Better Things To Do

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Do you ever feel like you are not doing enough? Or that you are somehow not doing the "right" things?

Have you ever noticed how the larger part of your time is spent on doing what others want of you? Or how your main occupation does not reflect your dreams and ambitions?

If you nodded in agreement at any of the above questions, then you need to ask yourself, "What am I missing?"

And the answer is highly likely one or more of these three: Artistic creativity, volunteering with others, and going on adventures.

Artistic Creativity

Work does not only mean doing something for money. We often miss to notice that much of what we do is out of sheer joy. Playing games, organizing events, or helping friends out. Many things.

However, when we create something out of our own enthusiasm, regardless of others, a sensation of pride and achievement is manifest!

There are few things that we can do that satisfy our emotional needs, as creating out of sheer will does. A drawing, a sculpture, an accessory or device, and even just a brief text or recording.

Volunteering With Others

It seems that when nothing quite works for me, then I can always go and find someone else, even online, whom I can help and cheer. People appreciate kindness. And the amazing thing about it is that helping others, makes us feel achieving and positive, too!

It makes sense. When you help others, and improve their lives, then it creates a sort of promise of helping you in the future, and gives a feeling of security and comfort within your social circles.

Going On Adventures

When all else fails, go and do! Do not think. Do not plan. Do not seek understanding. Go, outside, or within, or even online, and seek new and exciting places, people, and ideas!

There is a misunderstanding, when it comes to achievements. Success is not only when we get the results we wanted. Success is also when things just work out, just because we kept on doing with a positive attitude and courage, even when there was nothing noticeable in sight, ahead.


So, to conclude, remember that there is always something to bring out to the world, regardless of circumstance or ideology. Keep on doing, keep on learning, and keep on having a blast, every day! :-)

Of Dreams & Memories

I am in a shuttle. Not a train. More like a plane, or a spaceship. It is an in-between of those two, really. It is shaped like a long rocket without wings, and it is populated by rooms, and halls full of safety-chairs, where people wait for the landing. Only the bottom part has an engine and control center.

I am inside a waiting room, all for my own. I just woke up. I get the feeling that the end of the journey is approaching. Although I slept through it, it was not a long journey, actually. It is a mystery to me where I am, and where I am headed. And although it is a mystery, it is not important. The only thing that is important is the landing.

I slowly climb out of my room. It is connected to one of those sitting halls, through a corridor entrance, above me. The gravity is awkward, and although I do not float, I do need to crawl my way out of the room. As I approach the above chamber, I find myself pausing next to a window.

Instead of a "disposable rocket",
This is the actual final result!

The view is intimidating. It is not just a freefall. It is an accelerated drop, from who knows how high. There is no sound. I keep staring into the incoming ground. It is littered with boulders, as if the landing site is meant to be more of a hazard, rather than less.

Suddenly, the thrusters below me burst, and the noise of combustion roars, as if from a long distance. Just as it seemed the vessel would hit the ground, and my mortal life would end miserably yet quickly, an ever so slight wobble motion hits, and everything just stops.

We have landed, and not surprisingly, everyone in their sits start applauding.

Pull Myself Up To The Bar

I will not forget those people who live on trees.

I have recently purchased a pull up bar. The kind that attaches to the door frame with vacuum.

That's not me! But, it's the same idea.
I really need a camera for this blog...

I have had the fortune to spend some time studying Anthropology. During that short period, I could not avoid seeing just how much the environment affects people. I have noticed how human bodies are shaped according to their use. While most tribes seemed to be generally healthy and in shape, their physique was somehow not very attractive. I could not quite point out what was incorrect about their shape, until I saw the Korowai tribe!

These folk climb trees every day.
They live in tree houses. How awesome is that?!

I have yet to see tribal people with such a well formed physique, all around.

I know that most tribal people are rather active and healthy, and so there is no claim that the Korowai are somehow "stronger." What I have noticed is that when people have a lot of climbing in their daily lives, then their upper-bodies are better formed. This gives a well-balanced structure to the body.

