Today, I found myself.. (Day 307)

Today, I found myself thrashed but regained and understanding the harsh realities of the industry.

Today, I found myself.. (Day 300)

Today, I found myself saying the wrong things and realising the need to shut sometimes.

Today, I found myself.. (Day 299)

Today, I found myself tasting the bittersweet sense of cheesiness building up to love.

Today, I found myself.. (Day 298)

Today, I found myself a wandering fragment of my former struggling to regain completeness in its entirety.

Today, I found myself.. (Day 98)

Today, I found myself cherishing people more as the perplexing reach of the media befuddles.

Picture found at http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/ and belongs to its respective owner.

Hysteria's Revisit

Alright valued readers, as promised here's a little revisit on Hysteria's Call.

Again, I'm really really grateful for the comments and feedback received for the narrative so thank you (I'm really grateful thus explaining the repetitive thank yous)

For this post however, I'll be talk about the various themes and aspects in which I considered to be included in Hysteria's Call. I admit that given a little bit more time (as well as resources for that matter) I would have been able to further refine the narrative both in terms of story content as well as theme specification.

If you're feeling a little lost ("What the hell is Hysteria's Call anyway?") be sure to revisit the links on the navigation bar to your right for all installments of Hysteria's Call, 1 to 3.

And with that, lets get things started.

General Commentary

With Hysteria's Call, I thought it would be really interesting to incorporate a mixture of the elements such as nature (represented as the torrential rain) as well as industry and society (the setting of the office building, the man having a high business position etc).

That obviously created a stark contrast for the story plot's development as well as room for the development of certain themes which I'll touch on later on.

I also thought that it would be a good idea to point out the vulnerabilities of even the highest of figures in society (ie. the man) that even they, being human beings, have their breaking point as well as their weaknesses as well. Certainly, no one in the world is absolutely perfect.

The reason why I chose to segment the entire narrative into 3 parts is simply indicating a transition between different settings and scenes. Part 1 sees the man's journey to the cafe, part 2 sees the events unfolding in the cafe itself while part 3 climaxes and concludes the story.

Throughout these 3 parts, we are also able to see and foretell the man's slow degeneration in terms of his mental health, the process of how from having absolute power to even losing control of himself.

Indeed, the irony is evident; a man of great status and power, with control over others, not even able to control himself in the end.

Theme of Hysterics, lack of Self Restrain

Certainly the theme of self restrain, or the lost of self restrain, more rather, is the main underlying aspect of Hysteria's Call. It is the basis of the plot's development as well the main gist of the entire concept, thus giving meaning to the title in itself.

The lack of restrain and mental disorientation causes the man dear as the plot reveals bit by bit, the process of mental corrosion that ultimately leads to his demise.

Here, we are also able to observe the adverse but powerful effects of the human mind. So destructive that it can destroy everything with just a tinge of doubt or uneasiness. This theme clearly portrays what will happen when one loses control and grip over his mind.

And when it is unable to take it all, it self destructs.

We see a transformation. As mention, the man degenerates himself from one of power to a being of lesser status and all that solely with the effect of his mind.

Paranoia is the first tinge the man gets (as seen in part 1) and it eventually evolves into something greater when a heighten sense of stress is achieved (as seen in part 2) where it led to excessive behavior as well as actions (of which he'll soon regret). This evolves into something even greater (as seen in part 3) and as if backfiring, the entire effect falls on the reckoning of the man, of which he deals with harshly.

This is also another fine theme of what power can do to a human being. The excess of power, more rather, draws to the man and makes him vulnerable to a huge blow for he was always obtaining everything that he demanded, worked for or wanted at any all.

And when he doesn't get the due results, a chain reaction starts that leads to the development of the story's plot.

Theme of Love

Love is an energy that exists in no fixed orientation but is evident in all things living, especially in that of human beings.

Though the theme of love in Hysteria's Call is not as obvious as other narratives, there is still a slight interpretation for the simple fact that this energy exists throughout the process of life itself; certainly no exception here.

I've tried to visualize love of the most common and simplest (yet troubling in a sense, as some would comply) form; of that towards the relationship type of love. And thus, I've decided that a simple date between this high and mighty executive and his girlfriend (supposedly) would articulate the point substantially.

