Monday, April 23, 2018
I've Moved My Blog To An Anonymous Wordpress Blog
Hello. So if you were wondering why I haven't been posting lately, it's because I have actually started a new blog recently. This blog has my name on it, and I wanted to leave my name out of things. Besides, Wordpress also looks a LOT better. Maybe you'll come across my new blog, and thanks for visiting!
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Nightfall by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities, Book #6)
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Middle Grade
Summary:
Sophie is reunited with her human sister, but her human parents have been kidnapped by the Neverseen. In order to save them, Sophie is willing to do almost anything; even if it means trusting the scheming ex-leader of the Neverseen and Keefe's mother: Lady Gisela.
What I Liked:
I'll say it now: I felt this book was rather lacking. It might just be me growing older, but I remember liking the other books in this series better. But even though I felt that this book wasn't as good as the others, it is still a great book. I enjoyed how a lot of the mysteries throughout the series have finally been answered, and the interactions between Sophie and Keefe are funny as usual. Sadly, the list pretty much ends there.
What I Disliked:
There were so many reveals in this book that they started to feel boring. They lack the surprise or suspense that makes us readers so exciting, and some of the reveals are rather predictable. There was also like 5-10 chapters that were so useless that they felt like filler. Sure, the chapters feed you tidbits of new information that is relevant to the plot, but honestly I felt like she could've put it all into one or two chapters. Another thing I felt annoyed by (and this is a problem that I believe can be seen all throughout the series) is the lack of female personality. EVERY SINGLE female character is snarky, snarky, and snarky. Save for a very few characters (that are still snarky but have a different enough personality), every single female character is practically the same. Sure, there are slight differences, but I could see multiple characters reacting the exact same way to a single event. Like even the female adults are snarky, and can be quite immature. There is also another thing I am unhappy about. There is a huge reveal, and don't worry I won't tell you what it is, that I felt shouldn't have happened. It undid (basically) one of the main impacts of the previous book and I feel like that's not what a good story writer does. I don't think a story writer should undo the impact of an event that's already happened in the story, because it sort of means that a part of the story is kind of useless. If you undo a big impact, you undo character development, and I feel like undoing character development is just something that shouldn't be a thing. Unfortunately, I have even more complaints, but since this is a MG book and my complaints don't really hold as much power because of that, I'll keep the rest to myself.
Additional Notes:
I honestly don't know whether the problems listed above have appeared in all of the books in the series or just this book. As I'm reading this series as I'm growing older, my preferences and my knowledge about story telling is constantly growing, so I might only be noticing certain problems in the series now. I'm still looking forward to the seventh book though!
Conclusion:
Even though I wrote so much negatives on the book, it's still a great book, and I enjoyed most of it. It's a happy book (it's MG), so if you've been reading too much depressing, dystopian stories and want something to cheer you up....well this series might help you.
Rating: 7/10
Summary:
Sophie is reunited with her human sister, but her human parents have been kidnapped by the Neverseen. In order to save them, Sophie is willing to do almost anything; even if it means trusting the scheming ex-leader of the Neverseen and Keefe's mother: Lady Gisela.
What I Liked:
I'll say it now: I felt this book was rather lacking. It might just be me growing older, but I remember liking the other books in this series better. But even though I felt that this book wasn't as good as the others, it is still a great book. I enjoyed how a lot of the mysteries throughout the series have finally been answered, and the interactions between Sophie and Keefe are funny as usual. Sadly, the list pretty much ends there.
What I Disliked:
There were so many reveals in this book that they started to feel boring. They lack the surprise or suspense that makes us readers so exciting, and some of the reveals are rather predictable. There was also like 5-10 chapters that were so useless that they felt like filler. Sure, the chapters feed you tidbits of new information that is relevant to the plot, but honestly I felt like she could've put it all into one or two chapters. Another thing I felt annoyed by (and this is a problem that I believe can be seen all throughout the series) is the lack of female personality. EVERY SINGLE female character is snarky, snarky, and snarky. Save for a very few characters (that are still snarky but have a different enough personality), every single female character is practically the same. Sure, there are slight differences, but I could see multiple characters reacting the exact same way to a single event. Like even the female adults are snarky, and can be quite immature. There is also another thing I am unhappy about. There is a huge reveal, and don't worry I won't tell you what it is, that I felt shouldn't have happened. It undid (basically) one of the main impacts of the previous book and I feel like that's not what a good story writer does. I don't think a story writer should undo the impact of an event that's already happened in the story, because it sort of means that a part of the story is kind of useless. If you undo a big impact, you undo character development, and I feel like undoing character development is just something that shouldn't be a thing. Unfortunately, I have even more complaints, but since this is a MG book and my complaints don't really hold as much power because of that, I'll keep the rest to myself.
