Valentine's Day.

Oh, Valentine's Day. The holiday full of so much pink and sugary cliché. I'm really surprised it hasn't been banned forever by all those male politicians for that very reason.
Guess they've found their "love", though, right? And I'm not talking about the one they're married to. But, you know what they say... love can even be found in the peaks of the Appalachian Trail. [;

A lot of people have been getting googly-eyed over a fleeting mention of the holiday. I'm not one of them, I don't think I would be even if I had plans. I'm not saying I frown on it entirely- I think it's really great that people take a day to appreciate their loved ones, even if it's just one out of their busy schedule- but hell, don't you think we shouldn't take prompting from a holiday?

I don't see what's so romantic about a day toward the end of winter, for that matter. And I'm speaking for the weather in the States, perhaps one of the biggest indulging countries in the world during Valentine's Day.
Here, the day is normally grey, making the pinks you see even more retina-burning if you're single. [;
No wonder people hate it so much!
I think if anyone asked my honest input, I'd respond with "Well, I think we should at least move it to the summer, so people won't spend their day inside."
Wouldn't YOU rather be outside with your significant other on a starry night doing whatever the hell you wanted? I would. I'd actually move it myself. xD

Now, I really don't hate Valentine's Day. This is actually the second I've been in a relationship. [I don't really like to count last year's Valentine's Day, however, since there was no hope of anything festive because I was freezing my ass off in Boston with my debate team. Romantic, eh?] I think it's absolutely fantastic that people spend a day attributed to the one they love.
I just think that it's turned into Capitalism Day. Honestly, how much money do you think retailers bring in over the course of mid-February? And in these times, when we have the highest divorce rates since, well, EVER... it leaves you wondering "for what?"

Not to mention the fact that even if you're taken, all the couples around on Valentine's Day just seem to mock you with their presence if your girl or guy isn't beside you as well. Normally it's easy to put up with, but seriously, once you see 40 or 50 couples making out during the morning commute... it's nerve-wracking, I'm sure, to even the most stable of couples if you aren't there to flash yours back. So in addition to Capitalism Day, it's official get-judged-by-your-peers day! Fun.

Now, going back to when I mentioned the United States' interpretation of Valentine's Day earlier...
I've been watching a few foreign exchange students from Japan doing vlogs for a while, and several of them have recently posted videos on the Japanese tradition of Valentine's Day. It's really different, from the way it seems.
Essentially, to the Japanese, Valentine's Day is a day for girls to get gifts [almost ALWAYS chocolates- seriously, if chocolate isn't an object on that day in Japan to men or women, you've been living under a rock.] for men and occasionally other women. But it's largely only the girls distributing these.

There's three types of chocolates that are given out by Japanese girls:

1. Giri-chocos. These are basically the equivalent of giving one of those cheap, generic whatever-movie-was-a-hit-at-the-time paper Valentines to everyone in your class in elementary school... except these are for the guys in your life. Think co-workers, neighbors, bosses. Giri- in this sense pretty much means "obligation". xD Makes ya feel loved, eh? But on the flipside, if a guy doesn't get much chocolate on Valentine's Day, he's pretty socially fucked.

2. Tomo-chocos. Friend chocolates, easy. These are usually to female friends, but I'm sure men get them too. A step up from giri-chocos. These pretty much debuted in the 80s, when women were given a more equal stance in Japanese culture [AKA women being allowed to divorce men was made legal. See Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto.]

3. Honmei-chocos. If you get one of these, guys, you know you're something special. These are usually more expensive to get, but are very often homemade. I mean, hell, if you're expressing your affection for a guy, it'd look better if you put effort in other than like, 1500 yen, ne?

Now, after all this occurs in the male section of the population, I'm sure it leaves you wondering- okay, what about the girls?
White Day is a holiday celebrated on March 14, a month after Valentine's Day, so that men can return their affection to the women. However, White Day isn't really as much of a big deal as Valentine's Day, especially in the teenage population... and I'm sure you can guess why.

Bit different, eh? Both holidays in Japan are a bit more prospective than the Americanized view on Valentine's. I thought it was pretty interesting, though, that they took this westernized, originally Christian [okay, Pagan, fine] holiday and offered that level of differentiation.

Oh, another fact: ever heard of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? Hahaha... if you wanted to take a hilariously cynical standpoint on this "day of love", go do some research. You might also want to check out the day that St. Valentine was executed by Emperor Claudius II, and what his crime was.

Have fun tomorrow, don't go setting any couples on fire that glance in your direction, and if it doesn't kill you, say I love you to someone.

-CS.

LAMF.

Very short post to follow.
[Edit: Well... sorta?]

This is to all who read this blog [and even those who don't regularly, or are just stopping in] who feel like they aren't good enough, or that they've been given too much to handle.

Everyone's just been really... down lately. Including myself, but I blame hormones.

Neurotransmitters.
WHATEVER. xD

First of all, stop and really think about who loves you. It might not do much, but honestly, when you think about how lucky you are to have that person in your life, it's like.. this overwhelming wave of happiness, and you can't go back from that.

Second.
Today, I discovered that making other people feel better makes you feel a lot better about yourself... whether that's making everyone on your AIM buddy list feel happier with a compliment, or addressing one specific friend's needs.

Third.
I happened upon this certain blog today, and read this:

I was sad today...and i think God must think I'm pretty tough...because he won't give us more than we can handle....so I feel honored He thinks I can handle all this.