With this theme, the power of love is expressed in its own unique fashion especially since it sources from the hard and cold mind of the man. It also shows that he has a softer side and that he is just human.

It is also this power of love that serves as a catalyst for the man's insanity, thus substantiating the grip and attachment within the man himself. It can be considered as the tipping force that pivots the man's mental state of health, from being sane to the opposite.

It was also his addiction and obsession to love that contributed to his ultimate downfall in the end.

Theme of Signs

The existence and presence of signs are largely ignored in our modern society mainly because many people not only do not believe in them. Most regard them as skeptical religious material but with Hysteria's Call, I thought it would have been really good to bring out this aspect and to create awareness.

Signs are tell tale signals, which usually presents itself in the form of events. With Hysteria's Call, I thought it would be a really good idea to start off with a very subtle sign, namely the rain, and slowly progress to the encounter with the taxi driver.

The man's recollection of his day (while he was in the room of the cafe, seemingly waiting for his date), tells readers of the man's entire day's events, of which seem to be trying to tell him something.

Again, I've tried to be as subtle as I can to simulate conditions in reality; signs are often concealed amongst daily events and happenings that we take a natural or "coincidence".

I did that through the rain to not only create an atmosphere for the plot of the story but also to visualize a barrier in the said circumstances, a barrier preventing the man from meeting the fate that unfolded in the story.

The epitome of this theme comes through the encounter between the cab driver and the man, where, by some strange twist of fate, the cab gets stuck and is unable to bring the man to the cafe.

A major hint is dropped in that encounter, where the cabby tries to shout and warn the man but trails off (as seen in part 1). But the mention of signs is also seen in part 2 though sparsely which the man in the story treated with "a pinch of salt".

Conclusion and Parting Commentary

Overall, I'm personally satisfied with the development of Hysteria's Call, and I really hoped that you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. Sure there are alot of other themes to explore in this short narrative alone but due to length constrains, I guess this is enough food for thought for the time being.

I would (as expressed earlier) have wished for more time to develop the ending as well as certain segments of the story but the themes came out ideally in my view.

The reason why I chose not to disclose the man's identity (ie. his name) till the very end was down to a couple of reasons. One being that I wanted to keep the formality and i didn't really see the need to disclose his actual name and the other reason was that I valued the suspense till the end.

Feel free to share your comments about Hysteria's Call as well as its various themes via comments (located just right below this post, click on the (number) comments link).

I appreciate feedback from my readers so don't be shy!

Till then, remember to check back for updates and articles. Cause here at metallic-stains, we deliver (ripoff much?).

Cya'll later.

Love will make you Beautiful

Just finished reading another one of Paulo's Coelho masterpieces a week or so ago and this time, as seen above, its a little book entitled "The Zahir".

Its really interesting, in typical Paulo Coelho fashion of course.

Needless to say, the book transformed my ideas about certain themes (which I'll be talking about in this post) as well as galvanized my perceptions on certain issues mentioned.

And in this case, it revolved around the often mysterious yet vital components of life itself; Love and Obsession.

Of course, these weren't the only prominent themes mentioned in the book. Quite a number of other themes and aspects were put into play in the giant blender that resulted in the entire plot of the story.


Well, as typical to my "reviews", I won't regurgitate every single detail and plot of the book (for I strongly believe that everyone has his or her own interpretations to the contents) but will instead, shred some light as well as my personal feelings and comments.


With that, lets start off with the obvious:

The Theme Of Obsession

The plot of the entire book basically revolves around the author's (not too sure if its an actual narrative) wife mysteriously disappearing after mutual disagreements through the rite of their marriage. The author's wife is a war journalist and after her disappearance, many allegations about her pop up; has she decided to cheat on her husband, has she been kidnapped, is she dead, and many other suggestions.

This theme kicks in just as his wife suddenly disappears.

Though they had their disagreements, the author loved his wife deeply and vice versa, though their love is not of conventional fashion probably due to the fact that both of them hold high positions in society (one a journalist, the other a world famous writer).

The reason why I suggested that the theme of obsession revolved throughout the book was that the plot and the entire storyline in itself, talks about how the protagonist struggles to deal with his obsession for the "Zahir".