Additional Notes:
I honestly don't know whether the problems listed above have appeared in all of the books in the series or just this book. As I'm reading this series as I'm growing older, my preferences and my knowledge about story telling is constantly growing, so I might only be noticing certain problems in the series now. I'm still looking forward to the seventh book though!
Conclusion:
Even though I wrote so much negatives on the book, it's still a great book, and I enjoyed most of it. It's a happy book (it's MG), so if you've been reading too much depressing, dystopian stories and want something to cheer you up....well this series might help you.
Rating: 7/10
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (Book 3, Graceling Realm)
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:
The third an final book of the Graceling Realm series serves as a sequel to the first book, and manages to tie up most of the loose ends scattered throughout the first and second books. Bitterblue follows Bitterblue as she struggles to reform the broken kingdom left by her father's reign of terror. As she tries to learn more about her kingdom, she begins to realize that Leck, though dead, is still stirring up trouble, and that in order for her kingdom to heal, she must get to the bottom of a mysterious suppression of knowledge.
What I liked:
It was interesting to learn more about Bitterblue. Throughout the story, she deals with the same problem that Fire dealt with; the problems caused by their dead fathers. Though unlike Katsa and Fire, Bitterblue does not have a special ability or power to help her. Bitterblue's character was enjoyable, although I don't think there was anything that stood out in particular, like Katsa's short-temper.
I liked that Kristin had a different approach for this book, and it also ended up being my favourite in the series. Since Bitterblue didn't have a special power like Katsa and Fire, this book barely had any action at all/ There was also much less romance in this book. Instead of these things, the book had a very intricate mystery woven into it. It was over all really well done in my opinion, and many mysteries about Leck and what he did were unraveled. Unlike Graceling and Fire, Bitterblue didn't feel slow at any part besides the first chapter. The plot never felt too slow or boring and new revelations were happening in each chapter. We also get to see Katsa and Fire in this book, though Fire is now quite old. And yes, they make peace with the Dells. This book also felt more thrilling than the other two books, and though I still can't really identify a climax, I enjoyed this book very much.
Many loose ends are tied up and the ending, though it doesn't make me ask for more, is satisfying. And in some ways it feels better than desperately wanting more of the story to come out. Oh, and her writing style is also really nice.
What I disliked:
I didn't really dislike anything about this book. I mean, it's not a book that is super exciting or a book that leaves you wanting more, and it isn't super good either. But Kristin built a large world in her book and addressed many many problems and mysteries throughout them. So I don't think there is much to dislike about this book, but it's not one of the best books I've read.
Additional Notes:
The plot was very complex and multiple mysteries and things were going on at the same time. Although the rather slow pace made it easily understandable to me, it might be hard to understand for other people.
Final Remarks:
It's very interesting, especially if you want to learn more about King Leck and Bitterblue. Definitely read this if you've read the first two books. Definitely my favourite out of the entire series.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Fire by Kristin Cashore (Book 2, Graceling Realm)
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult
Summary:
The second book of the Graceling Realm series is a prequel to the first book, although barely connected, to my dismay. Fire follows a young woman named Fire as she gets caught up in possibly the biggest war in the history of the Dells and struggles with her father's legacy.
What I liked:
The main character was interesting and both alike and different from Katsa in Book 1. Fire didn't have a short temper and was much less aggressive, both of which Katsa were. They both had a bit against romance, though for very different reasons, and they both fall in love with someone. I liked how Fire changed over the course of the story, because it's interesting to see them learn and change. I really thought this story was very very different from the first book; Katsa didn't really change much over the course of the story but Fire changed a lot, the first book had a lot more action and was more exciting, the second was much slower paced and less physical hardships are endured.
