Nocturnal Ways
Sunday, October 11, 2009 @ 2:57 AM
I've gone back to my old habits.
Waking up at nearly 11AM this morning and blogging past midnight are two really bad signs that I'm starting to go back to my nocturnal ways. I wanted to get a regular sleeping pattern so that I avoided feeling so tired in school, and though I was able to achieve this for perhaps a good month or so, it was like I couldn't fight my own nature. It's like I really can't sleep until the darkness.
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the time period between midnight and just before daybreak is quiet. It's not busy. It's hassle-free. The calm, even serene environment helps me concentrate. It's so different from when the sun is out, or when it's basically just past 6AM. Because that's the time that everyone starts moving and hurrying and going about their routines of work or study—which they actually secretly hate and they're now asking themselves why the fuck did I sign up for this? and they've the rest of their shitty lives to wish they could be better.
That's how I see it.
I don't know. I just like the silence. I like the aloneness. I like being alone sometimes.
With Grace and Humility
Saturday, October 10, 2009 @ 6:25 AM
When I first heard that US President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, I was more in a state of numbness than that of shock. I couldn't really wrap my head around it, because when I think of Nobel Peace Prizes, I think of Aung San Suu Kyi—a woman who is still in prison after so many years but never gives up on hope for democracy to reign her country. I think of Al Gore—a former US Vice President doing so much work for global environment sustainability, who brings the issue to the front desk of not just fellow politicians but to ordinary citizens like us. I think of people like Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, and Mother Teresa, but NOT (at least definitely not right now) President Barack Obama.
I have the utmost respect for Obama; he is a sincere, smart, and really hardworking guy, and I couldn't have imagined anyone else as fit for Commander-in-Chief of one of the world's top and leading nations than him.
But Barack Obama is just eight months old in his time at the White House. This is a man who has to make the decision some time really, really soon whether or not to send 20, 30 thousand American troops to Afghanistan, and he's already a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. This is a guy who hasn't even lasted a year in office, and the most he has done for the international community was a world tour of concert speeches—his rhetoric and his passion.
But winning a Nobel Peace Prize can't just be about someone's passion, good efforts, and well intentions; he/she needs to do something. I am not against the idea of Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but I'm definitely critical of the Nobel community for him winning it now. The man should have been given at least two years tops to prove to the world that he has done something concrete and real for the global community, something that really makes us go, 'Yes, I know he deserved something like that.'
Nevertheless, as he always does, Barack Obama addresses the situation most graciously and eloquently—something which has made him very popular to people all around the globe, and I do in fact admire him so much for this. He accepted his award, he was honest in saying his real thoughts about him winning, saying that he doesn't think he "deserves" it, and he made the award not about him, but about America and American leadership.
And it just goes to show how you could never really hate a guy like him—too nice and too gracious and who you know is working his ass off; almost as if his grace and humility was what got him to win in the first place.
Flat Lines
Saturday, October 3, 2009 @ 11:15 AM
Brand new layout!—so it sort of follows there's a brand new post.
I haven't posted in the longest time. I actually wrote something quite recently about the natural calamities happening in the world (supertyphoons in the Philippines, tsunamis in the American Samoa, earthquakes in Indonesia), but I decided not to publish it. IDK why; I guess I just found it a bit too serious for a blog post. I didn't want to look back into my archives and read something about a global apocalypse.
There hasn't been much happening lately. Of course I witnessed the deadliest natural calamity of my lifetime, but other than the weather, my life has been pretty dead.
Volunteering sort of counts as a high crest in this week's wavelength of activities, but everything else is pretty flat. I think the most I got to being productive academically was making one and a half pages of the THE slum book. I haven't even started on the Physics music video (... two terms which sound just so wrong together), and I never resumed reading Julius Caesar. All I've been doing the whole week was downloading Muse albums and almost literally listening to them all day. And watching YouTube videos of Matt and Dom interviews. And immersing myself in the band's live video performances.
Yeah. I really have a life here.
But it's okay, I think. One week without class was bound not be productive, but I do know I have my plans and some other projects straightened out. I just need to stop being so hooked on Muse. It's ridiculously unhealthy.
