach the peak of my mountain. "
This is me retelling the incredibly powerful departing conversation I had with Darin. The one person I've told this to, before you all, I hope has taken into account the fact that I decided to tell them. I also hope that that person will feel free to talk to me whenever they want to vent. Not to brag but I'm one hell of a listener.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Opening Up
Well, for today's post I figure I would talk about something that means a lot to me. Why this topic? I have no idea. But whatever.
Well, for me opening up is hard. Like extremely difficult for me to do. Because of this I'm usually seen as a "loner" or sometimes people just assume that I think that I'm too good to talk to them or something. Neither of these things is true whatsoever. See, I have swag and what I mean by swag is confidence being that that is the actual meaning of the word swag. That confidence (or swag) bleeds over into people's persona thus inspiring nicer clothes and the other things that are usually associated with swag. But anyway, with this confidence I don't care about hate and fear and being a "Beta" (basically the opposite of swag) and all of that "I need to impress" bullshit. All of it means nothing to me.
Now you can se why people assume that I'm conceited right?
So I don't open up to a lot of people. Well, actually that isn't true. I do open up eventually nut I only open up to my friends. You see for me, friendship is the most important thing to me in all of my experiences of life up to this point. Friends have saved me, both literally and figuratively, have helped me better myself, have inspired me, and have basically motivated me to grow from the destructive whelp I used to be to the much more polite, calmer, more chill, and all-around better person I am now. That being said there is still always room to improve and I know this beyond anything else. But my point with friendship is that I truly care about all of my friends more than I do myself. I feel that I owe myself to every friend I have had and will have. And to be honest, I kinda do.
So I do open up eventually but only to my friends and at that to friends that I'm closer to (at least in my mind) and that I feel somehow that one of us will benefit from my opening up and explaining what makes me me. I don't know what causes me to decide on which friends I feel this way towards or not. It's probably the spirit but then again it based on what I explain about myself it very well may not be. I have no idea.
Now, I would have no problem with opening up to everyone except for one reason that I explained earlier. Haters. I don't deal with hatin BS and that comes with me not giving haters fuel to burn me with. This works out generally well for me. But the only problem I face when I open up to my friends is the fact that, to be honest, one of the big things that makes me me is highly unbelievable being the fact that it's the kind of thing people usually only see in movies but when it comes to me, I've lived it. being the fact that this is highly unbelievable (and I don't blame anyone who doesn't believe me) sometimes when I open up to friends, friends turn to skeptics and usually eventually stop being friends. It's happened enough to teach me to not tell all of my friends but only those I feel I can trust with a pice of me the most because to be honest, the "unbelievable" story is what has made me the better person that I am today and while I hold no grudge with anyone who doesn't believe me, I would rather not have to face someone who doesn't know the old me whatsoever to try and tell me that my astounding growth as a person isn't real.
Sorry for the rant but this is a very important thing to me. But know one thing, if I ever have or ever do explain to you what I am referring to you (and trust me, when it happens you'll know) then know that I consider you among my friends that for whatever reason I feel that I am closer to and can trust in more. Just saying.
Well, for me opening up is hard. Like extremely difficult for me to do. Because of this I'm usually seen as a "loner" or sometimes people just assume that I think that I'm too good to talk to them or something. Neither of these things is true whatsoever. See, I have swag and what I mean by swag is confidence being that that is the actual meaning of the word swag. That confidence (or swag) bleeds over into people's persona thus inspiring nicer clothes and the other things that are usually associated with swag. But anyway, with this confidence I don't care about hate and fear and being a "Beta" (basically the opposite of swag) and all of that "I need to impress" bullshit. All of it means nothing to me.
Now you can se why people assume that I'm conceited right?
So I don't open up to a lot of people. Well, actually that isn't true. I do open up eventually nut I only open up to my friends. You see for me, friendship is the most important thing to me in all of my experiences of life up to this point. Friends have saved me, both literally and figuratively, have helped me better myself, have inspired me, and have basically motivated me to grow from the destructive whelp I used to be to the much more polite, calmer, more chill, and all-around better person I am now. That being said there is still always room to improve and I know this beyond anything else. But my point with friendship is that I truly care about all of my friends more than I do myself. I feel that I owe myself to every friend I have had and will have. And to be honest, I kinda do.