Having read two of Krisitin Cashore's books now, I've realized that her writing style is very different from what I'm used to. The books are much slower paced and less exciting, but I think she tries to put more of an emphasis on emotion or things that make someone who they are, which is probably why I somehow got through the book despite the slow pace. Her books sometimes feel like they're all separate mini stories, but still one big story at the same time, which I didn't think was possible with a book. I guess I'm not used to the writing style.
Like the first book, the descriptions of the environment are frequent and interesting. And we also learn a bit of Leck's past, so that's good too!
What I disliked
The first part of the book was so insanely slow and boring that it took me like two weeks to finish it. I feel like that Kristin somehow took up two hundred or so pages describing a single trip to a castle and back, without any action at all nor any especially interesting interactions between the characters. Although the story probably would've been drier without the first part, as you learn a lot about Fire and her friend Archer, I feel like it should've been faster. At least after the first chunk of the book it got a lot more interesting. I also feel that her books kind of lack a 'climax feeling', and what I mean is that although there is definitely a climax in the books, it doesn't feel like there is, probably because her books sometimes feel like a big story with multiple mini side stories happening at the same time, where the side stories merge with the big plot and then separate again...I don't know how to explain it better than that.
Additional Notes:
None.
Final Remarks:
It's pretty good, as long as you don't mind slow-paced stories. I really got caught up after the first chunk of the book, because it became really interesting, and in the places where nothing in the main plot was happening much, you learn about other characters through mini side stories that don't feel like they are out of place. I think I liked this book, even though I was hoping Katsa and Po would be in it.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Summary:
The second book of the Graceling Realm series is a prequel to the first book, although barely connected, to my dismay. Fire follows a young woman named Fire as she gets caught up in possibly the biggest war in the history of the Dells and struggles with her father's legacy.
What I liked:
The main character was interesting and both alike and different from Katsa in Book 1. Fire didn't have a short temper and was much less aggressive, both of which Katsa were. They both had a bit against romance, though for very different reasons, and they both fall in love with someone. I liked how Fire changed over the course of the story, because it's interesting to see them learn and change. I really thought this story was very very different from the first book; Katsa didn't really change much over the course of the story but Fire changed a lot, the first book had a lot more action and was more exciting, the second was much slower paced and less physical hardships are endured.
Having read two of Krisitin Cashore's books now, I've realized that her writing style is very different from what I'm used to. The books are much slower paced and less exciting, but I think she tries to put more of an emphasis on emotion or things that make someone who they are, which is probably why I somehow got through the book despite the slow pace. Her books sometimes feel like they're all separate mini stories, but still one big story at the same time, which I didn't think was possible with a book. I guess I'm not used to the writing style.
Like the first book, the descriptions of the environment are frequent and interesting. And we also learn a bit of Leck's past, so that's good too!
What I disliked
The first part of the book was so insanely slow and boring that it took me like two weeks to finish it. I feel like that Kristin somehow took up two hundred or so pages describing a single trip to a castle and back, without any action at all nor any especially interesting interactions between the characters. Although the story probably would've been drier without the first part, as you learn a lot about Fire and her friend Archer, I feel like it should've been faster. At least after the first chunk of the book it got a lot more interesting. I also feel that her books kind of lack a 'climax feeling', and what I mean is that although there is definitely a climax in the books, it doesn't feel like there is, probably because her books sometimes feel like a big story with multiple mini side stories happening at the same time, where the side stories merge with the big plot and then separate again...I don't know how to explain it better than that.
None.
Final Remarks:
It's pretty good, as long as you don't mind slow-paced stories. I really got caught up after the first chunk of the book, because it became really interesting, and in the places where nothing in the main plot was happening much, you learn about other characters through mini side stories that don't feel like they are out of place. I think I liked this book, even though I was hoping Katsa and Po would be in it.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Monday, September 11, 2017
Short Story: His hands shook as he tried to untie it
Writing Prompt: His hands shook as he tried to untie it.
His hands shook as he tried to untie it. It was a red, small rope whose length was shortening each and every second. It was the red string of fate that he was trying to untie. The string was what connected people to each other, events to each other. And in his case, it was the source of his happiness and also unimaginable pain. This is why he was trying to untie the string of fate; the two things that that it connected were things that he never wanted.
Sweat beaded on his brow as he pulled at loops with his slippery fingers and cracked nails. His breathing was labored; he had been at this for an hour now. But he had to untie the remaining knots in the next three minutes, or else his family would die yet again. He'd gone too far to fail here, committing acts forbidden to human kind. No man was meant to be able to traverse time, nor look upon the ropes that were the essence of the world. Much less change them.