Nocturnal Ways
Sunday, October 11, 2009 @ 2:57 AM
I've gone back to my old habits.
Waking up at nearly 11AM this morning and blogging past midnight are two really bad signs that I'm starting to go back to my nocturnal ways. I wanted to get a regular sleeping pattern so that I avoided feeling so tired in school, and though I was able to achieve this for perhaps a good month or so, it was like I couldn't fight my own nature. It's like I really can't sleep until the darkness.
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the time period between midnight and just before daybreak is quiet. It's not busy. It's hassle-free. The calm, even serene environment helps me concentrate. It's so different from when the sun is out, or when it's basically just past 6AM. Because that's the time that everyone starts moving and hurrying and going about their routines of work or study—which they actually secretly hate and they're now asking themselves why the fuck did I sign up for this? and they've the rest of their shitty lives to wish they could be better.
That's how I see it.
I don't know. I just like the silence. I like the aloneness. I like being alone sometimes.
With Grace and Humility
Saturday, October 10, 2009 @ 6:25 AM
When I first heard that US President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, I was more in a state of numbness than that of shock. I couldn't really wrap my head around it, because when I think of Nobel Peace Prizes, I think of Aung San Suu Kyi—a woman who is still in prison after so many years but never gives up on hope for democracy to reign her country. I think of Al Gore—a former US Vice President doing so much work for global environment sustainability, who brings the issue to the front desk of not just fellow politicians but to ordinary citizens like us. I think of people like Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, and Mother Teresa, but NOT (at least definitely not right now) President Barack Obama.
I have the utmost respect for Obama; he is a sincere, smart, and really hardworking guy, and I couldn't have imagined anyone else as fit for Commander-in-Chief of one of the world's top and leading nations than him.
But Barack Obama is just eight months old in his time at the White House. This is a man who has to make the decision some time really, really soon whether or not to send 20, 30 thousand American troops to Afghanistan, and he's already a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. This is a guy who hasn't even lasted a year in office, and the most he has done for the international community was a world tour of concert speeches—his rhetoric and his passion.
But winning a Nobel Peace Prize can't just be about someone's passion, good efforts, and well intentions; he/she needs to do something. I am not against the idea of Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but I'm definitely critical of the Nobel community for him winning it now. The man should have been given at least two years tops to prove to the world that he has done something concrete and real for the global community, something that really makes us go, 'Yes, I know he deserved something like that.'
Nevertheless, as he always does, Barack Obama addresses the situation most graciously and eloquently—something which has made him very popular to people all around the globe, and I do in fact admire him so much for this. He accepted his award, he was honest in saying his real thoughts about him winning, saying that he doesn't think he "deserves" it, and he made the award not about him, but about America and American leadership.
And it just goes to show how you could never really hate a guy like him—too nice and too gracious and who you know is working his ass off; almost as if his grace and humility was what got him to win in the first place.
Flat Lines
Saturday, October 3, 2009 @ 11:15 AM
Brand new layout!—so it sort of follows there's a brand new post.
I haven't posted in the longest time. I actually wrote something quite recently about the natural calamities happening in the world (supertyphoons in the Philippines, tsunamis in the American Samoa, earthquakes in Indonesia), but I decided not to publish it. IDK why; I guess I just found it a bit too serious for a blog post. I didn't want to look back into my archives and read something about a global apocalypse.
There hasn't been much happening lately. Of course I witnessed the deadliest natural calamity of my lifetime, but other than the weather, my life has been pretty dead.
Volunteering sort of counts as a high crest in this week's wavelength of activities, but everything else is pretty flat. I think the most I got to being productive academically was making one and a half pages of the THE slum book. I haven't even started on the Physics music video (... two terms which sound just so wrong together), and I never resumed reading Julius Caesar. All I've been doing the whole week was downloading Muse albums and almost literally listening to them all day. And watching YouTube videos of Matt and Dom interviews. And immersing myself in the band's live video performances.
Yeah. I really have a life here.