So I do open up eventually but only to my friends and at that to friends that I'm closer to (at least in my mind) and that I feel somehow that one of us will benefit from my opening up and explaining what makes me me. I don't know what causes me to decide on which friends I feel this way towards or not. It's probably the spirit but then again it based on what I explain about myself it very well may not be. I have no idea.
Now, I would have no problem with opening up to everyone except for one reason that I explained earlier. Haters. I don't deal with hatin BS and that comes with me not giving haters fuel to burn me with. This works out generally well for me. But the only problem I face when I open up to my friends is the fact that, to be honest, one of the big things that makes me me is highly unbelievable being the fact that it's the kind of thing people usually only see in movies but when it comes to me, I've lived it. being the fact that this is highly unbelievable (and I don't blame anyone who doesn't believe me) sometimes when I open up to friends, friends turn to skeptics and usually eventually stop being friends. It's happened enough to teach me to not tell all of my friends but only those I feel I can trust with a pice of me the most because to be honest, the "unbelievable" story is what has made me the better person that I am today and while I hold no grudge with anyone who doesn't believe me, I would rather not have to face someone who doesn't know the old me whatsoever to try and tell me that my astounding growth as a person isn't real.
Sorry for the rant but this is a very important thing to me. But know one thing, if I ever have or ever do explain to you what I am referring to you (and trust me, when it happens you'll know) then know that I consider you among my friends that for whatever reason I feel that I am closer to and can trust in more. Just saying.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Courage, Disappointment, and Apathy
This is all coming from an extremely recent experience (as in tonight) but also from past experiences I have had. Now let's begin.
Courage. Courage can be broken down into many things; courage in battle, courage in sports, courage in school, and even courage in "love" just to name a few. Despite the various situations in which courage can be applied, it's always basically deriving of some kind of fear and the overcoming of said fear in order to achieve some sort of goal. This is always true.
In my life I've been through numerous situations in which others would require courage in order to progress but I pushed forward without so much as a hesitation. Fights, clubs, parties, relationships that were never going to go anywhere to begin with are some of the situations in which I could perform well with no need for courage because frankly, I had no fear. Well, for the first time in a long time tonight I needed courage in order to do something because frankly, I was afraid. As much as I hate to admit it, it's the truth. But that courage allowed me to overcome that fear and I accomplished my half of my objective. However this leads me into my next buzz word.
Disappointment. Now, In my opinion disappointment only really comes when one needed courage to begin with. If there was no fear present, then failure means very little as it took little effort to seek out the goal. This was not the case tonight.
Tonight I did overcome whatever fear I had but unfortunately It did not pay off. This welcomes disappointment. Not in myself but in the fact that It didn't work out. But I am glad that I did overcome the "fear" so to be honest while my failure does suck, I'm not as miffed as I would be if I never even overcame the fear to begin with. Thus invites Apathy.
Apathy. Not in a negative way of course but more in the fact that the disappointment wont bother me much because I'm just glad that I overcame whatever obstacle was in my way. So I won't let myself focus much on the said "failure" because to be honest and in my opinion, I succeeded.
That is all
Courage. Courage can be broken down into many things; courage in battle, courage in sports, courage in school, and even courage in "love" just to name a few. Despite the various situations in which courage can be applied, it's always basically deriving of some kind of fear and the overcoming of said fear in order to achieve some sort of goal. This is always true.
In my life I've been through numerous situations in which others would require courage in order to progress but I pushed forward without so much as a hesitation. Fights, clubs, parties, relationships that were never going to go anywhere to begin with are some of the situations in which I could perform well with no need for courage because frankly, I had no fear. Well, for the first time in a long time tonight I needed courage in order to do something because frankly, I was afraid. As much as I hate to admit it, it's the truth. But that courage allowed me to overcome that fear and I accomplished my half of my objective. However this leads me into my next buzz word.
Disappointment. Now, In my opinion disappointment only really comes when one needed courage to begin with. If there was no fear present, then failure means very little as it took little effort to seek out the goal. This was not the case tonight.