There were ten seconds left. He was upon the last knot, an easily untied butterfly knot. As he looks at the knot, he realizes that there will be consequences. Something fundamental will change, because fate will have been tampered with.
Like a butterfly flapping it's wings over the ocean and ends up causing a devastating hurricane, unraveling this knot will likely bring great harm.
But the man doesn't even hesitate as he unties fate, because love is scary like that.
I look at the black and smoky ball that was once green and blue. Nobody can explain why or how it happened, and I'm all alone now. But I guess this was bound to happen some day. Yes, I needn't feel grief. It was going to happen sooner or later.
As long as love existed.
I enjoy writing short stories because I like putting my thoughts into words. I'm better with writing than I am with speech. But just plain putting it into words isn't as fun or appealing as putting it into a story. Short stories are a lot easier to write than long stories, because in short stories you don't have to worry as much about characters and development. In a long story, you need multiple events and you probably want the characters or plot to grow through these events. In a short story though, you only need to write about one event and it's resolution. I enjoy writing stories both short and long and I also love to read as well.
His hands shook as he tried to untie it. It was a red, small rope whose length was shortening each and every second. It was the red string of fate that he was trying to untie. The string was what connected people to each other, events to each other. And in his case, it was the source of his happiness and also unimaginable pain. This is why he was trying to untie the string of fate; the two things that that it connected were things that he never wanted.
Sweat beaded on his brow as he pulled at loops with his slippery fingers and cracked nails. His breathing was labored; he had been at this for an hour now. But he had to untie the remaining knots in the next three minutes, or else his family would die yet again. He'd gone too far to fail here, committing acts forbidden to human kind. No man was meant to be able to traverse time, nor look upon the ropes that were the essence of the world. Much less change them.
There were ten seconds left. He was upon the last knot, an easily untied butterfly knot. As he looks at the knot, he realizes that there will be consequences. Something fundamental will change, because fate will have been tampered with.
Like a butterfly flapping it's wings over the ocean and ends up causing a devastating hurricane, unraveling this knot will likely bring great harm.
But the man doesn't even hesitate as he unties fate, because love is scary like that.
* * *
I look at the black and smoky ball that was once green and blue. Nobody can explain why or how it happened, and I'm all alone now. But I guess this was bound to happen some day. Yes, I needn't feel grief. It was going to happen sooner or later.
As long as love existed.
I enjoy writing short stories because I like putting my thoughts into words. I'm better with writing than I am with speech. But just plain putting it into words isn't as fun or appealing as putting it into a story. Short stories are a lot easier to write than long stories, because in short stories you don't have to worry as much about characters and development. In a long story, you need multiple events and you probably want the characters or plot to grow through these events. In a short story though, you only need to write about one event and it's resolution. I enjoy writing stories both short and long and I also love to read as well.
Thursday, September 07, 2017
What is a Perfect World?
I recently was asked to describe my version of a perfect world. I did a bit of thinking, and I came to the conclusion that the world we are in is already the perfect world, at least for me, and for you if I manage to convince you.
If you could change the world in an instant and permanent way (impossible, but just imagine), how would you change it? Would you create world peace? Would you make it so that there is no death? Would you make everyone become kind people? These things might seem noble and great at first, but after a bit of thinking is done it becomes apparent that if these things ever happened, I don't think many people will enjoy them. Do you want world peace? As far as I know, the only way to do that is to take away the free will of humans. No wars means no conflicts. No conflicts means no disagreements. No disagreements means there is probably a set list of things everyone has to agree on, and therefore no free will. How about no death? Well, I think living forever is worse than death. Life is great, sure, but it's also tough and painful. Besides, there are things only death can relieve. Death is a kindness in it's own way.
As for making everyone kind, I actually do not see any consequences for this, but kindness, in many cases, is only kindness for one person. If you sacrifice something of your own to help someone, sure it's being kind to someone, but you're not being kind to yourself. If two people ask for something you only have one of, at least one of them will not receive anything. Also, assuming that permanently making people kind is taking away their free will, is making everyone kind a kind act in itself? And kindness isn't a set list of things you have to do. Kindness can mean different things for each person. If you make everyone 'kind' how do you know everyone is truly 'kind'?
