Proverbs #3

Rivers flow with water
Arteries flow with blood
Life flows with achieved desire

Conversations #2

Another Conversation About My Hair

from 'My Sister Is Mad At Me'

It didn't start with the hair thing, but it is something worth writing about because I feel strongly about it. What happened was I hadn't combed my hair after swimming in P.E. I didn't comb it because I don't function as a person based on my appearance. My appearance barely aids my self-worth and does not really affect how I talk to people, so whether it is combed or not, it doesn't bother me. Now, my sister bothered me about my hair in the car. Saying that I looked “homeless.” I simply told her that it does not bother me.  The conversation went a bit like this:

“Comb your hair, you look homeless.”

“Why does this matter? It doesn't bother me.”

“That doesn't matter, it looks terrible.”

Now here is right about where I encountered my first problem, “that doesn't matter.” It does matter, because I am the one who made the decision that lead to this very discussion, so logically how I feel matters. This where emotions are put in play so they go hand in hand with rationality. If emotion is relevant to a topic, then it may play a part.

“You cannot dismiss my thoughts, otherwise talking would be irrelevant.”

“Just comb your hair. Full stop.”

“It is combed most of the time, I see no problem if at the end of the day, where no problem arises from having my hair uncombed, that it can be left uncombed.

“You have to look decent.”

“To whom? Why must I be put in the box that society has imposed on us? I refuse to support being subjected to the idea of importance of appearance. Why must people look at me, as a person as a whole, based solely on whether my hair is combed or not?”

“The world is like that, you just have to accept it and comb your hair?”

“So we must justify ignorance?”

“Just comb your hair.”

Second problem. I was being ignored. The basis of the ignorance? The unwritten law that I MUST have my hair combed. Yes, let’s JUST accept things as they are.

“What you are saying is, that nothing should have been done when Germany attacked Poland?”

“No, you just have to comb your hair. It shows lack of self-worth when you do that.”

Third problem. This means that people who don't have a nice appearance have poor self-esteem. That is a lie. People who can't afford good clothes don't necessarily feel bad about who they are, they just feel bad about the fact that they can't afford good clothes.

“That, my sister just shows how self-conscious you are if you believe that. I'm assuming, based on what you have said, that everyone who has bad hair feels worthless in life. Clearly because I have chosen not to comb my hair I have very low self-esteem.

Evidenced by that fact that I am consistently called arrogant and because I am able to assert myself, which leads our parents to believe I am argumentative.

You should think of women who get breast implants and the debate surrounding that.”

“So what if mama takes us somewhere, what if she takes us to her office or or Auntie Ludo's house? What would they think of our mother?

“Isn't that up to the people? Why should they think that I'm a terrible child and that my mother is terrible, solely based on my hair? Is a child abused at home simply because they break their arm because they took their fun too far?”

“But people see us based on you as well! Do you know how many times my friends tell me that my brother is untidy because of his hair?”

“Repeat that sentence. Did you hear that? You said they say your brother is untidy. Not you, not my mother, your brother.”

“That still doesn't matter.”

Second problem again. No matter how good my rebuttals and counter-arguments were I would be consistently ignored. Perhaps it was because I am younger. One of the curses of African society. There's even a saying about it. 'The young know nothing. They learn from the old.' I wonder, if Russia and the United States were about to nuke each other over something ridiculous, like whether Britain likes the color red more than blue (red is better). Then a child says something like “Maybe we shouldn't bomb each other and ask Britain what they prefer.” I'm guessing if you replace the countries with Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe that the child would be aptly ignored and we would have a bigger nuclear crisis since The Cold War. Somehow, I think this has happened somewhere in the world.

“Do you know of how women in extremist Islamic countries are abused? Because they lack freedom! This is me expressing my freedom without remorse! Right now you are Germany and I am Poland. You ignore everything I say with 'it doesn't matter.' Is it right to ignore what I am saying? Is it right to encourage the ignorance of basing everything on appearance? Should we just let Apartheid in South Africa? Ignore those who are 'different?' I refuse to be put in a box. I refuse to be stigmatized because of my hair. My hair has not affected my social interactions, my academic experiences. It does not bother me. I didn't expect you of all people to be like this and ignore the rights of an individual.”

This is when my uncle intervened.

“So you want to pierce your nose and ears now?”