Tonight I did overcome whatever fear I had but unfortunately It did not pay off. This welcomes disappointment. Not in myself but in the fact that It didn't work out. But I am glad that I did overcome the "fear" so to be honest while my failure does suck, I'm not as miffed as I would be if I never even overcame the fear to begin with. Thus invites Apathy.
Apathy. Not in a negative way of course but more in the fact that the disappointment wont bother me much because I'm just glad that I overcame whatever obstacle was in my way. So I won't let myself focus much on the said "failure" because to be honest and in my opinion, I succeeded.
That is all
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Deserted
This Thanksgiving weekend I will be on campus, eating with my parents whilst about 90% of everyone else will be gone. This became apparent to me when I walked out of my dorm earlier and saw no one. Kinda weird.
So I don't really know what I will be doing this weekend. I'll eat a crap ton of turkey tomorrow of course but besides that I'm not sure. Oh well, I'll figure something out. Hopefully.
So I don't really know what I will be doing this weekend. I'll eat a crap ton of turkey tomorrow of course but besides that I'm not sure. Oh well, I'll figure something out. Hopefully.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
I'm Sick of Sleep
Sounds crazy I know but let me explain. I'm sick of sleep for two reasons.
One, I'm an Insomniac so I never get tired until 3 AM anyway and I've always been able to sleep for three hours and be fine. Therefore I never really cared for sleep.
And two, sleep inspires dreams and dreaming is the only medium in which I have no control as to which memories of my past come to the forefront of my subconscious. Therefore I suffer night terrors several times a week and lately It has been happening every night.
Now I'm not insane even though this would inspire that thought for sure. The insomnia I've always had and the night terrors are really PTSD attacks. I have dreams reliving things that I would die happy never remembering again and I wake up gasping (sometimes shouting) and drenched In sweat. I honestly hate it.
The memories that inspire the attacks are things that i've done or seen back when I was that Dark version of myself that I've referred to before. Back when I got into street fights, knife fights, got shot at, got stabbed (twice), been held at gunpoint twice, when I was beaten within an inch of my life and when I came centimeters from killing another human being in my angered fury. When I've seen various people shot in front of me, various gang members bones crunching under my power, and the one time I saw a ten year old's neck snapped like it was nothing all because some asshole thought the kid was annoying.
These are the things I see, the things that keep me up at night.
These are why I hate sleep
One, I'm an Insomniac so I never get tired until 3 AM anyway and I've always been able to sleep for three hours and be fine. Therefore I never really cared for sleep.
And two, sleep inspires dreams and dreaming is the only medium in which I have no control as to which memories of my past come to the forefront of my subconscious. Therefore I suffer night terrors several times a week and lately It has been happening every night.
Now I'm not insane even though this would inspire that thought for sure. The insomnia I've always had and the night terrors are really PTSD attacks. I have dreams reliving things that I would die happy never remembering again and I wake up gasping (sometimes shouting) and drenched In sweat. I honestly hate it.
The memories that inspire the attacks are things that i've done or seen back when I was that Dark version of myself that I've referred to before. Back when I got into street fights, knife fights, got shot at, got stabbed (twice), been held at gunpoint twice, when I was beaten within an inch of my life and when I came centimeters from killing another human being in my angered fury. When I've seen various people shot in front of me, various gang members bones crunching under my power, and the one time I saw a ten year old's neck snapped like it was nothing all because some asshole thought the kid was annoying.
These are the things I see, the things that keep me up at night.
These are why I hate sleep
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Imma Imma Do Me
Cuz nigga Imma Beast. Basically what today's post is about is about haters, fakers, and demotivators haha. Forreal though, If there is one thing I cant stand then it's when people try to think that they're superior based off of some bullshit fact that they decide to live by. I mean when a person tries to talk to me like they KNOW me when they dont know shit and they try to judge me and anyone else based on their own made up elevated status. It really pisses me off.
Like seriously if for whatever reason you wanna piss me off then the two things that get me hot no matter WHO it is that says it are
Like seriously if for whatever reason you wanna piss me off then the two things that get me hot no matter WHO it is that says it are
- When someone tries to say stupid stuff like that I'm not black or that I'm not 'hard' or whatever. trying to tell me like what I've been through in my life means nothing. gets me sooooooo pissed off.