The "Zahir", derived from an Arabic term, simply put means being visible and evident, or "(beings or things) that have the power to be unforgettable" (as cited from http://www.amorphy.org/Zahir.html)

I guess the author's relation is valid and it hints at the depth and seriousness of his love and passion for his wife.

The obsession however, changes him and in doing so, revolutionizes his way of thinking about the power of love, and evidently, "forgetting your personal history".

The power of love is strong, but the power of obsession? It is unquestionable as the protagonist relates in the book that the obsession led to seeing "Zahirs" (which was a certain something that he saw in his wife) in multiple women after her disappearance.

Though this obsession may be superficially interpreted as; man loses wife, man craves for wife, man gets carried away taking other women for wife, man finds for wife. There is alot in question to this obsession.

I feel that this theme of obsession is very much evident in our modern society, just that its not that obvious as well as the varying degree of such "obsessions".

I can cite examples like young boys having crushes on girls (or vice versa) but we have to look at the varying degree of the entire aspect, are we talking about the same levels of obsession here?

This theme endorses both maturity as well as a certain degree of love which thus makes it prominent in the plot of the story.

I guess its a question of "how much are you willing to give up or how far are you willing to go to satisfy the obsession and love?" though whether the obsession will be satisfied encompasses a totally different thing.

Note that the "Zahir" as mentioned by the author in an extensive interview (as seen here http://www.harpercollins.com/author/microsite/readingguide.aspx?authorID=1858&isbn13=9780060825218&displayType=bookinterview), derails the individual from achieving one's personal legend (with relation to The Alchemist).

That I feel, holds a certain degree of truth, but lets ask ourselves what if we are able to harness and control the Zahir and the obsession to work towards to things or outcomes we yearn?

It is often said and noted that love and obsession comes in hand in hand, which is evident on certain levels but not quite as the book puts out, bringing us to the next theme.

The Theme of Love

"Do not underestimate the power of love"

I guess that's what the theme centers around. Only in this context, the "power of love" is a a new interpretation and meaning altogether.

Though I understand that Love in itself, holds no fixed definition. Ask even the most brilliant of professors and they will still stumble to give you an answer.

The book however, considers Love a "divine power" as illustrated by the experiences amongst the people in the Armenian restaurant as well as through a certain special individual called Mikhail, who links the protagonist up with his wife ultimately.

The protagonist, though skeptical of the existence of this "divine power", upon increasing interactions with the "tribe" and Mikhail, soon realizes its existence and prominence in the world, though it is claimed that this "power" diminishes in the modern society.

I guess Love can be considered something above logic to say the least, but to me, Love is basically part of the human soul.

The pinnacle of emotions, I guess would be a apt comparison; nothing can top an individual's true feelings for another individual.

The society of today has however, corroded the use of "true love" and I find many don't understand or fully grasp the true concept of love. Yes, Love defines itself in many forms but in our society, this is often confused with lust or even sexual connotations.

Again, I find this disturbing as it manifests the true meaning of love, which results in it being used casually.

The theme of Love mentioned here is a strong force though I dare not put a definition to it.


Other Themes and the Lot

One particular other theme struck me hard; the Acomodador.

To put it simply, it refers to the "breaking point" or the point where one totally gives up on a course of action due to a reason or another.

To me personally, I've had numerous encounters with the Acomodador in the past, just that it goes unnoticed. I guess life has its ways to throw someone off the course and when pushed to the extreme end, that individual confronts the Acomodador.

I feel that there's nothing wrong with giving up, as long as you when you're SUPPOSED to give up.

"When there's a will there's a way" may seem optimistic to some, but the fact that when there's a "will" in a particular feat, there WILL be a way (pun intended).

I feel that as long as one puts in his or her best on a particular endeavor, the outcome isn't at all important; its the process that makes the purpose.

Life is a journey and whatever happens in the end (the inevitable truth of death) does not matter but what happens in between will impact oneself. If we were to harp on the end, shouldn't we just sit down and wait for our time to come?