But it's okay, I think. One week without class was bound not be productive, but I do know I have my plans and some other projects straightened out. I just need to stop being so hooked on Muse. It's ridiculously unhealthy.
Introduction
Greetings and salutations
Just to properly say hello, um, hello! xD I'm Carissa, and this is my blog, Realcardbored, some random name I picked up because I couldn't think of anything else. I'm 16 years old, born on October 31, and living in the Philippines. The rest of me can be better explained below.
Currently
This very minute
Song: Exogenesis Symphony by Muse
Artist/Band: Rachael Yamagata
Album: The Resistance (Muse)
Film: The Brothers Bloom
Television: Glee
Book: William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Person: Matthew Bellamy
Quote: "Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true. When will you realize? Vienna waits for you." - from the song 'Vienna' by Billy Joel
Passions
Beyond hobbies
Film. Whoever said that cinema was just for entertainment? It's art. I aspire to become a film director some day, and hopefully I can live the rest of my life with that as my permanent career.
Literature. I mostly read drama novels, like those from authors Jodi Picoult and Alice Sebold, but I also like some fantasy ones (i.e., Harry Potter).
Music. From Beethoven to Lady Gaga to Rage Against the Machine, music is my religion. I play the piano as well, and I'm pretty OC about sound quality. I need good earphones and a kickass sound system.
Travel. With this, I wish I could get more of it, but I savor every moment. I've been to the United States, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong. I hope to tour South Africa, Egypt, and several countries in Europe.
Gender equity. Women's equality and gay rights are just long overdue, and the world has got a long way to go.
Favorites
Of significant range
Music: Muse, U2, The Beatles, Coldplay, Phoenix, Santana, Michael Jackson, Vampire Weekend, Rage Against the Machine, Eric Hutchinson, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Duffy, jazz, classical
Film: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Pride and Prejudice, Juno, The Devil Wears Prada, Iron Man, Up, The Brothers Bloom, Good Will Hunting, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mrs. Doubtfire, Finding Neverland, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Television: American Idol, Project Runway, House, Glee, Gossip Girl, Ellen
Books: The Lovely Bones, Skylight Confessions, My Sister's Keeper, The Time Traveler's Wife, Cyrano de Bergerac, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Remember Me?, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Thespians: Johnny Depp, James McAvoy, Ralph Fiennes, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Ricky Gervais, Clive Owen, Adrien Brody, Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ellen Page, Saoirse Ronan, Susan Sarandon, Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams
Directors: Joe Wright, Jason Reitman, Martin Scorsese, Peter Sollett, Edward Zwick
Wishlist
Keeping track
» To pass the ACET
» New iPod case
» New headphones
»
New cellphone
» Showbiz album by Muse
» Origin of Symmetry album by Muse
» Absolution album by Muse
» HAARP album by Muse
» Black Holes and Revelations album by Muse
» The Resistance album by Muse
» Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide
» Hungarian Dances by Jessica Duchen
»
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
» Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist DVD
Film list
Superabundance!
[4/5]
About Schmidt
[4/5]
Adventureland
[n/a] Annie Hall
[4/5]
The Brother's Bloom
[n/a] Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
[n/a] Dr. Strangelove
[n/a] Everyone Says I Love You
[n/a] The French Connection
[4/5]
Garden State
[5/5]
Goodfellas
[4/5]
Harry Potter 6
[4/5]
He's Just Not that Into You
[5/5]
The Hurt Locker
[4/5]
I Love You, Man
[n/a] Lolita
[n/a] Margot at the Wedding
[n/a] Moon
[n/a] My Father's Glory
[n/a] My Sister's Keeper
[n/a] The Piano
[4/5]
The Proposal
[n/a] Public Enemies
[n/a] Rain Man
[n/a] A Room with a View
[n/a] Schindler's List
[n/a] The Silence of the Lambs
[2/5]
The Soloist
[n/a] Somewhere in Time
[n/a] St. Elmo's Fire
[n/a] State of Play
[3/5]
Sunshine Cleaning
[n/a] Taxi Driver
[3/5]
The Time Traveler's Wife
[5/5]
Up
[n/a] Up in the Air
Tagboard
Comments and other matters
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