- When friends or people I thought I was cool with suddenly change and act like they've done forgot who their friends are and try and make me look like some kind of enemy. Like WTF?! I'm here trying to help yo ass out and be your friend and then you gonna turn on me?!!!! And especially when they try and come back to me later like nothing was wrong or that it had nothing to do with me like how dare I be mad that they blew me off. Gets me heated thinking about it.
Yeah so basically, if you ever wanna piss me off to the point where I'll kick you ass, then do #1.
If you ever want to ruin my trust in you and lose our friendship, then do #2.
I'm not conceited and I try to be everyone's friend. I dont care who you are, as long as you dont piss me off I'm happy to be your friend because to be honest friendship is the most important thing to me. But burn my bridges down and I'm not gonna fund the recreation project. Fuck that. I dont deal with BS like that. That's what I mean by Imma Do Me. Thats what I mean by Swagg. Thats what I mean by Boss. I dont deal with the bullshit because frankly, I dont have to.
Sorry for the language
Friday, November 11, 2011
My Rap and Why I Do It
Some of you who read this may know that I am a rapper. Defined by the fact that I love to rap and I'm actually pretty good at it to be honest. While I have no doubt in my mind that I'm not gonna be signed to any label (mostly because I don't have the kinds of resources to make a good mix tape) I still rap and freestyle all the time. I honestly love it.
Free styling is an awesome talent because it allows me to vent at anytime, at any place, no matter who is there or what I'm feeling. It has helped me a lot. I've also been writing a lot more lately. When I write I usually put on a beat and freestyle in my head, writing it all down, and then going back and adding to the rap.
The things I rap about are different then what a lot of the stuff you may hear on the radio is. I rap mostly about myself, the mistakes of my past (there are plenty), my identity crisis, trying to make a new and better self out of all the bullshit that goes on around me. Those are the type of subjects that I rap about the most but lately I've also rapped about people around me being fake, some problems my friends have /are going through, my brief forays with "love" and things like that.
I used to have a two-man rap group with one of my best friends John that we called BlackTop. We mostly would just post our lyrics on a simple Facebook page and we recorded some stuff about a year ago but looking back we both think that stuff is pretty crappy and we've gotten a lot better. So now we have BlackTop: REIMAGINED which we work on together but I'm also pursuing my own solo work and that's what I've been working on mostly. I have one thing recorded so far and it is actually my Blogger profile's Audio Clip. It does sound pretty good but it was a freestyle and I was pretty mad so I cuss quite a lot. I mostly try and avoid a large amount of cussing in my songs. I may say two or three in a song total hopefully so while that song (called "Forget All These Hater") does sound good I'm not that proud of it. I actually am working on two other recordings, one is mostly finished and I'm just waiting on a girl I know to sing the hook with me and the other Im still tweaking the lyrics around.
The second of the two is actually the first installment of this three part project I've been working on called "The Journey: Parts 1-3." It will talk about my mission of finding out who I am now that I'm not that dark version of myself and what I should do with myself throughout my soul searching "Journey."
"The Journey Part 1" which I'm mostly done with lyrically is about my general attitude of confusion and exasperation as of right now as I am constantly asking myself who I am and where I'm going in my life.
"Part 2" Will be about who I was before and Ill describe that dark person I used to be and how that path I was on affected and still affects me. That one will most likely be the hardest rap I've done whenever I write it.
"Part 3" Will be about where I am now and where I hope to go with myself on my quest of self-improvment. That one... i'm not sure how it'll turn out.
So anyway, there you have it. Before I go I'll give you a sneak peak at the lyrics for part 1 so enjoy! And later!!
The Journey pt 1
Im sittin lookin at my life
Comin tah find the definition of the word strife
Haters comin at me wit all they dull knives
And I don't care
Theyre never gonna respect this nigga right here
Foreal
Uh
And im Despised
Or idolized,
Either way I'm recognized
But I must admit
That All yall hatin got me demoralized
I never fictionalize
But all y'all spread nothin but lies
Throwing all my success aside
rock to my face, lord of the flies
Ahhhhhh
Yeah but it's like I said
Everything I've done I think I truly meant
And even though it's left me so far indebt
I still walk through the day tah dat wit no regrets
Naaaaaaah
And That's a lie
Even though I said I never
Are you really that surprised?