I guess what this aspect in "The Zahir" is trying to put forward could have been illustrated like this:

- Strong motivation to satisfy obsession-> no Acomodador-> Success
- Weak motivation-> Acomodador-> Gives up

The "Zahir" in this plot may refer to someone but naturally, the Zahir can be anything at all so long as it warrants itself as an obsession.

In a way, the Zahir can be treated as a distraction (as mentioned earlier) for one en route to achieving his or her personal legend and as portrayed in the plot, the author's Zahir derails him from his work or his lifestyle.

In my own interpretation of Love (with reference to the book), the Zahir is the ideal partner. It is not metaphorical and it exists but unlike anything physical, it transcribes from person to person until that special one is found.

It takes maturity to be obsessed, of course given then right factors, in the right way, though Love does not naturally constitute to obsession.

Use the power of Love to harness and refine your soul and though it may sound really cliche, Love really is the most powerful emotion. This Love that I'm talking about isn't restricted to passionate love but also family love.

In a way, I guess its up to the individual as to how can he or she use this aspect of the human emotion to strengthen his or her life.


With that, I end my "review" and response to the book. I apologize for the length of the post but I guess I got a little too insightful at certain points; the themes have alot of potential for discussion.

Remember to check back soon for I'll be doing a analysis on the themes used in Hysteria's Call. I also apologise for my lack of recent articles, due to my schedule but rest assured for I'm in the midst of working on an article to post.

But before I end, let me post a question to you guys, my valued readers:

"What Is Love To You?"

Looking forward to all of your comments and feedback!

Cya'll later.

Hysteria's Call, Part 3

Okay, the much awaited part 3 of Hysteria's Call.

The grand finale of the entire story will be centred around this instalment thus explaning its lenghty content and elaboration but trust me, it'll leave you thinking for sure as it has left me.

Alright then, with that said, enjoy the narrative and provide me with valuable feedback as you deem fit!


“...The door to the room creaked to life and gave the man a good hard jolt back into reality.

“I was thinking if you’d like some wine to accompany you while you wa...”

Another silence ensured and all was still once again.

A huge clash followed and everything blurred out of focus for quite some time, seemingly.

...

The man regained his composure and looked around. The entire room was in an utter mess and cold wind was blowing in, through a crack made in one of the window panes.

What the hell happened here, the man questioned himself, largely taken aback at his surroundings where plates and cutlery lay all round the place, much less of their former elegance, in tattered pieces while chairs where uplifted and overturned.

So much to the extent that the man was even surprised that the table was still intact. He was even more surprised to find himself down on his knees, apparently in a braced position, ducking and avoiding the entire ruckus.

He had little memory of what happened a few moments back and everything to him materialised itself in a blur.

Someone must have tried to shoot me, or something, he concluded.

Cold wind blew at the man’s back, revealing the broken window pane and this prompted the man to stand up and gain a better understanding of his surroundings. He dusked away the glass chips that gathered both on his suit as well as on his straightened business styled pants. He didn’t pay much attention to his hair, however, though it was wildly displaced at this point of time, as if someone or something had tried to dismember part of his skull.

This was also when he realised that a splitting headache had formulated and was throbbing dully by his temples, in unison to the rhythm of the rain outside, which ensured a steady stream of ice cold air circulating the room.

Damn this headache and the damn rain, where the heck is she, the man furious now, with fists on the chaos ridden mess, amongst the remains of the table.

A gust of wind howled just as if on cue and the man shivered down to his gut, as a fresh new gust of wind froze the air in the room, as if sending out a message to the man.

Evidently, the other people in the restaurant had heard the noises coming from upstairs (the room was on the second level of the restaurant), and not long, footsteps echoed in the hallway and voices of urgency signalled the arrival of the restaurant crew.

The man was one part relieved that help was on the way, but also furious to get some answers out of the employees of the restaurant. However, something made him look down at his shoes for he felt contact.

He gasped at what he saw.

There it was, a steady stream of blood flowing from...

The man’s heart skipped twice over as he traced the origin of that stream of blood.

There at the doorway to the room lay another man, smartly clad in white overalls which waiters in the restaurant usually dawned. The only difference was that his top was dyed a violent blood red which dripped all over his overalls and fresh blood was flowing even as the man looked on.