I don't understand adults. How they assume one thing after another from the smallest pieces of information, I do not get. I mean, why would I even want to pierce myself? But then again why would I not want to comb my hair? It is a similar situation, but that is a pretty far off assumption.

“No, I don't want to pierce myself. I have no interest for doing so, its not for me. If someone wants to do it though, they should be allowed to. If it doesn't bother them, then why should it bother anyone?”

Then my sister again.

“How does Germany or any other country have anything to do with your hair.”

No one seems to understand metaphors anymore. Maybe I should just be boringly descriptive with my speech.

“Metaphor.” I replied.

“Okay fine, look I'm glad you are protesting for woman's rights and that but comb your hair! It just shows that you can't handle having an afro.”

As much as I'd like to say I was protesting woman's rights, I wasn't.

For GOD'S SAKE.

METAPHOR.

METAPHOR.

M

E

T

A

P

H

O

R.

M-E-T-A-P-H-O-R.

METAPHOR.

And she can't be serious. I can't 'handle' an afro? Since when is an afro comparable to a dangerous firearm? You know what, I won't judge. It's probably a METAPHOR.

“I can handle an afro. That's why it is combed most of the time.”

“You need to be disciplined. You have no discipline whatsoever.”

“Yes, because writing at least one thing every day, doing my homework, posting on my blog, committing to do pushups in Karate, committing to the various other projects I do in my own time requires no discipline at all.”

“That isn't discipline.”

I will take my dictionary with me everywhere I go. I will take my dictionary with me everywhere I go. I will take my dictionary with me everywhere I go. I will take my dictionary with me everywhere I go.

“Define discipline. Because I am using the common definition. Since when is doing work. WORK. Since when is that not a sign of discipline?”

“You don't do chores, you don’t do...”

I edited what she said there. It was boring.

“You said I have no discipline at all. You didn't say that I do not have discipline in those areas. If you did, then what argument could I have countered with? Obviously that is true. Why I am arguing this point, about my hair, is because I don't appreciate being told to do something that encourages the ignorance of society (in this case, our obsession with appearance).”

My uncle decided to intervene again.

“You need to build up discipline to-”

Hold up.

Because I do work, write stories, and am working to my goal to be a good author, I have no discipline and it needs to be built up? Yes I don't do chores, but at the very least I do something. They are plenty of kids who quite frankly, do shit. And you shout at me, despite the amount of times I've come back home with near-perfect scores on tests besides my language? Pupils who have received an award for first in class FIVE TIMES IN A ROW have no discipline?

Back again.

“You need to build up discipline to-”

You know what hold up again.

I get shouted at by my parents for reading AND writing. Doesn't that just KILL my discipline altogether? I'm surprised I haven't rebelled and started to defect from my religion.

Oh wait, I did both while still reading and writing. (With just a bit, a BIT of less reading.)

Back again.

“You need to build up discipline to-”

Hold up once again. I am beginning to get the sense that no one listens to the positive things that teachers have to say about me. Yes, I'm arrogant but I still get good grades and I'm not outwardly rude to the teachers unless I have to argue about something which I don't feel is right.

Back again.

“You need to build up discipline to be a better person. How are you going to go to work with hair like that? You will be fired.”

Then my sister added that:

“Are you going to wear jeans to work?”

Please, I've worn jeans to school.

“Whom may I ask the both of you is going to fire me at this current point in time?”

And of course there was silence.

Then my sister and came up with a point about my hair in Karate that is difficult to argue. They said I go with my hair uncombed to Karate. And Karate is all about discipline. Now at this point they still failed to realize the whole thing about discipline that I tried to tell them.

Here are my reasons why my hair doesn't matter at Karate, because I actually do Karate.

It's about:

self-worth (point made earlier)

strength (I'm not Solomon, so my hair doesn't have anything to do with my strength, physical or otherwise)

Discipline (who said it was in terms of appearance only?)

self-defense (I rarely get into fights anyways, and if I do, I pick them well)

My other two reasons, which aren't all that great, are:

It isn't called Hair-rate [chuckle-chuckle]

My sensei doesn't give a damn about my hair, he cares about how many pushups I can do, whether I'm a good student or not, if I can defend myself, which is kinda like the whole fucking point.

SO THERE.