How about changing the world so that there is no poverty or so that everyone is happy all the time? I'll admit, I was about to end this post right here and then I panicked when I thought of these two idealistic things that people may wish for. But I thought a bit again, and I don't think these two are very good either. Eliminating poverty from the world forever? If this happens, money will literally have no value. If you have even a dollar more than everyone else, then everyone else is technically poor. So you cannot sell things for money nor can you buy things with money because the second you do that someone will have more money than someone else. Not only money, but everyone would also have to have the exact same possessions as one another, and perhaps even knowledge, appearance and identity depending on how far your definition of poverty goes. Happiness is good and all, but I would hate not to feel any other emotions. Imagine if you couldn't be sad or angry or disgusted. Emotions are an important thing to us, and they shouldn't be taken away, ever.
I think way too much about this stuff.
Anyways, my version of a perfect world wouldn't be any different from this current world. And since I believe in God, I don't think he would create a faulty world for us either. Living in this world might be tough at times, but living through tough times only makes you smarter and stronger, and it helps you to grow. Looking back, I love that I can experience all these emotions, even if they symbolize pain in my life. I love that people have different opinions than I do, even if I completely disagree with them or I detest their ideas. I love that I was born into this world so that I can live a full life. Thank you for reading this, if you have anything to say, please comment! Have a good day!
If you could change the world in an instant and permanent way (impossible, but just imagine), how would you change it? Would you create world peace? Would you make it so that there is no death? Would you make everyone become kind people? These things might seem noble and great at first, but after a bit of thinking is done it becomes apparent that if these things ever happened, I don't think many people will enjoy them. Do you want world peace? As far as I know, the only way to do that is to take away the free will of humans. No wars means no conflicts. No conflicts means no disagreements. No disagreements means there is probably a set list of things everyone has to agree on, and therefore no free will. How about no death? Well, I think living forever is worse than death. Life is great, sure, but it's also tough and painful. Besides, there are things only death can relieve. Death is a kindness in it's own way.
As for making everyone kind, I actually do not see any consequences for this, but kindness, in many cases, is only kindness for one person. If you sacrifice something of your own to help someone, sure it's being kind to someone, but you're not being kind to yourself. If two people ask for something you only have one of, at least one of them will not receive anything. Also, assuming that permanently making people kind is taking away their free will, is making everyone kind a kind act in itself? And kindness isn't a set list of things you have to do. Kindness can mean different things for each person. If you make everyone 'kind' how do you know everyone is truly 'kind'?
How about changing the world so that there is no poverty or so that everyone is happy all the time? I'll admit, I was about to end this post right here and then I panicked when I thought of these two idealistic things that people may wish for. But I thought a bit again, and I don't think these two are very good either. Eliminating poverty from the world forever? If this happens, money will literally have no value. If you have even a dollar more than everyone else, then everyone else is technically poor. So you cannot sell things for money nor can you buy things with money because the second you do that someone will have more money than someone else. Not only money, but everyone would also have to have the exact same possessions as one another, and perhaps even knowledge, appearance and identity depending on how far your definition of poverty goes. Happiness is good and all, but I would hate not to feel any other emotions. Imagine if you couldn't be sad or angry or disgusted. Emotions are an important thing to us, and they shouldn't be taken away, ever.
I think way too much about this stuff.
Anyways, my version of a perfect world wouldn't be any different from this current world. And since I believe in God, I don't think he would create a faulty world for us either. Living in this world might be tough at times, but living through tough times only makes you smarter and stronger, and it helps you to grow. Looking back, I love that I can experience all these emotions, even if they symbolize pain in my life. I love that people have different opinions than I do, even if I completely disagree with them or I detest their ideas. I love that I was born into this world so that I can live a full life. Thank you for reading this, if you have anything to say, please comment! Have a good day!
Tuesday, September 05, 2017
I Write To My Future Self
Writing Prompt: Write a letter to yourself at graduation!
Hello, graduating Joseph (June ??, 2022),
How are you today? I will bet that you are not wearing something proper for graduation. In fact, you might be wearing your everyday t-shirt. If you are, good job, I approve of your bravery. If you aren't it's okay, at least you don't stick out.