What the... the man could only mouth those words silently as his eyes made his way to the source of blood and the wound.

It was a gruesome sight.

A metallic object, which the man vaguely made out as a fork, was pierced and speared into the face of the waiter and blood was oozing out from which the fork made contact. The waiter was motionlessly facing upwards save the fact that blood was still flowing steadily.

The man almost belched at what he’s seen but another thought replaced the picture before him and fear began to instil itself in the man’s mind.

Out of a sudden spur of adrenaline, the man lunged himself out of the nearest window and out into the cold rain that raged from above.

That feeling of intensity within him was so extreme that he let out a cry of ecstasy as he flew out of the room and landed on a patch of soft, wet grass, behind the cafe where he dined.

With his suit already wet and his hair obviously nowhere near his standard of perfection, the man deserted his usual thought of tidying up and helped himself up, oblivious to the shouts that crept through the sound of the rain, from the cafe.

Without even looking back, the man gathered himself and ran, as fast as he could, as if something was hot in pursuit right behind him.

The cafe faded from view and the rain intensified to an impossible state, as if attempting to mask the man’s presence from the very thing that hunted him down.

-

“Good lord, Sir! You’re utterly soaked” the man’s chief butler remarked before sending the servants of the man’s residence to fetch towels and whatever they can to make their master warm and out of the rain.

The man arrived at his residence panting deeply and feeling immensely cold, due to the savage rain. Upon reception with his waiters however, he totally disregarded them and stormed all the way to his room, clearly uninterested in the towels, hot chocolate or biscuits being offered to make him feel better after running through the rain.

Bloody servants, he muttered before ascending the incredible flight of stairs that led to the place where he felt safest.

His house was huge and it took him quite awhile before reaching the massive doors that barricaded his comfort zone from the rest of the world and with another great deal of effort the man pushed with what strength he has left and stepped into the room. The door had never been heavier.

The man stripped off his soaked clothes as soon as the massive doors closed upon him, and prepared himself for a hot, long shower in the bathroom.

He glanced into the mirror that framed the bathroom and thought to himself about what had just happened.

Something’s not right, the man concluded.

He soon pulled himself away from the mirror and proceeded to start the shower.

There was a rap on the door to his room as soon as he turned the tap on.

There it goes again. The man turned the tap back off and fumbled for some clothes, with a slight tint of fear and a strange rush of excitement at the same time; no one has ever knocked on his doors nor intruded his room, not even his servants, they would usually call him on the intercom.

Its here to kill me, the man’s eyes wide and his thoughts running wild in his mind. He then ran over to his bedside drawer where he kept a revolver, which was always loaded. The man believed that it “never hurts to be safe than sorry” and he thanked himself for that given the current situation.

The knocking continued and with each rap of the door, the man’s heartbeat grew increasingly faster.

Step by step, he crept up to the door, literally on tiptoes as the knocking grew louder and more desperate sounding.

Let just get this over and done with, the man now sweating with trembling hands over the revolver, ready to pull the trigger anytime.

The knocking stopped and again, the rain seemingly stopped for the second time tonight and all was a still picture.

The door swung open and gunshots echoed the huge residential area where the man resided.

-

The revolver fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The man himself slumped in a corner on the ground, a rare sight for a man of his character, personality and position in life.

He sat beside a pool of blood though it wasn’t his and stared down at what he’s done.

There on the stone hard marble encrusted floor lay the chief butler face down in his own pool of blood motionless. A tray of cookies lay beside him, sprawled out as well as a mug of hot chocolate, in pieces all over the place with drips of chocolate lining the floor along with a red liquid that oozed from his body.

What... have I done, the man buried his hands into his wet hair and tugged at it, enhancing the pain from the headache as well as the pain of ripping out his own hair.

“So it was me, myself, all along.”

The hair, the cafe, the waiter and now the chief butler, it all fell into place one by one like a jigsaw puzzle. There was no assassin, there was no attacker, there was nobody wanting to kill the man, but everything sprouted from within him.

“WHERE IS SHE?” with rage in his voice as well as insanity, the man screamed his lungs out.

She has been the cause of the man’s rise to insanity, she has been the source of it all, she has been the one who caused all this, she... the man, unable to control himself released a torrent of rage and pumped his fist on the floor.