So, together with general fitness, examples such as these have given me a lot of encouragement to include climbing, or just pull ups, in my daily routine. And I have to say - it works! (I promise a photo in the near future!)

Wine, Pizza & National Parks

It is just another lovely autumn evening, as I look outside my window and imagine all the endless possibilities out there. "If only I could have some land to live and farm on," I think to myself.

It is not reasonable that all public lands are in the hands of national park services. There are very few people who would actually want to farmstead in small communities, without harming the natural environment, as it has existed for thousands of years. Us few, and enjoyable folk, should have access to the wild. Those lands that are neglected by the national park services.

My first note is that national park services mistreat and doom our natural environment to desolation. The process of desertification and loss of wildlife has been running amok, ever since those guys took over. Many animals that are recorded in the pages of history, even from only a century ago, are already gone or quickly vanishing. This is true worldwide!

My second note, which casually leans on the first, is that ecologically inclined people, also known as local (non-industrial) farmers, are exactly what our environment needs! Regular people, without the use of massive industrial machinery and pollutants, have kept nature in a balanced and lush state, since time immemorial.

I believe in nut & fruit orchards, just like I believe in good food.

Just think about it. People farmed the land, in many different ways, for millennia, and no major ecological distastes happened. It is true that many empires slowly and dreadfully destroyed native forests, for example, in the Mediterranean area. Never the less, even then all that was lacking was the replanting of trees; exactly what farmers are doing now, in some areas, sometimes with government support and funds (Some time ago, I saw a good example on video about China.)

So, it is about time that states the world over started getting their ecology into perspective, and returned the wild back to the hands of the simple farmers. Back to the hands of those that can really serve the wild, unlike the National Park Services.

The Society For The Study Of Modern Visual Culture

Also known as Genshiken in popular manga and anime fan circles.

It's like Seinfeld, in that it's a series about nothing in particular.

I am enjoying the Nidaime season of the anime - which, confusingly enough, translates as "Second Semester," as far as my Japanese goes - and which is after the Genshiken 2 series! So, mind your chronication.

I often ask myself, why is it that I watch a series that is, to a far extent, ridiculous? I mean, the ideas presented are far from reflecting reality, nor are the events in it very sensible to a real person. So, why do I bother with a farce? Why do I enjoy being lied to?

Well, without going too far with the judgementalism thing, I feel that it would be fare to say that people watch these series, because they give us things that we are missing in our own life. A sense of adventure and comradry. Romance. The idea that people can express their own unique and often extremely unpopular opinions, without being viciously attacked by their peers.

It is easy to judge myself, for not demanding, from myself, all those things that I know I lack. But, it is neither fair not smart to do so. We can only affect our lives to a small extent, beyond which only compromise and patience remain tools of value.

So, while I continue enjoying impossibly idealistic and romantic notions, it is safe to say that I am lucky to have it as a second hand experience, rather than not have it at all, in my life. :-)

Hurray for Otaku!

The beginning is confusing and strange, but worry not, it is the real thing.
Enjoy episode 1:

Sleep As Much As You Can

Yes. I have said it. Those who say otherwise are biased, and thus are strictly wrong.

The myth of oversleeping is nonsense, that the popular media keeps encouraging due to those old notions, that people should wake up early - regardless of when they go to sleep.

Thanks to Cat Kalen for braving this topic!

In schools and work places, those nifty enslavement institutions, people are expected to wake up at the same hour, regardless of their own personal situation. This is stupid. It might have worked for previous generations, but with the advent of technology and the internet, we see a decrease in the uniformity of sleeping & waking hours in modern society.

Simply put, when you have had enough sleep, then you wake up. Naturally. We do not fall asleep by choice, and we should not wake up by choice. Surely, if there is anything alarming happening, then we would break our sleep. But, that is the exception, and must not be the rule. "Alarm" clocks are evil. They stress you first thing in the morning, and by disturbing your natural sleep patterns, they induce the effects of sleep deprivation.