Next time my hair uncombed, just know that it isn't because I have no self-esteem. It is because I really don't care how I look, so either worry about it and leave me alone, or get over it and don't judge me based solely on how I look. Judge me based on how many big words I use in a minute, that's what most people do anyways (please don't, that actually hurts me).

Oh and if my hair is uncombed it is probably because I'm too lazy to comb it (I just contradicted a page and a half's worth of the 'discipline' I was fighting for.

Proverbs #2

Dreams often remain dreams.
Reality always remains unchanged.
Merge your dreams with reality.

















This post is dedicated to Nandini 'Epic' Kochar, you are awesome....I think.

Proverbs #1

Rationality, while weaker than emotion, is a more controlled force.
Rationality is the gun that kills only the dictator.
Emotion is the bomb set off not only to kill the dictator, but also the innocent.

Life Skills and Advice #1

LIFE SKILLS AND ADVICE

#1

On Stupidity

Description

Stupidity (or idiocy, dumbassery, etc.) is described as either a disease or a syndrome that cause impairment of mental process.

It affects all sentient beings at some point during their existence and is believed to be the cause of almost all armed conflict on planet Earth. Stupidity is known to lower both IG and its social equivalent (social IQ). The affliction comes in many forms. The illness is capable of reaching advanced stages comparable to that of HIV and AIDS. The illness is incapable of being treated once it has reached such stages. Currently debates are being held within international organizations concerning the disease- several nations proposing victims of the advanced stage of the disease be quarantined or culled.

Stupidity is not to be confused with learning disorders, psychological disorders and neurological illnesses. Stupidity is responsible for nearly all of the world's problems such increased death rates worldwide and widespread armed conflict.

Types

Stupidity comes in many forms, some of which are still being discovered by scientists. Common types present in society are:

•                     unjustified emotional sickness of the 'heart' (love sick)

•                     'self'- induced stupidity

•                     'other'- induced stupidity

•                     Natural stupidity

•                     Temporary stupidity (also known as adolescence)

Causes

Stupidity has been documented to have many causes that initiate the illness, in most cases this is solely the fault of the individual- see the related article 'On Self- Induced Stupidity'

•                     Love

•                     Hate

•                     Religion (in extreme cases)

•                     Laziness

•                     Stereotyping

•                     Race

•                     Viewing and Listening to Stupid Media (such as reading an  article that describe Stupidity in detail)

•                     Nature

Symptoms

This details the symptoms of the illness in humans, though is widely believed to apply to all sentient beings. The disease is known for it easily identifiable symptoms.

•                    Causes harm to self and others for no logical reason and reasons unknown, inexplicable or stupid reasons

•                     Naivety

•                     Poor motor control and loss of cognitive functions

•                     Unjustified lust

•                     Dismissive of the intelligent

•                     Being an idiot

•                     Being the 'raw' type of a race

Advanced Stupidity and its symptoms

Advanced Stupidity is a loose term referring to the limit or height of Stupidity. If stupidity continues without treatment, it may reach its advanced stages. The patient is considered 'beyond help' when such a situation occurs. No examples are ever used in media to show advance stupidity due to the social implications and of the disease. This clearly shows that one is completely and utterly hopeless once they have been diagnosed with 'Advanced Stupidity'

Symptoms of 'Advanced Stupidity' include and are not limited to:

•                     incapability to learn not caused by learning disorders, psychological disorders and neurological disorders

•                     incapability to understand fundamental unwritten laws of society

•                     sudden urge to 'spit out' irrelevant (and often wrong) facts, figures, statistics and information

•                     deep knowledge and understanding of statistics

•                     unnatural, constant cross-eyed expression on patients face

•                     incapability to sxphell

•                     constant droning and use of “DUH” and “UH” in speech

•                     blonde hair

•                     extremely good or bad sense of fashion not present in functioning members of society

•                     incapability to diagnose stupidity

•                     designing and creating robots with the potential to become evil overlords

•                     'playing' with Science (specifically Nuclear energy)

Diagnosis

Stupidity is an easily diagnosable by most functioning members of society and is the most identifiable illness in the known universe.

The saddest moment in a doctor's life.