So I guess I lied twice
But please trust this cat cuz yall ain't no mice
Sometimes I exaggerate when I grab this mic
Uh
Yeah
And I ain't even playin
Everything that's happened has rotten through my brain
Uh All over again
It's driving me stupid- what the hell am I sayin
Man I Can't seem tah get a grip
Why
When i walk by
You niggas start tah trip
And if i try tah speak you niggas gone dip
Now im On the bench, ain't playin
Coach wont put a nigga in
That can't catch all the words that you sprayin
Well okay
So I guess I'm sittin here
Nothin else is real, not even my nicest fears
But I'm bout tah shrug em off
like my mommas tears
They the only ones I know
I havent shed my own In years
So cheers
to my control
And hold up yo cups
Full of this patrome
And imma raise to you that I'm never give up
I swear I'm in the zone
Uhhh
And if I walk through, then y'all bettah jump
Cuz imma bout tah snap
Iike a young buck
Lower my horns
You bout tah get trucked
So pease understand!
I don't give a -
What?
Oh wait
Momma ain't proud of the things I say
She ask me what's up?
I say I'm just straight
But she can see that I'm bent like jurassic parks gates
And I respond
That's just my face
This rex has gone enraged
Like a T
Pitty dis fool
You think you know me
Please stay in school
And all my treatment may seem cruel
But I swear this game is so hard
And I'm trying tah follow rules
Now back again
From errthing I've been
I was climbing this pole but I swear I'm slippin
In the ratings
People keep asking me why I'm changing?
But you don't wanna know this nigga before he ever hesitated
So if you love life then go head and be patient
Ive been waitin
For so long I swear I'm anxious
Tah face it
And If you don't chill then get out my face
Or my anger will blast this nigga inta deep space
Where I'll separate myself from the whole human race
But they still want me reBourne
So Go ahead and trace
Me
And my trajectory
Where am I goin?
Man I can't even see
Im so fogged up
You say it's the tree
But I know it's the red bloomin
Always been my enemy
And maybe when I die itll finally cease
I guess then I'd finally get tah fuckin rest in peace
But I doubt god will ever let me be
ive never been lucky, it won't be that easy
Foreal
And even tho it seems kinda scary
I realize that the pain is kinda necessary
By the end of this I'll be Legendary
All I gotta do is set out on this ferry
Cuz It's the journey
Yeah
Free styling is an awesome talent because it allows me to vent at anytime, at any place, no matter who is there or what I'm feeling. It has helped me a lot. I've also been writing a lot more lately. When I write I usually put on a beat and freestyle in my head, writing it all down, and then going back and adding to the rap.
The things I rap about are different then what a lot of the stuff you may hear on the radio is. I rap mostly about myself, the mistakes of my past (there are plenty), my identity crisis, trying to make a new and better self out of all the bullshit that goes on around me. Those are the type of subjects that I rap about the most but lately I've also rapped about people around me being fake, some problems my friends have /are going through, my brief forays with "love" and things like that.
My bro John |
The second of the two is actually the first installment of this three part project I've been working on called "The Journey: Parts 1-3." It will talk about my mission of finding out who I am now that I'm not that dark version of myself and what I should do with myself throughout my soul searching "Journey."
"The Journey Part 1" which I'm mostly done with lyrically is about my general attitude of confusion and exasperation as of right now as I am constantly asking myself who I am and where I'm going in my life.
"Part 2" Will be about who I was before and Ill describe that dark person I used to be and how that path I was on affected and still affects me. That one will most likely be the hardest rap I've done whenever I write it.
"Part 3" Will be about where I am now and where I hope to go with myself on my quest of self-improvment. That one... i'm not sure how it'll turn out.
So anyway, there you have it. Before I go I'll give you a sneak peak at the lyrics for part 1 so enjoy! And later!!
The Journey pt 1
Im sittin lookin at my life
Comin tah find the definition of the word strife
Haters comin at me wit all they dull knives
And I don't care
Theyre never gonna respect this nigga right here
Foreal
Uh
And im Despised
Or idolized,
Either way I'm recognized
But I must admit
That All yall hatin got me demoralized
I never fictionalize
But all y'all spread nothin but lies
Throwing all my success aside
rock to my face, lord of the flies
Ahhhhhh
Yeah but it's like I said
Everything I've done I think I truly meant
And even though it's left me so far indebt
I still walk through the day tah dat wit no regrets
Naaaaaaah
And That's a lie
Even though I said I never
Are you really that surprised?
