Blind Sound

So its been over a month (probably over two months but I lost count) since I broke my glasses and have resorted to a combination of wearing contact lenses and squinting and stumbling to get by. Of course, I got a number of criticisms - one person said I was probably just straining my eyes more than I needed to, another said I should start a charitable fund, and someone even gave me a chopstick to tape to the side so that I would have something to hold what was left of my glasses up. Either way,all just flat out said "Dude, get your glasses fixed."

However, there is something different when you can't see. Over this time of barely being able to see 2 feet in front of me, I've gained a new sense of awareness really. No, I'm not like Daredevil and can close my eyes and visualize everything based upon vibrations and sound waves. But I have realized just how sight is a factor among all things. Many times we are focused on what's in our line of sight but when you take that away to some degree you actually "see" more. I've seen my behavior change where my attention and focus has shifted from sight to sound and it has revealed to me a number of things I was not aware of before. When out and about in the city streets it was things no longer "caught my eye" but rather sounds "caught my ear," as awkward as that may seem. Now I'll know the presence of people loitering before I even see them, I'll know when a college student approaches from the vernacular and energy of their voice, I'll know people in a rush by the sound of their feet hitting hte ground. Not to say I haven't been able to decipher such things from sounds before but they've been put more so in the forefront. Another interesting development is that with my sight reduced to a point where I can't clearly see one's face I instead recognize people by other manenrisms, the way they walk, their voice. Strangely enough, I've realized more characteristics of people that were not as obvious when I just focused on them with my eyes.

Trust me, as a guy who tends to realize even the smallest insignificant details, that's saying a lot.

And don't worry, I'm in the works of getting a new pair of glasses.

Goals for 2008 - 2009

a.k.a. For Jeannie (although I already came up with this list long before I nagged her into making her own list upon which she requested my own list out of spite of being forced to write hers..)

1. Musical
   
1. Lessons?
2. Expand musicology knowledge
3. Work on singing lol
4. John Mayer concert?

2. Get back in shape!
1. Running
2. Weight Training
3. Isopure

3. Pray!
1. Improve upon QTs
2. Go to Confession!

4. CIFC/Apprenticeship
1. PRAY on it
   
2. Find source of funding for CCW
   
3. Get in contact with respective individuals
4. See CIFC Meeting minutes/updates from Sharon

5. Style
1. Get a watch (a nice one, scratch that, a cool one!)
2. Shoes
3. Get a Canon Rebel camera

6. Find a job/internship
1. Philadelphia or surrounding area
2. Prepare for internships Fall semester?

7. Educational
1. Personal research on Economics, Chinese, and Computer Science
2. Master Adobe Applications Suite (particularly Dreamweaver and Photoshop)
   
3. Microsoft Works Certification?

There Jeannie.

Ripples in the Water

I consider water to be one of the more interesting things in existence. Scientifically speaking, water is just two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, H2O. Water is considered to be a necessary component for the existence of life. Water is a solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances and used as a base for many types of scientific experiments and measurements.

However, going beyond the existence of a substance, interestingly enough, water may be considered a concept. Water as a liquid has the incredible ability to assume any shape. Put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. Put water into a tea pot it becomes the teapot. It can move in a variety of manners. Water can flow as a river, creep like a spill, drip like a runny faucet. Yet it can also crash as a powerful tsunami. Water can be cold as ice or as hot as fire. Water can save a man from thirst or drown him which ultimately leads to the idea that water may be considered to have no inherent sense of morality - of course, what does (except for God and Satan, Heaven and Hell)?

Probably my sentiments gravitate towards this concept because I find it easily relates to life. Life in itself is many times unpredictable, changing its dynamics and shape much like water going into a cup or water freezing into a block of ice. Life can be a warm sooting bath, or its immenseness can drown us indefinitely. Probably one of the more beautiful things about life is that, like a river, it can flowing laboriously, stretching across vast expanses and even branching into different facets of existence. However, regardless of where they reach, they always make their way back into the ocean, much like how each and every one of us are essentially making our ways to something Greater than ourselves.

Throw a stone into a pond and almost immediately you'll see the surface of the water erupt into chaos. Upon impact, there is a momentary hole within the medium of water but somehow this void miraculously heals itself and the water is restored to a perfect stillness. However, the stone still remains, the composition of what lies beneath the tranquil surface is forever changed.

Change in our lives never really comes without a shaking of the world (whose definition varies for each individual and each individual situation). Everyone at some point or another wishes that change, in some sense, would not occur - we wish to freeze just one moment of life and hold onto it forever. But a still unflowing pond will eventually fester and grow corrupt while a free flowing river will remain clean and clear. And so life must change, it must move on or else we find our lives stale. And so we feel the stones that are thrown into our ponds, and deal with the wounds to our peaceful surface. Life shaking punctures that emanate into these momentary capillary waves.

This blog will be my comments on these ripples in the water.