Common methods of diagnosing stupidity:

•                     just looking at the person

•                     comparing patient to a victim of stupidity

•                     use of 'cause of effect' theory – this is used to invoke a stupid reaction from the patient

•                     most of the time you can just tell  if someone is stupid, diagnosis is almost always made redundant by this fact

Treatment

Only one known cure has been found for stupidity- education. One stupidity has reached its advanced stages, it cannot be cured. Stupidity is only curable if and only if symptoms of its advanced stages are not present. The World Health Organization (WHO????) has raised awareness of stupidity due to the seriousness of the rather minor affliction. Despite this and the efforts of the intelligent, stupidity still remains as a common illness that is more present in the 21^st Century than prehistoric ages (the 20^th Century)

Propaganda...with MS Paint.

Treatment for Stupidity:

•                     Education

Prevention

Stupidity is best avoided and prevented rather than cured. If cured- a normal human will experience immense regret from his previous life as a victim of stupidity and may suffer from depression. Cured patients have been reported to commit suicide.

Even more propaganda....god bless whomever created MS Paint.

Common Prevention Methods:

•                     Ignoring stupid media

•                     Applying oneself concerning education

•                     Listening to the intelligent

•                     Reporting the stupid

On Reporting the Stupid

Report all stupid people to your local school- Remember by doing so you are not just doing yourself a favor, but are doing society a favor. Stupid persons are easily identifiable: See 'Symptoms.'

Conclusion

Stupidity has killed many and will continue to do so, awareness must be made to prevent the illness spreading and killing us all. Stupidity is more present that it should be- I beg of humanity to fix this before WWW III (Wet Wipin' [the] World [again]/ World War III)

Note to Readers: This article was written at a time when World War III was not happening and when Robot insurgency was mere fiction. It may not still reflect the author's feeling and thoughts now that he is serving under his evil robot overlord- 'T-1000.'

Get me an Oil change, these flames don't fire up themselves!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Conversations #1

Let me post about something VERY VERY old school - religion.


Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with my family. You see, all of a sudden we started talking about Muslims and Indians. My dad really seems to have a grudge against them or something like that. You see he went to India for awhile and apparently he wasn't treated that well and he told me that they are intolerant. I don't see how this is so, because I see them as really nice people. This is when my mother told me that my sister and I were not the only people who went to school with Muslims and that they forget you as soon as school then. It was at this time that my father surprised me with a ummm... surprising statement.

He said that : You're blinded by your love for a Indian/Muslim girl. You love is nothing but childish games.

Now, at this time my eyes were wide open in astonishment and amazement. How did he know I was dating... a Muslim? How? 

And I was about to ask (rather stupidly) How did you know?

But you see...he DOESN'T know. It was probably the wildest and most accurate use of irony and coincidence that I could ever mention. EVAR.

I mispelt that for a REASON. I'm still astonished at his rather amazing insight.

In response to his comment I simply said that he and my mother banished me from dating anyone so therefore I have no girlfriend.

Then he started on how Muslims can come where veils in other countries, but if my African sister where to wear one in Saudi Arabia, she'd be killed. Well, its hard to argue with that...but seriously its not fair to assume that they all wear veils or something...its simply not true. And then you have people assuming that all women HAVE to wear the veil. THIS IS NOT TRUE.

Not all Muslims look like this.

They are not violent criminals or terrorists. 

They are just all nice people.

And I'd like to say that I'm happy that I'm dating one. VERY HAPPY.

Not to mention Christianity isn't any better really.

Holy Men

Count the crusades and all the evil Popes from the past and jihad doesn't look so bad. Not to mention GOD FLOODED ALL OF MANKIND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (okay, that WAS kinda bad-ass)

Which leads to me to what happened today. I had to be dragged to church again, and we all know church is boring as hell sometimes.

Holy  Man

Now, I'm a Christian, but I'm also an evolutionist and I'm also skeptical...which is quite hypocritical in a sense.. You seem my father (who himself rarely goes to church and also expresses some disinterest religion occasionally) lectured me about questioning God and said that I shouldn't believe all those science books.

Now, I don't read Science books actually- so I don't know where he got that from.

Then he said that Science can't make rain and stop people from dying.

I didn't answer the question at the time because he asked me to stop talking back. 

What I didn't say was:

Evaporate a lot of water and you'll get rain.

Medicine can stop people from dying. And that death is natural.

Later on my dad asked my sister and I a bunch of Science questions, there was the theory of relativity in there too.

Mommy, look! If I add random letters I can be like Einstein!

Then (jokingly) he asked how anyone could prove an atom can exist.