So I guess I lied twice
But please trust this cat cuz yall ain't no mice
Sometimes I exaggerate when I grab this mic
Uh
Yeah
And I ain't even playin
Everything that's happened has rotten through my brain
Uh All over again
It's driving me stupid- what the hell am I sayin
Man I Can't seem tah get a grip
Why
When i walk by
You niggas start tah trip
And if i try tah speak you niggas gone dip
Now im On the bench, ain't playin
Coach wont put a nigga in
That can't catch all the words that you sprayin
Well okay
So I guess I'm sittin here
Nothin else is real, not even my nicest fears
But I'm bout tah shrug em off
like my mommas tears
They the only ones I know
I havent shed my own In years
So cheers
to my control
And hold up yo cups
Full of this patrome
And imma raise to you that I'm never give up
I swear I'm in the zone
Uhhh
And if I walk through, then y'all bettah jump
Cuz imma bout tah snap
Iike a young buck
Lower my horns
You bout tah get trucked
So pease understand!
I don't give a -
What?
Oh wait
Momma ain't proud of the things I say
She ask me what's up?
I say I'm just straight
But she can see that I'm bent like jurassic parks gates
And I respond
That's just my face
This rex has gone enraged
Like a T
Pitty dis fool
You think you know me
Please stay in school
And all my treatment may seem cruel
But I swear this game is so hard
And I'm trying tah follow rules
Now back again
From errthing I've been
I was climbing this pole but I swear I'm slippin
In the ratings
People keep asking me why I'm changing?
But you don't wanna know this nigga before he ever hesitated
So if you love life then go head and be patient
Ive been waitin
For so long I swear I'm anxious
Tah face it
And If you don't chill then get out my face
Or my anger will blast this nigga inta deep space
Where I'll separate myself from the whole human race
But they still want me reBourne
So Go ahead and trace
Me
And my trajectory
Where am I goin?
Man I can't even see
Im so fogged up
You say it's the tree
But I know it's the red bloomin
Always been my enemy
And maybe when I die itll finally cease
I guess then I'd finally get tah fuckin rest in peace
But I doubt god will ever let me be
ive never been lucky, it won't be that easy
Foreal
And even tho it seems kinda scary
I realize that the pain is kinda necessary
By the end of this I'll be Legendary
All I gotta do is set out on this ferry
Cuz It's the journey
Yeah
Thursday, November 10, 2011
It's Been Awhile... (since I could hold my head up high)
Oddly that song pretty much sums up whats going on with me this past month but I've been lately listening to mostly Drake, Lupe Fiasco, Wale, J. Cole, and OutKast. If you wanna know what Pandora channel to create then make those because those artists have some of the chillest rap ever (Eminem still #1 though haha).
But anyway, this past month or so I've been slipping in a lot of things that I've tried to better myself by and it's all pretty much destroying me. Or at least it was. Well, let's be honest. It has. Pretty thoroughly in fact. I've been edging closer and closer to some of my past ways that I wished I would never again slip on. It was kinda scary to be honest. I really felt like I didn't know who the hell I was.
I mean I still don't know who I am but I DO know that I'm not that dark person I used to be. That dark person who so carelessly attempted to beat his dominance into anyone who challenged him. That dark person who went so far as to get beat within an inch of death, and do the same to another human being. It is because of that dark person that I wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and gasping, glad my roommate is a deep sleeper. It is because of that dark person that I have so many scars. Knife scars, scars on my knuckles, scars on my soul that can turn white but will never fade away. It is because of that dark person that I'm so damaged. Not broken, no I've been told by too many people who amazingly care for me some how to think that I was broken. Maybe that almighty pawn shop owner in the sky will see some value in all my tarnished scrap. Hopefully.
Sorry, I know that was extremely depressing and if you're confused at some of the events that I hinted at; I'll tell you all in time. Once I feel that I can tell it to the whole public to read at their leisure then I will let you all know.