You will probably read this way after you graduate, since you don't tend to remember little things like this. I will tell you about my life right now, because why not? Today is the first day of your grade eight school year, and you got to meet your friends again. You also made yourself some goals to complete in the school year, such as giving out a compliment daily and being less inclined to argue. I hope you accomplished them! Right now, I like reading books. I am actually currently reading War and Peace, and although it isn't the most interesting book it's not too bad. I also enjoy poetry(there's a lot on this blog), playing video games and watching anime. I hope you are more calm and reserved than I am now, sometimes I am too loud and talkative.
I'm 90% sure that you still like writing stuff so I hope you at least become a part-time author. I'm not sure exactly what I want to be when I grow up, but maybe you do. Whatever you do though, just make sure you make enough money for your mom to be comfortable. Work hard, don't play too much games, and be a nice person. Be humble and listen to other people's ideas.
In a normal letter, I would ask questions, but it's not like you can write back to me and answer them. Sure, you can post a letter on this blog replying to this letter when you graduate, but I'll never get to see it. When you read this, or rather, if you read this, we will no longer be the same person. So you don't need to feel nostalgic or wish to come back to this time in life...that's like wishing you could switch lives with another person. I'm not exactly sure what kind of person you are, but you have a lot to look forward to, you can do it!
Sincerely,
Joseph (September 5th, 2017)
Hello, graduating Joseph (June ??, 2022),
How are you today? I will bet that you are not wearing something proper for graduation. In fact, you might be wearing your everyday t-shirt. If you are, good job, I approve of your bravery. If you aren't it's okay, at least you don't stick out.
You will probably read this way after you graduate, since you don't tend to remember little things like this. I will tell you about my life right now, because why not? Today is the first day of your grade eight school year, and you got to meet your friends again. You also made yourself some goals to complete in the school year, such as giving out a compliment daily and being less inclined to argue. I hope you accomplished them! Right now, I like reading books. I am actually currently reading War and Peace, and although it isn't the most interesting book it's not too bad. I also enjoy poetry(there's a lot on this blog), playing video games and watching anime. I hope you are more calm and reserved than I am now, sometimes I am too loud and talkative.
I'm 90% sure that you still like writing stuff so I hope you at least become a part-time author. I'm not sure exactly what I want to be when I grow up, but maybe you do. Whatever you do though, just make sure you make enough money for your mom to be comfortable. Work hard, don't play too much games, and be a nice person. Be humble and listen to other people's ideas.
In a normal letter, I would ask questions, but it's not like you can write back to me and answer them. Sure, you can post a letter on this blog replying to this letter when you graduate, but I'll never get to see it. When you read this, or rather, if you read this, we will no longer be the same person. So you don't need to feel nostalgic or wish to come back to this time in life...that's like wishing you could switch lives with another person. I'm not exactly sure what kind of person you are, but you have a lot to look forward to, you can do it!
Sincerely,
Joseph (September 5th, 2017)
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Poem: Between the Mountains
Between the mountains row by row,
The frosty winds of winter blow.
Crystals dance in cloudy skies,
Never known to any eyes.
Beneath the mountains high and steep,
A dragon snores in prolonged sleep.
Hidden in caves no man can find,
Dragon's just myth, in mortal mind.
Atop the mountains far abound,
None but wind let out a sound.
All is buried beneath painful white,
Shining bright in the dim moonlight.
Between the mountains proud and haughty,
Is an evergreen forest within a deep valley.
Where freezing winds cannot flow,
Where lighthearted is the snow.
There is much between the mountains,
Where men care not to go.
There is much between the mountains,
That we will never know.
The frosty winds of winter blow.
Crystals dance in cloudy skies,
Never known to any eyes.
Beneath the mountains high and steep,
A dragon snores in prolonged sleep.
Hidden in caves no man can find,
Dragon's just myth, in mortal mind.
Atop the mountains far abound,
None but wind let out a sound.
All is buried beneath painful white,
Shining bright in the dim moonlight.
Between the mountains proud and haughty,
Is an evergreen forest within a deep valley.
Where freezing winds cannot flow,
Where lighthearted is the snow.
There is much between the mountains,
Where men care not to go.
There is much between the mountains,
That we will never know.