Indeed, the man was driven to insanity and everything he had would be drawn to naught. In the morning, the media would have already gotten news of the killing at the cafe which would point to the man, which will in turn, spawn further controversy. The chambermaid would also discover the lifeless corpse of the chief butler when she does her routine in the morning, thus concluding the murderer.

The man’s life was over and even as he stood on the ledge to his balcony, he thought of the cause of it all, the women that he was supposed to meet earlier on, the one that stood him up and most importantly, the only one he truly loved...

The man’s cell phone buzzed from within his wet pair of pants which he stripped off earlier on. The ringing soon stopped but a text message was received.

“Sorry Richard, I can’t make it tonight for the dinner due to the heavy rain and it was because of that, I couldn’t get to you all night. Sorry! I’ll give you a call when I’m safely home, don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I miss you, love!”

Of course dear Richard wasn’t there to read the message. In fact, he wasn’t anywhere at all. She never got to hear from him ever again, and he was never to be seen ever again.

But scribbled right on his bed was a note which read, “I won’t wait for you anymore” in a red ink, possibly blood.

The man never lived nor died."

-END-

With that, this narrative comes to a close and as I've mentioned, I'm open to feedback and comments to this series.

I will also be doing a followup post on the various themes I considered for this narrative as well as some references and influences I've drawn for this narrative.

Till then, keep a look out for metallic-stains and check back soon for updates.

Cya'll later.

The Price of Emotions; How much are you willing to give?

Price and financial stability has often been of issue during the recent decades of mankind. Probably due to the rising costs of living (as I'm sure all of us are relatively familiar with) or even due to the vast and complex advancements in the societal context.

It is assuring to find out that yes, our society is improving and moving towards the future; who knows what it'll hold for mankind. But are somethings compromised in the process of such "advancements"?

To have the society move forward is one thing while the psychological development of its citizens, is another issue altogether. An issue that is often overlooked by the sociologist of this century.

A slight irony if I may say so, but naturally, it is had to foresee the developments of the human mind, as with the study of psychology; it is a field of mysteries even more complex then logic itself.

So is the human mind evolving as a result of all this?

Certainly, for the mind is designed to evolve as that is the way of nature. It is impossible for mankind to remain stagnant in evolution as that would deem void in the order of survival.

But has this evolution deteriorated our evolution to such an extend that we are purely based off currency and finance? And that our lives are basically circled around what we call, the "Greens"?

A couple of weeks ago before I started my first lesson with my student, my employer (my student's parents, who coincidentally was my ex-table tennis coach) approached me for advice about his child's progress.

I thought to myself, hey I mean this kid's just in primary one (first grade) surely there wouldn't be a need for such intensive materials just yet?

Well I guess this is where the term people coin "parental instincts" come about and my employer appeared rather anxious about his child's academic performance (especially in the English Language).

I suggested the purchase of an English dictionary (largely due to the fact that it would not only be substantial to the child's education but also a long term investment) in response to his enquiry nevertheless as I felt that there was no significant need for "additional materials? aside from the such.

The following week, I came for my routine with the newly bought dictionary, eager to impart what I know about the uses for this "$12.79 heavy-weight" to my student, as well as his parents.

It was really interesting to me personally that my employers would so readily invest in educational gains for their child and this really set me thinking (though I've had been in similar situations in the past with my own parents sparing no expense at my education); I see it in a different viewpoint now.

This may be a natural occurrence, of parents spending and investing what they can into their child's education, but from this derives a precious lesson and leaves much room for thought.

Since our society nowadays revolves around currency and finance, I presume it must be natural that the psychological aspect of mankind overlaps with such "logical entities". But to what extent have our mental state of mind depend on such physical factors?

As seen in the example I've quoted, emotions are shown through gifts and investments. My employer cares for his child and thus entrusted me with the responsibility of purchasing the dictionary.

However, this is where the delicate cradle of balance comes into play; are we over-relying on such physical objects to articulate our emotions?

When it comes to gifts, I'm pretty sure one would often link it to the annually occurrence of one's day of birth, or even the festive event of Christmas, where people exchange presents and the such.

