Quotable Quotes

"We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth. At least the truth that is given us to understand." - Pablo Picasso

I have never been a fan of Pablo Picasso in most cases, but I believed that most of his ideas stand true. How much do we really know? Where do we get that what we do know? That is the question that begs us each to search our own hearts and rely on past experiences to find the answer. My art teacher once said that all people approach art differently based upon there past experiences.
For example:

I take one look at this picture and see that it is a man who is, perhaps, playing a guitar to mourn the loss of a good friend. It expresses sorrow through the colors. Another person might have a different perspective, such as an old man who has a deep love for playing his guitar at twilight. The painting is deep and causes us to look inside ourselves for an answer to what we feel. Yet, the subject of the picture is not real; it is not truth. It is a lie conjured up by paint and a brush. However, the lie, in all honesty, is a way for the viewer to deal with emotions that they may have not ever been able to deal with before. I believe that a similar concept lies in places all around us. The Ancient Egyptians coined the concept in one of their songs that all of the universe was a dream and we were one day to wake up. How much can we learn from that dream that will cause us to understand the emotions inside of us and improve ourselves?

Espanol

I've recently become obsessed with Spanish. It's such a great language and, while it sounds a little rough around the edges, it can sound really beautiful.

Here is are the lyrics of a song that I recently heard. The translation is below. It's called: Gracias a la vida (thanks to life).

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me dio dos luceros, que cuando los abro,
Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado
Y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado el oído que en todo su ancho
Graba noche y día, grillos y canarios,
Martillos, turbinas, ladridos, chubascos,
Y la voz tan tierna de mi bien amado

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario;
Con el las palabras que pienso y declaro:
Madre, amigo, hermano, y luz alumbrando
La ruta del alma del que estoy amando

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados;
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos,
Playas y desiertos, montañas y llanos,
Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me dio el corazón que agita su marco
Cuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano,
Cuando miro al bueno tan lejos del malo,
Cuando miro al fondo de tus ojos claros

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la risa y me ha dado el llanto
Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto,
Los dos materiales que forman mi canto,
Y el canto de ustedes que es mi mismo canto,
Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

THANKS TO THE LIFE THAT HAS GIVEN ME SO MUCH
IT GAVE ME TWO BRIGHT STARS AND WHEN I OPEN THEN
I DISTINGUISH PERFECTLY THE BLACK FROM THE WHITE
AND IN the high sky its starred bottom
AND INT THE CROWD THE MAN I LOVE

THANKS TO THE LIFE THAT HAS GIVEN ME SO MUCH
IT GAVE ME THE EARING IN ALL ITS WIDE
IT RECORD NIGHT AND DAY, CRICKETS AND CANARIES
HAMMERS, TURBINES, BARRKS, AND SHOWERS
AND MY LOVER'S TENDER VOICE

THANKS TO THE LIFE THAT HAS GIVEN ME SO MUCH
IT GAVE ME THE SOUND AND THE ALPHABET
WITH IT THE WORDS I'M THINKING AND I DECLARING
MOTHER, FRIEND, BROTHER AND A LIGHT ILLUMINATING
THE WAY TO THE SOUL OF MY LOVER

THANKS TO THE LIFE THAT HAS ME SO MUCH
IT HAS GIVEN ME THE STRENGTH TO MY TIRED FEET
WITH THEM I WALKED CITIES AND PUDDLES
BEACHES AND DESSERTS, MOUNTAINS AND PLANES
AND YOUR HOUSE, YOUR STREET AND YOUR COURTYARD

THANKS TO THE LIFE THAT HAS GIVEN ME SO MUCH
I GAVE MY BEATING HEART
WHEN I LOOK THE FRUIT OF THE HUMANE BRAIN
WHEN I LOOK THE GOOD SO FAR FROM THE BAD
WHEN I LOOK INSIDE YOUR CLEAR EYES