Stuart drinks a cup of coffee and falls asleep.

I was horrored to see how many articles on Google say the opposite of what I, and others, are saying about this.

While there is indeed a plethora of researchers and doctors claiming the former, there are as many, if not so popularized, who say the latter. So, do your own study and self-evaluation. Do not let people convince you that you are in the wrong, just because you are different.

Sleep well. ;-)

3D Models For Cash

I recently did a 20$ 3D model job for a guy from the UK, or Europe, I suppose. He wanted a quick real-life size model of some StarWars looking arm gadget.

 

I find it amusing and curious that he wanted to print it in a 3D printer and wear as part of a costume. That's pretty awesome, actually. :-D

Hiatus & Changes

I have decided to stop writing stories. I will keep them online for now, but I will not do anything en-towards it.

It is, indeed, a lovely thing how time does not really apply in the world of the Internet. I have had quite a hiatus from blogging, due to the emotional crash of deciding to drop my literature workings, and expected to drop the blogging, as well. Surprisingly, I found myself time and again thinking about the blog in a more personal manner - disregarding the value of it as a tool to advance books.

My muse has been faltering.
Now, it has returned!

I shall remove the "Daily" part of the blog, but still use it often. Many ideas must be discussed, and many an experience should be told! :-)

Here's a little shiny I've made after recently joining a hobby team of MMORPG developers.

Imagine someone using my sword to kill!

 

Philosophizing

Sounds like a naughty word, doesn't it?

Patience = Force!
Yoda FTW.

There is no meaning to knowledge that is not practiced. Many have accounted for that piece of wisdom. It is wisdom, because it is practical knowledge that is in actual and constant use.

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. - Bruce Lee

Patience leads to good practice. Good practice leads to wisdom. Knowledge is an idea that grows while you are patient, but it is not something to practice; in itself, it is only the reason to practice. It is the reason to be patient.

Genius is eternal patience. - Michelangelo

Tell Me Lies

I have often seen just how much truth exists within a lie. While the intention is to deceive, the liar, focused on his hidden truth, will think so much more in constructing his lie, that they may not notice just how much truth is given within that lie.

What is worse, a false truth or a true lie?

It seems that by giving thought and understanding the structure of any idea or pretense, one can separate the different details within, and finally see more clearly which is more true and which is more false.

Will you believe a lie made out of many truths?

Could there be a truth made out of many lies?

Gotta love Johnny.

Yes. To both. Somehow, this does not negate reason. Words, ideas and circumstances are nothing more than objects. We use them and toss them away. They come and they go. None survive. Neither do we.

Is life itself a lie or a truth?

Life is an object to be used and tossed away. The trick might be in how it is applied.

The Lie of Motivation

What is motivation? This elusive, sneaky and inexplicable sensation that we simply do not want to do something, even though only benefit awaits us from doing it.

Hell ain't a place for a picnic :D

I would like to offer today a rare perspective on action. Positive action does not deny nor negate negative action. When we feel tensed about our lives, and seek something to do that would better us, it is often mistakenly viewed as an adding of a betterment. Instead, the removal of interference is often the necessary action for improvement.

We must first empty ourselves from the overload of daily life and the weight of responsibilities, in order to gain the ability to improve. Otherwise, we will turn overburdened and collapse under the load of activities and responsibilities we claim.

The next time you find yourself feeling perturbed about your inability to motivate yourself into doing something that you honestly think is a positive action - try to vacate some time and be unoccupied for a while. Enjoy some rest. In a trick of the mind, suddenly, you will feel energetic and uplifted enough to go about doing anything you wish. Unless, of course, you simply don't want to do it after all. :-P

THIS IS THE SHORTEST BLOG POST IN THE WORLD!!!

Death

Life & Death

I feel that at least a few posts in every season should regard death. Life encompasses many experiences and states. Spring, the end of Winter, for those lands that experience this sort of climate, reveals both an accelerated burst of life, and with it an obvious mirroring of the death around us.