But are physical gifts a good indication of one's emotion to the other?

I personally feel that we live in a materialistic society in itself, where everything circles around money, thus giving existence to terms such as "money is power" or "money makes the world go round" or even "time is money".

It is quite sad that our society has turned towards such a direction where everything is so material based and our human rooted emotions get affected as a result.

I find the term "diamonds are a girl's best friend" disturbing to a certain degree (though I understand that term is a metaphoric statement, depending on the situation) especially in a relationship context. If diamonds are a girl's "best friend" then what does her partner stand for? Hopefully not her "piggy bank" I hope.

Some people of our modern dive straight into material pleasures and are enticed by them, especially the younger generation. Take a quick walk down the streets of the busiest shopping districts and I'm sure you'll see teenagers by the truckload, browsing through the various "material indulgences" up for grabs.

But is a physical gift the best form to emphasize your emotions? Must we really purchase that elusive diamond necklace or that expensive bag just to show that we care?

I surely hope not, for I feel that emotions yield no stable logic but yet, flows in the human mind as free as water. Nobody can put a price on emotions such as care, concern, sacrifice and most importantly, love.

Embrace emotions to people or vice versa, for only in its purest form, will its true meaning surface and take purpose.

However, do not misunderstand me. Like how a parent is willing to spend and invest for his child's education, spending is justified, only to a certain extend. Overdoing it however, will deem superficial and in truth, pointless.

Emotions come from your heart and soul and not from your wallet. Even if you're not able to afford a simple gift due to financial constrains, a little action is not only the best way to express but is also the most apporiate one, in my opinion.

They say that "its the thought that counts" and I for one, am in favour of that statement as to convey your emotion, it is what you think and the "thought"; the physical object being a substantive.

So as we speak, is our society plunging deeper and deeper into the depths of the cold and harsh reality that is in the figures of our bank account?

I sure hope not. From the latest fashion trends to the complex gizmos of the future, society is going further and further into development.

But let us not forget what keeps us sane, our emotions, for it is what keeps us human and intact (refer to article, "Emotions; A Flaw in the Human Design?").

No one can put a price tag on emotions and no matter how much our society moves ahead of us, let us hope that some primitive traits in the human design will remain the same for a long time to come as I do not see an alternative to our current predicament.

So the next time when you're pondering about what to get for a friend, your children, your family members or that special someone, always put in retrospect that no matter how much one spends, the thing that will be remembered isn't that unique "only one in the world" jewelry or that custom made music player that has 200GB of storage space, but the "thought" that was considered when making the decision to purchase and doing it.

To actually give thought to a particular event and to take action for it is the greatest form to demonstrate the inner emotions.

Emotions are priceless, treasure and savour them.

Quiz Time. (well not really)

(A request from http://afrotoast.blogspot.com/)

Okay, just to make this clear, I have no idea whatsoever about this quiz so I'm just gonna answer the questions as they are. Here goes.

#1 If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
uhhh... okayyyyy... eat her guts maybe?

#2 If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
to be rich and... oh come on, I WANNA BE A JUMPER. (lol)

#3 What will your dream wedding be like?
A snowy setting would be nice.

#4 Are you hungry?
Well, it depends. hungry for?

#5 What's your ideal lover like?
like duh. oh you know, the usual.

#6 Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
(incoming WALL OF TEXT) Well its subjective really. From a certain viewpoint, both loving someone and being loved will incur a certain degree of similarity in terms of which one being more blessed. The word love, I feel, is too strong to be used in this context as mainly due to the fact that love works both ways. I feel that its impossible to love one-sided due to relative reasons. *drone drone drone*... (zomg potential article)

#7 What was the last song you listened to?
lets see... Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus I guess.

#8 If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
hmmm... Dig out my heart with a knife look at it and put it right back in. (lol random but think of it metaphorically)

#9 Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
well... yes. Aside from the fact that I'm ill, other events that I'm not at pleasure to disclose.

#11 Is being attached fun?
"Fun" sounds wrong...

#12 How do you see yourself in ten years time?
making big bucks off a media company, hopefully not locally and probably a record deal for the FFD and polly a producer.

