Four pages a day

I’m on a relatively long break and felt like reading a good fantasy book after concluding the Night Watch trilogy and sequel. I didn’t have any pending fantasy books (gasp!), though I do have a few contemporary fiction to finish, but I just didn’t feel like reading them yet. I decided to re-read a favourite of mine (no, not Lord of The Rings, although it's one of my favourites) but Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series. I also read the Valdemar companion book I bought a few years back. It was fun reading about how Lackey came up with the concept of Valdemar and its Heralds. The book also included an interview with the author and one excerpt stood out for me:

“The only way to become a writer is to write. Don’t talk about it; glue your behind to the chair and write, at least four pages every day, even if you end up throwing them out. If you can’t make that time, you aren’t a writer. You have to motivate yourself; no one else can do that for you. If you can’t do that, you are never going to be a writer. Write until you’ve finished a book, then send it out and write another one. And keep doing it until somebody buys one. It’s just that simple.”

Can I Have This Dance

Can I have this dance
Composer: Adam Anders
Performed by: Vanessa Hudgens & Zac Efron

Take my hand, take a breath
Pull me close and take one step
Keep your eyes locked on mine,
And let the music be your guide.

Won't you promise me (now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget)
We'll keep dancing (to keep dancing) wherever we go next

(chorus)
It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance

Take my hand, I'll take the lead
And every turn will be safe with me
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall
You know I'll catch you through it all

And you can't keep us apart (even a thousand miles, can't keep us apart)
'Cause my heart is (cause my heart is) wherever you are

(chorus)
It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance

Oh no mountains too high enough, oceans too wide
'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop
Let it rain, let it pour
What we have is worth fighting for
You know I believe, that we were meant to be

(chorus)
It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you (like you)
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do (way we do)
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance

Can I have this dance
Can I have this dance

[http://www.lyricsmania.com/]

Deep end

There are only two reasons you could be given a particularly tough yet juicy assignment. It’s either you’ve reached THE level you’ve always aspired to, or you’re just a baby that’s being thrown to the deep end of the pool.

Disenchantment

"The big damage of the nostalgia...is that it dries out the energy for meaningful change." - Bulgarian sociologist Vladimir Shopov in the online portal BG History.

Light and Dark

“Why would you take such great risk for me?” I whispered, not expecting any answer, but he did answer:
“Because love is also a power. A great power, and it should not be disdained.”

- Quote from The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko.


While I like the quote, don’t let it fool you into thinking it’s about a love story. The quote is taken from the second volume of The Night Watch trilogy which constantly explores the debate of good and bad, light and dark. It questions your faith in humanity and makes you doubt your moral compass.

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice

Ever heard of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice? According to Greek mythology, Orpheus and Eurydice were a happy couple but tragedy struck on their wedding day when Eurydice died after being bitten by a poisonous snake. Unable to bear his grief at losing Eurydice, Orpheus decided to go to the Underworld to ask for Eurydice’s return to the world above from Hades. One couldn’t simple walk into the Underworld what with the river Styx to cross and the three-headed canine Cerberus to deal with, but due to his skill in playing the lute, Orpheus succeeded in reaching Hades. After imploring to the king of the Underworld, Hades finally agrees. He told Orpheus to return to the world of the living and that Eurydice would be following him from behind. He told Orpheus not to look behind as he left the Underworld, or Eurydice will be lost to him. Orpheus agreed and began to leave the Underworld. He could hear Eurydice following him from behind and his heart leapt. Then doubt stirred in his mind as he wondered if Eurydice would still look the same, perhaps she might look pale and wan instead. In a moment of carelessness, he looked behind and like Hades said, Eurydice was lost to him. He returned alone to the world of living and spent his days in sorrow. When he died however, he was reunited with Eurydice and together they lived happily in the Elysian fields of the Underworld.

The story doesn’t quite relate to my situation; it has a myriad of lessons ranging from how you should not meddle in the will of the gods to if you truly love someone, looks shouldn’t matter and all that, but I would always remember it whenever I feel like going back (to the past). One should never forget the past but neither should one dwell on it. One should keep moving forward and not look back, like Orpheus did.

たいせす な きおく

First an old colleague rekindled old memories when he asked about futsal. Then Geocities had to close down. I had known about it for a few months already but I only saved my files a last week. I would usually save my entries into a text file on my PC before uploading, so I thought I had already backed up all my files. But no, when I checked I discovered I didn’t have some of the earlier ones. So I quickly raced against time to save the files, or so I thought. When I checked on October 26th, Geocities was still up. It only closed around the 27th or 28th, I think. Maybe they were giving people time to say goodbye to what was most probably their first websites.
It was mine too. Looking through the old entries again, there were good and not-so-good times but I realised that those were precious memories nonetheless, and I couldn’t bear if I had lost them forever. Some memories are priceless but sometimes your mind forgets them anyways. Of course you haven't completely forgotten those memories, but it would take a while for something to trigger those memories again and who knows when that may be. When you've written them down, you can revisit them anytime you want. I’m glad I had the foresight to write about them. Even so, reading what happened the last few years, unleashed a flood of happy moments, which unfortunately, outshines the present.