While flowers bloom and grasses climb, many seeds that caught only a shallow piece of soil, will quickly die, when they discover that for them Spring is but a short season. Such seeds, that germinate in springtime with expectation of bloom, find that the soil can not hold enough root-mass and moisture, in order to capacitate a full lifetime. They quickly wilt, and unlike the surrounding green background, they are dull and a contrast to life.

Our lives are of a similar nature. Some people may find their springtime a short season. Conditions are not always kind. Never the less, death is only a part of life. Eventually, another Spring will come, and another seed will grow.

End of Winter, Come Spring

Call Me Call Me by Yoko Kanno & Steve Conte

A lovely day of cool breeze and dark clouds. The birds! Oh the birds! Enjoy the photographs. Taken with my low-quality laptop webcam. :-D

If you were...

One person. Many trees.

If you were stranded on a remote tropical island, and no one was to come and get you back; would you care, if all of humanity was annihilated, while you were spending your days under the trees?

If you were stuck in prison for life, for a crime that you did not commit, and no one would attempt to get you out; would you feel responsible for the destruction and pollution of the environment?

He's enjoying life.

If you were to lose both arms and legs in an accident, but live to tell about it; do you think you would care about your life any different?

Life

Wake up.
Wash up.
Eat.
Sleep.

Let's Make Sense

The first step in making sense is to never finish at "I don't know." This is, because you, more often than not, do know. We all have highly developed logical abilities, once we put some time and effort into thinking. So the next time you find yourself thinking, "well, I don't know," just stop yourself and replace that with, "actually, I do know."

The Study of Anthropology

My anthropology lecturer, when I gave University a try for a couple of semesters, used to have us read and talk about the most interesting tribes.

A merry dance!~

I remember a lecture that talked about how some such tropical tribes would have big celebrations as a means to create bonds between tribe members. Instead of taking chances with rivalry and disputes, the leaders would organize for merriment and gift-exchange between the tribes, and thus reducing if not eliminating the chances for hostilities.

It amazes me how often I hear people speak harsh generalizations and common untruths about the nature of humans and tribal peoples. Somehow, assuming the negative seems the default, and any really positive lesson to take from the tribes is ridiculous. I dare any person go out and visit tribes that are not suffering from the mistreatment of industrialism. Authentic, prosperous and happy tribes. It is mind boggling how content and joyful humans can be, without being specifically stupid or clever.

Seeking Depth Within Life

I've always been a big fan of the philosophic and Buddhist practice of wondering about the origin of things. For example, before eating one will wonder about the origins and source of their food and drink. Where does it come from? Who collected it? Who prepared it?

Old Habits Die Hard?

I feel that this practice is extremely relevant to the understanding of the true meaning of all things in life. Many might question if their choices and practices are good or bad. The best way to get an answer for that, even if a personal one, is by learning and discovering the origins and processes things go through to reach us. Should I act in a certain way? Should I consume a certain thing? What is the meaning of life?

Yes. I feel that it is an easy way of attaining the meaning of life for each of us. Simply check about your life. If there is any dissatisfaction left after the research, then go ahead and check into the origins of your dissatisfaction! It's as simple as that. Eventually, clarity and purpose are always revealed. :-)

Towns Without Animals

I never enjoy coming to a place crowded by farm animals. A dense mass of cows, or any other animal for that matter, makes the smell fowl and the noise distracting.

On the other hand, it is no secret that people and different animals get along quite well, and benefit from each others' company and cooperation. While we have the ability to protect and guide the animals, whether it be from natural disasters or predators, they share their produce and great strength with us. Also, all animals enjoy another's company. This is evident to pet owners.

Why should people and animals not live together? Without forcing them into small spaces, but rather sharing our lands with them. Like a flock of wild deer, so should our other animal companions be allowed to roam free and under our aid. Are birds between branches not superior to birds in small cages?

I am pained to see the treatment animals receive from people. Equally, it is a distorted view of life, when a community or town, and even a city is depicted without any life but people; to the inclusion of a random local bird.