THANKS TO THE LIFE THAT HAS GIVEN ME SO MUCH
IT GAVE THE LAUGHTER AND THE CRIYING
SO I CAN DISTINGUISH HAPPINESS FROM SADNESS
BOTH MATERIALS THAT FORMS MY SONG
AND YOUR SONG THAT IS MINE TOO
AND THE SONG OF ALL WHICH IS MY OWN SONG
THANKS TO THE LIFE THAT HAS GIVEN ME SO MUCH

When Pigs Read- The Autobiography of Paige Piglet

When Pigs Read!- the autobiograghy of Paige Piglet on Storybird

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Quotable Quotes

Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now.- Christopher Paolini

The Joy of Books

Quotable Quotes

After great pain, a formal feeling comes. The Nerves sit ceremonious, like tombs.
Emily Dickinson

Whew finished with exams. Where's the nearest pillow? 

Stop S.O.P.A.

The senate will vote on SOPA Tuesday, January 24th.

SOPA stands to break the machinery of the internet by ruining the DNS system. That’s bad enough. But SOPA is also a censorship schema similar to those used by Iran, Syria, and China.

Why would Congress approve a bad bill? Because several senators are being paid bymedia corporations to make SOPA law.

To stop them, we need 41 senators to block the vote. That’s doable.

But you have to actually DO something.

Action 1: ask your senate representative to vote down the bill. Here’s how.

Action 2: petition congress. Here’s the automated form.

To be clear: this will pass unless we get senators to block it or threaten to not support the re-election of those who do.

Make 2012 the year you busted a bad bill and took back just a bit of power.

The Tree of Ages- Yet another story written by myself

The Tree of Ages on Storybird

Quote of the.... Month?- December

Dreams don't have deadlines. I'm thinking of doing bigger and better things and having more fun with it.
LL Cool J


Lately, I've been thinking about what I am going to do with my life. Deep down I know that I won't be happy in an office or a factory. I can't imagine doing the same thing everyday. That is why these questions have come to mind. What I truly wish to do is write, but can I truly gain an income doing so? Dreams cannot always become a reality. Everything is not a Cinderella story in which you wish upon a star. I wish to share my stories and to help people find their way in this long path that we call life. Yet, how can I do it? I wish to do something that I can enjoy and I pray that my dream that does not have a deadline will become a reality. 

The Hunger Games Trailer and The Potter Games

 

The Harry Potter Mash Up is hilarious. Great job to whoever made it. 

A Book of a Thousand Days- Shannon Hale

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, the other decidedly less so—the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this little-known classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset in a land inspired by the Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

My Review

Again Shannon Hale create an epic story out of a little known Grimm's Fairy Tale. Her Asian retelling is full of adventure, culture, and intrigue. Dashti is a very interesting character. Her lady is being imprisoned because she fears the suitor her father choose for her, yet Dashti to is being punished. Dashti could have left her lady like the rest of the servants, but the loyalty formed caused her to make the bold choice to stay in the tower for seven years. Throughout the story, Dashti begins to challenge the "heavenly highness" of the nobles, including her lady. Her story is told from a first person perspective in the form of a diary. It tells of their life in the tower and all of the things that Dashti has had to do for Saren because of her lady's fear. The Muckers were a neat culture of people to learn about. Dashti is one of them and like the rest of her people knows how to sing the healing songs. The healing songs awaken the body and reminds it how to heal itself. A brilliant idea on Shannon Hale's part. Saren's secret seemed a little strange and out of place in this book. I won't tell you what it was so that I don't give it away, but it was like putting Twilight in Eragon. It doesn't work. Also Saren's love life is at stake. The Prince that she chose for herself has never met her. This sets the perfect stage for Dashti to step in and pretend to her lady. Saren chose him because of the dread for her Father's choice. Eventually, Dashti finds herself in danger because of her devotion to Saren. Will Saren ever learn to gather up her courage as a noble and do things on her own? A very good question, a very good one indeed.

Stars: 4.5 out of 5

Son of Neptune Comes Out Tomorrow and a New Series is Announced

Today is so very exciting! Rick Riordan has announced that his next series will focus on Norse Mythology. Where might this lead? The series is scheduled to come out sometime in 2015.