It was then that I muttered  under my breath (as to avoid trouble) that how can you prove that God exists?

Suck it.


In all honesty I believe in God, but the Bibles is nearly 2000 years old...you can't tell me that someone didn't lose one of the pages somewhere along the line.

Judas! What have thou done? NOOOOO!!!!

It was also when on Friday I was asked by someone (who clearly hated evolution) how could I prove the existence of the universe.

Well technically, no one can (though I'd say The Bible is winning with this one).
I simply said 'Big Bang Theory.' That shut them up. Though honest to god I was referring to the comedy show. Sheldon is awesome.

Then another anti-evolutionist said some sick Bible verse to me, that involved me burning in hell.
And I must say, The Bible and The Quran have some pretty sick verses. They should be put it in rap.

EPIC. 

I tell you hwat, I'd buy that.

'Till another day.

Oh and if you still wanna bother me about Islam and stuff...then I suggest you read this first before you harass me, otherwise I'm calling the cops.
http://www.cracked.com/article_18911_5-ridiculous-things-you-probably-believe-about-islam.html

Roads of Reel #1

Note: This piece was written for an upcoming online magazine named 'Roads of Reel.' It may or may not be published (I'm going with the latter).

I'm telling you- the 60's is what it's all about, though there modern life isn't so bad.

Yeah! My first column piece! Well, that's if it gets published...but I've got free time, so let me write it anyway... Now this column discusses some great stuff (mainly music) from the past, and by the past I mean the 60's. You're probably think this is driven by my Beatles infatuation but really, it isn't... (though it is a bit). So let's get started... following the theme of this issue of 'Roads of Reel,' let's talk about Superheroes and Super villains. I've got a perfect song that fits that bill.

It's not the rather annoying (but catchy) 'Spider-man' song...

It's 'Heroes and Villains' by The Beach Boys!

So lets just take a minute to define Superheroes and Supervillains... I'd say that there good or evil people who aren't normal... So they can fly through the air and shoot laser beams and stuff...

Not to mention they have incredibly catchy-lines....

This picture just does it for me.

The song, was supposed to be the centerpiece of The Beach Boy's album Smile... but a lot of things happened, which pretty much halted the release of an album that could have changed the world. Think of Sgt.Pepper but with Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane.. For people unfamiliar with the 60's think of 2011 without 'Party Rock Anthem.' Not so great yeah? That's what I thought. So every time a hardened music fan hears the word Smile... they are really crying inside. I am right now, and I tell you it hurts. Instead of Smile we got Smiley Smile (eventually we kinda got 'Smile,' but we got it as SMiLE- 40 years later ) and it's like comparing World War I to World War II... while similar, the Nazis did a heck lot more in war number two (though I'm waiting around for the next one, third time's the charm!). Now, back to the song 'Heroes and Villains.' It's a wonderful song, starting out with a lot happening, the bass is wonderful and the voices that are muttering out notes in different tones is just wonderful. The song is really like watching a superhero movie, the character will pull off some amazing stunt in the beginning...but things get darker, and so does the song. The voices drone in a chilling unison at some point and you'll tingle with a weird amalgamation of delight and surprise. The chanting of 'Heroes and Villains' is fantastically amazing. The 'lalalas' and 'nananas' bring a bit of light to the darkness in the droning section. The song regresses back to it's happy, paceful exciting state, like when the hero is facing up to the villain- the boss battle in the ridiculously hard video game you are playing (Yes, YOU Final Fantasy). Then things get wonderfully soft and lush... and the singer, he's amazing at that part, the emotion you feel as the rest of the group throw out their voices in hushed tones. Suddenly the song picks up again and ends in it's dramatic phase, gripping the listener in even more tension. It's beautiful, I must admit wonderful.

I've been in this town so long that back in the city
I've been taken for lost and gone
And unknown for a long long time

Thanks guys...even if it did take like 40 years...

In case you're wondering. That picture was of Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. Brian was amazing. Van Dyke Parks was great too.

Listen to 'Heroes and Villains' here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L284UgTLA3c

You might want to listen to : Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band- The Beatles and Pet Sounds- The Beach Boys

Tawanda W.T Mulalu is really likes The Beatles. He likes writing too though.

For more of his work...check out his blog www.lifeinthethirdperson.blogspot.com

('Roads of Reel' is not responsible for outside content- This is called a disclaimer.)