Friday, August 18, 2017
Cars Should Go Before Pedestrians
Sometimes when I go jogging in my little suburban neighborhood, I cross paths with a car on the road. A lot of the times, the car decides to wait for me to cross the road before they go, and motion for me to cross first. I always refuse the offer and wait for them to go first, because that would be easier for the car. A car moves faster than a human who is just walking(or jogging), and so the time I would wait if the car went before me is less than the time the car would wait if I went first. Now if a car waits for me to cross, I just walk around the back of the car. Of course on bigger streets or maybe in a more urban area this would be different, but I think the car should always go before the pedestrian. I also don't know why I'm writing this. Have a good day!
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Thoughts About Time
Recently I read The Book of Time: The Secrets of Time, How It Works and How We Measure It by Adam Hart-Davis. It was an interesting non-fiction book about time, and was very thought provoking at times. In the beginning of the book, it talks about what time is, and explores many theories.
Some people thought that time was an absolute, constant and unending thing that would continue no matter what, while others believed that time was dependant on movement. For example, if time was absolute and unending, if every single thing in the world suddenly stopped moving for a hundred years, a hundred years would still pass. But if time was dependant on movement, if everything stopped moving, time would stop moving as well, and no time would pass. Nowadays, based on new information and studies, most of us believe that time is dependant on movement, and that time moves faster when you are in motion.
There were also other theories about time, especially what the meaning of 'Now' is. Is it a knife edge sliding along the unending line of time? Or maybe 'Now' is something that flows in and fades out? Or, the theory that interests me the most, maybe time doesn't exist at all and we're just imagining everything? You might be thinking, 'What do you mean, of course there's time! We see it happening right before our eyes!'.
But people who don't think time is a thing might tell you this: nothing ever happened in the past, because when the thing happened it was in the present. Since nothing happened in the past, the past technically doesn't exist. Same with the future; nothing happens in the future because when it happens it's no longer the future, but instead the present. The present technically doesn't exist because whenever something happens, it stops happening immediately as it starts, because everything is constantly changing and the present is something that's infinitely small, so small that it doesn't exist.
There were also a thought experiment proposed by a philosopher named Zeno that was against the existence of time, called the Paradox of the Arrow. This is what he proposed.
Some people thought that time was an absolute, constant and unending thing that would continue no matter what, while others believed that time was dependant on movement. For example, if time was absolute and unending, if every single thing in the world suddenly stopped moving for a hundred years, a hundred years would still pass. But if time was dependant on movement, if everything stopped moving, time would stop moving as well, and no time would pass. Nowadays, based on new information and studies, most of us believe that time is dependant on movement, and that time moves faster when you are in motion.
There were also other theories about time, especially what the meaning of 'Now' is. Is it a knife edge sliding along the unending line of time? Or maybe 'Now' is something that flows in and fades out? Or, the theory that interests me the most, maybe time doesn't exist at all and we're just imagining everything? You might be thinking, 'What do you mean, of course there's time! We see it happening right before our eyes!'.
But people who don't think time is a thing might tell you this: nothing ever happened in the past, because when the thing happened it was in the present. Since nothing happened in the past, the past technically doesn't exist. Same with the future; nothing happens in the future because when it happens it's no longer the future, but instead the present. The present technically doesn't exist because whenever something happens, it stops happening immediately as it starts, because everything is constantly changing and the present is something that's infinitely small, so small that it doesn't exist.
There were also a thought experiment proposed by a philosopher named Zeno that was against the existence of time, called the Paradox of the Arrow. This is what he proposed.
- Time is composed only of instants.
- At any single instant, an apparently moving arrow doesn't travel any distance, i.e. the arrow is at rest during every instant.
- That means that the arrow is at rest for the entire time period.
- Therefore, the arrow cannot be moving at all.
People have proposed solutions to this, but I won't talk about those right now. The point is, Zeno thought that the idea of time - and motion - were all illusions and not real. He also proposed another paradox, Achilles and the Tortoise, and you can go search that up if you want to.
Personally, I think that time is real and dependant on motion, like a lot of people. About the idea of the present, past and future, I like to think of all of them like one blob, and inside the blob are all the events that have happened, all the events that could've happened, and all the events that might happen. As for the present, I think that that is just the state of one little events turning from a possibility into history. There are an infinite amount of events inside the blob and an infinite events turn from possibility into history every second. I don't really get why I think about time like that but I just do. Time is overall a really cool thing, and nobody really even knows what it is. I'm not even sure why I wrote this. Anyways, there's a lot more stuff to be said about time, but I'm going to end my little blurb here. Have a good day!
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