So I have slowly gotten back into the grind of school: going to classes, doing work, not avoiding my professors. I've been relying on friends and music mostly lately to get me to smile at the day to day because honestly I usually have no reason to. But enough of this depressing attitude! Let us end this post on a good note!
The good note is that Drake's new album Take Care is almost out and it was leaked for about two days on youtube and I listened to a good amount of it and it's extremely chill. I so cannot wait. I even took a new Facebook profile picture specifically to rep for that OVOXO love.
But anyway, this past month or so I've been slipping in a lot of things that I've tried to better myself by and it's all pretty much destroying me. Or at least it was. Well, let's be honest. It has. Pretty thoroughly in fact. I've been edging closer and closer to some of my past ways that I wished I would never again slip on. It was kinda scary to be honest. I really felt like I didn't know who the hell I was.
I mean I still don't know who I am but I DO know that I'm not that dark person I used to be. That dark person who so carelessly attempted to beat his dominance into anyone who challenged him. That dark person who went so far as to get beat within an inch of death, and do the same to another human being. It is because of that dark person that I wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and gasping, glad my roommate is a deep sleeper. It is because of that dark person that I have so many scars. Knife scars, scars on my knuckles, scars on my soul that can turn white but will never fade away. It is because of that dark person that I'm so damaged. Not broken, no I've been told by too many people who amazingly care for me some how to think that I was broken. Maybe that almighty pawn shop owner in the sky will see some value in all my tarnished scrap. Hopefully.
Sorry, I know that was extremely depressing and if you're confused at some of the events that I hinted at; I'll tell you all in time. Once I feel that I can tell it to the whole public to read at their leisure then I will let you all know.
So I have slowly gotten back into the grind of school: going to classes, doing work, not avoiding my professors. I've been relying on friends and music mostly lately to get me to smile at the day to day because honestly I usually have no reason to. But enough of this depressing attitude! Let us end this post on a good note!
The good note is that Drake's new album Take Care is almost out and it was leaked for about two days on youtube and I listened to a good amount of it and it's extremely chill. I so cannot wait. I even took a new Facebook profile picture specifically to rep for that OVOXO love.
So until next time yall! Much love
OVOXO
Friday, October 14, 2011
Remember The Speech
So tonight I watched Remember the Titans tonight during a campus movie night. I hadnt seen that movie in years and I had forgotten how awesome it was. One of my favorite things about it are the numerous moments within the film where dialogue is the most hard hitting. Boone's "Remember Gettysburg" speech where he advises the team that they must stand together or else be destroyed is perhaps my favorite seen of the movie but I also enjoy the "Final Locker Room" scene where the coach explains that they will remember The Titans and all that they have done as well as Gary and Julius's "Left-Side, Strong-Side" banter are both amazing pieces of dialogue.
So, what I have to ask you is this: What are your favorite speeches and what effect do they have on you?
This got me thinking during a conversation with some friends of mine (yes, I do have friends) after the movie about other awesome monologues in film. Such as
- Coach Gelwix's speech in Forever Strong to Rick http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1836030233/ (at 01:28:11)
- The Sandlot's Babe Ruth speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnlyHDAi-R8 (00:31)-(03:15)
- Kill Bill Vol 2- Bill's Superman Monologue http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdWF7kd1tNo
- The president's speech in Independence Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUdB8gCMcXI
- Maxim's Vengeance Speech in Gladiator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd0xx29jX-w&feature=related
- And this crazy REAL LIFE locker room speech from some random high school http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX39J_YyKbs
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
WELCOME!
Well hello everyone! I have decided to begin this here blog in the hopes of it being a more sustainable way to keep a journal throughout the next upcoming years. To begin I suppose I will explain the decorum and the URL. It's simple really, My name is Calvin and I was named after the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Awesome, I know.
So the way this will work is Monday through Thursday I will post at least once though I may potentially post more as I see fit. On Fridays/Saturday I will try to post a video blog (or VLog if you're interweb savvy). More features may come up but for now this is what's going on. So have fun creepin!
So the way this will work is Monday through Thursday I will post at least once though I may potentially post more as I see fit. On Fridays/Saturday I will try to post a video blog (or VLog if you're interweb savvy). More features may come up but for now this is what's going on. So have fun creepin!
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