#13 Who are currently the most important people to you?
My Family and Friends. (no, seriously)

#14 What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Someone who would save up Lunch money just to buy games.

#15 Would you rather be single & rich or married but poor?
subjective to whom I'm married to. If its someone I appreciate, nothing else matters.

#16 What's the first thing you do every morning?
Turn off the Alarm.

#17 Would you give all in a relationship?
Depends on the other party

#18 If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
uh how would I know.

#19 What are your friends usually like?
STARBUCKS (lifted)

#20 What type of friends do you dislike?
I try to socialise with everyone but generally those who don't know their limits.

There, done. What's up with all the weird questions about love anyway. Oh well. Time to get ready for a little work. Will update soon.

Cya'll later.

Tales Of The Past III; What Is Destiny?

I recently discovered an awesome series entitled "Tales of the past" over the Internet. Its based on the World of Warcraft lore and the animation in the movie itself is that of the actual game. Which means the creator of the story uses the actual models from the game and animates them.

Sounds complicated? Wait till you watch the movie itself; its awesome.

There are 3 parts to the series but i highly recommend anyone, or more rather, everyone to watch "Tales of the past III"; the highly anticipated climax to the series.
The video's around 89minutes long, and if you have totally idea whats World of Warcraft, I highly urge that you take a crash course before watching the movie.

For hardcore Warcraft fanatics (such as myself) this video is sure to blow your mind. Not only are the graphics like that of the game play (which has a considerable standard), the storyline, plot and sound actors fit perfectly; its truly a work of brilliance. And if you have no idea whatsoever about the story or characters, be sure to watch part I and II of Tales of the past first, trust me, it'll be worth the time.

The link to the movie and direct download can be found here: http://www.warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=53953
Or alternatively, you can search Youtube (which is a faster way).

*The following contains spoilers (to a certain degree). You might want to watch the video first before reading on.*


From the movie as mentioned above, one is able to derive certain concepts of life aside from marvelling at the awesome cinematic-like graphics or the suiting soundtracks.
I find one aspect of the movie particularly interesting; the issue of Destiny that basically revolves around the entire storyline and plot.

What is Destiny? Can it be classified as "a predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control"? (as cited from dictionary.com) Or is Destiny just God's way of ensuring order in events that takes place in someone's life?
I'm sure that there are many variations of the definition but let us take a step back and think about the possibility of an existence of such a force.

There is no science or logic to Destiny. Its connected to the spirit and the mind rather than solid facts.
We see in the story mentioned above that it is in the "Destiny" of Blazer to be the "Ashbringer" even though the latter opposed the idea of existence to such a thing called Destiny. He believed that he wasn't destined for such a title more rather, he was chanced and forced upon it. Blazer had hope in him and that's why he doubted Destiny.

Destiny, in the modern world, is often used in cases such as love. For instance, people living in totally different worlds with totally different backgrounds may end up together even though it may seem impossible to others. In such cases, I'm pretty sure you've heard of things like "maybe they're destined for one another" or "its destiny that they're together" being said about such scenarios.
Maybe its Destiny, maybe its fate or maybe its just the work of sheer luck; no one really knows.

From a sceptical point of view, it may seem that Destiny doesn't exist and that the events that happen are probably due to chance.
However, just like the existence of ghosts, spirits or the supernatural, there isn't a definite answer. We cannot say for a hundred percent that there's such a thing called Destiny and that we're already predetermined by someone up there that we're meant to be a certain someone or to fit in a certain role (like that in the story).

I personally feel that Destiny doesn't exist. I feel like it isn't predetermined by anyone but yourself. Yes, I believe strongly that you yourself is what controls your life; You forge your own Destiny.
I mean lets look at it this way, if you're "destined" for some reason, that you're to be the next billionaire of your country but you don't do anything at all to achieve that target, will it happen?

I highly doubt so.

A man will be successful in his life, only if he has a driving force or a certain degree of motivation that pushes and spurs him on. Without certain elements, I'm sure that no matter how much "Destiny" one has, he is bound to fail and perhaps that is his Destiny.

So let us work to find our driving force, our hope and faith, and just like Blazer in the movie, we'll be able to overcome all odds and return triumphant at the end of the day.