V-Day

It's the fourteenth of February, or Valentine's Day. Couples celebrate with roses and chocolates, single people celebrate with.. other single people. A martyr's death has now become a commercial holiday. It's kind of ironic how life works out.

Love? What is love? Hmm.. Baby, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me no more.



Growing up watching Disney classics like Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast (everyone saw it), Robin Hood, Fox and the Hound, Mulan, Hercules, Tarzan, and a bunch more skewed my perception of love. The hero saves the day and ends it with his love.

After the invention of the printing press and the start of globalization, love has become universal. Filled with Hallmark cards, smelly carnations, boxes of chocolate, and teddy bears V-Day has become more materialistic than once was centuries ago. Sure, it doesn't hurt to commemorate love on a universal holiday, but "love" has filled the air. Millions of guys everywhere book reservations
at restaurants they can barely afford and eat "romantic" food. This day has become more predictable than Jersey Shore.

I applaud those who celebrate love in its entirety. The notion that loving and living with someone for the rest of your life is pretty scary. There's so many things that can complicate the situation. The divorce rate seems to be getting better, but how? I grew up thinking that I would eventually find that someone to live with. It's a bit overwhelming thinking about it all at once. Woo-sah.



Right now, I'm not waiting or hoping or searching. I'm caught in a current and the flow feels comforting. I've been going downstream and reached a calmer part of the stream. I look back and see someone in the distance. Someone who oddly reminds me of myself when I was naive. Maybe, I'm still a little naive for thinking so, but it is what is. It seems like hundreds of miles between us, but somehow we're still close to each other. I shout, no one hears. I whisper, I'm heard. Irony and fate exist as the yin and the yang in this trance.



So far in 2011, so good in heaven. I'm thankful for the warmest day of the year up to this point. I wonder if I'm going to remember this year's Valentine's Day. Maybe, probably. I was originally going to rip apart then glue together the misconceived notion of commercialized love. At this point, I don't care because I've got a lot of work to do. Graduation is so close.

Wiz Khalifa - The Angel Is Mine Till I'm Gone (2010)

Road Trip

I am always going to remember my random trip to Panama City Beach, FL with Derek and Amy.

On the drive, there was a lot of snow and rain, forests, unlit roads, and emptiness. It was also in the middle of the night which made it scarier. We almost got driven off the road by a truck, but luckily I'm here writing to share about my experience. Going through the southern states opened up a different perspective of the country.

There are many poor neighborhoods in the South. Within those towns are abandoned houses, dead farms, and luxurious McDonald's. It really didn't make sense that poor places are being invaded by giant golden arches. Capitalism has reached beyond the reaches of suburbia and have invaded the slums in Alabama. The inexpensive goodies have made the Bible belt one of the largest regions in America while profiting the 1% who will never meet nor care about their customers. It was pretty bad.

Once in Florida, we looked and looked for a hotel. The most economical option was 7 miles outside of the town, but the hotel was very comfortable. We went to get oysters and gator balls during dinner. The raw oysters were very delicious, the gator balls were the exact opposite. Super salty. Afterwards, we went to the beach. It was nighttime and the stars were shining bright. Derek was an idiot and decided to go in the water with his shoes on. Bad choice. The nightlife in PCB seems very fun. Even though it was the offseason, there were a lot of people at Club La Vela - the "largest club in the world". Before going back to the hotel we took advantage of the 50 chicken mcnuggets for $10.99. That's how people get fat.

In the morning, we packed and got ready to leave. We spent the rest of the day at the beach. The weather was sunny and 60 degrees. It felt like a mini-summer. We appreciated not being in a blizzard or subzero degree weather.

The view was magnificent. I feel like I went through an epiphany. I stared down the horizon into the vast Gulf of Mexico. Only clouds and seagulls broke my concentration. The sunshine radiated and sweat started to drip. I looked up in the sky and felt like the world was spinning (in a good way). I realized how small we are compared to the rest of the world and the universe. Then and there I appreciated the beauty of nature. Big Bang theory or Intelligent Design don't matter. There is existence that has to be accepted as truth. The reasoning may never be realized. Humans have pondered the reasoning behind how and why we exist. In the end, it just becomes a testament of faith. Things are the way they are. No questions asked.

DJ play that song!

These are some songs that have been stuck in my head for the last month and haven't gotten around to updating this blog.

Hello - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
I'm really digging this song!
How U Do That - B.o.B
Whoops, number 2 on my playlist
Watch the Sun Come Up (Devil's Gun Zeitgeist Remix) - Example
Hey! Good Morning!
They Were Here (ft. Imogen Heap) - Jasper Kid
Using a sample from 'Hide & Seek', the song is pretty much a random song using Imogen Heap's voice.
Peter Pan Complex - Dumbfoundead
The Lily Allen remix features a catchy song from the booming artist from LA.
Truth (ft. Passion Pit) - Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang throwback from the Swelly Express
Folds In Your Hands - Passion Pit
It's one of those 'I can rage or chill to this song'
Sign Language (ft. Wynter Garden) - Kinetics & One Love
Reminds me of Immortal Technique's Dance With The Devil, this Brooklyn duo recreates the lyrical modern tragedy.
The Fight - Truth Himself
Not as good as Eminem, but for being an unsigned rapper I think it sounds pretty good.
Make Noise - AudioDax
A 'Go Happy' Song
Constellations - Jack Johnson
I'm a big fan of Jack Johnson. Throwback
Broken Stereo - Sean Fournier
If that last song was too slow, then this one's for you.
We're Done - Wiz Khalifa
Can't stop listening to it.
Goodbye - Sean Fournier
Heard it on GMAD's Cram Session. Pretty catch song

Check out some art or some food. An update on my random Florida road trip is coming up.