Yeah, admittedly, I'm not much of a religious person.
...Alright, not at all.
But! I think the premise behind her statement stands!
Let's replace "God" with "fate". Theoretically, we should all kick the shit we get in the groin, and be like, "Hey, I'm living my life here. You ain't stoppin' me now, I've got people to do and things to see."
Application?
You should just look all the drama and supposed "bad karma" in the eyes and say bitch, I can take you faster than a shot of vodka on Valentine's Day.

Wait a minute... backfired.
Well, I thought it was kinda clever.

Anywho. I'm not going all omniscient on your asses. I'm not going to try and act like I understand what's going on.
But we shall OVERCOME! Be happy!
Viva la revolution.
Tell your lady you love her, let your guy be macho for a day. Y'know?
Maybe we'll make the world happier.

And while we're waiting, have a goddamn amazing day.

-CS.

This morning, I read this fantastic piece on social norms and people's relationships.

The students that scared me the most, however, were the human-like creatures; the werewolves and the vampires. The werewolves seemed so normal, so great. They were so hard to pick out some days. The only way to notice them was to watch them. A week before the full moon, they'd get antsy. They'd scratch, they'd pick, they'd rip at their skin. Their eyes would widen and grow wild. Hair would grow and their clothes would seem so unbearably small.

When asked, "Hey, are you okay?" they'd nod enthusiastically while looking for escape routes. Then, the day of the full moon, they'd change.

They would get mean. Nasty. Everything you had once thought about them would be ripped to shreds. Their personalities would practically shift.

The vampires were always beautiful. Their skin was flawless. Their hair perfect. They would look at you with a lofty smile. They could draw anyone to them, make anyone see them in a sexual way. Their smiles were always sincere but distant. Their voices: lilting, barely audible, but a musical note for each guttural sound. It was always a treat to hear them speak.

But once they had you in their hands, they had you. They'd occasionally keep human familiars – poor, depraved humans who would cling to the attention and to the beauty of the vampires. These humans were horribly mistreated. Sucked nearly dry each night. Thin and frail, they'd limp beside their masters, always grinning from ear to ear, while the vampires silently mocked them.

Pretty nice, huh?
If you want to read more, you can find the piece here.


Anyway, I haven't blogged in a very long time, and I've gotten bugged quite often for it. Problem is, I really have nothing to blog about.
Last night, I told someone I didn't want this blog to become an emotional dumpster again. I'm just not looking to share my feelings with the world, you know?
If you're concerned, you can ask. That's my view on the matter. *shrugs*

...It seems like I had something else to say, but I can't remember it now.
Yay efficiency! :D
I'll continue this blog later tonight, I suppose.
Until then!

-CS.

New Years.

I've felt recently that life is passing me by. And by recently, I mean quite a bit in the last 4 to 6 months.

This really sucks because I haven't hit my mid-life yet. I can't have a crisis!
[And to those of you who talk to me; one in particular; yes, you, you know who you are- no, this isn't the reason I've been acting weird.]

However, this being the last day of the year [and last two hours of said year], I just feel like.. I dunno.
Like the clock is ticking and time's flying by while I sit here doing all of absolutely NOTHING in my individual cell, where I'm slowly dying.

2010 will supposedly bring new promises of happiness. But really, it's hard to imagine.

In the 90's, there was the Y2K "scare" [written "scare" because it was really a cult terror; much like 2012] that left people wondering what would happen next. And I'm sure none of them imagined the events that would take place from the first of January in 2000 to the thirty-first of December in 2009.
I guess my point is that 2010 is just as weird and futuristic to us as Y2K was to the generation before us.

Adding on to this, however, Y2K and its uncertainty really gave people this new glance into reality. And I'm sure everyone has it once in their life.
Some people attribute it to a near-death experience, and some people just have too much time on their hands.
This feeling of reality, this new somber feeling.. it's not necessarily recognition of one's mortality, but instead, recognition of the limited time we spend on this Earth.
And I hate that.
I hate the feeling that I'm doing nothing nor know where I'm going.
Is that my fault?
Sure, I'm still technically a "kid", and I'm really trying to stop taking that for granted ["Youth is wasted on the young; life is wasted on... people"], but with the future approaching so fast, I can't bear to think about it, but today [AKA the present], I do it anyway.

"Today".

It's weird to think about, but today is the only day we should worry about.
Of course, that doesn't happen. But consider if we let our past go [easier said than done, of course], accept the fact that we can't change it, and hope for a brighter future. We can't predict it, so we can really only do the best we can today.

Sorry for the philosophy, I just needed to vent to someone and no one was available, so I figured I'd shoot my rant into cyberspace.

-CS.

PS- I think postmodernism would be a fabulous topic to study [and maybe to take in college, or something] from what I've seen of the course. In case you're not sure what pomo is, hit it up on Google; it's well worth your time.

I drink Monster with my breakfast.

No, seriously. I stumbled downstairs this morning like a hungover, tattoo-covered 21-year old punk. [Okay, so I just described my cousin Andrew, big fuckin’ deal.]
But caffeine is really fantastic in the morning, and I hate coffee.
I love Monster. It’s got this amazing taste that lingers on your lips.. like, aged and sweet.
Sweet and aged.
And cold.
Who needs alcohol when you have over 15 vitamins and minerals?

Anywho, two days ago, I set my background to dead CBGB, because I found a fantastic picture of the graffiti’d garage door and fell in love. (:
But it reminds me every time I look at it of what music really is.

I was reminded today of how utterly pissed off mainstream music makes me these days.
Example #1.

*DISCLAIMER: I wrote this at 4AM today. Er, yesterday. I apologize for the dreadful style, I was mainly just irritated.*

Today, I was browsing iTunes, and stopped to look at iTunes’s top 10.
#1?
TiK ToK, by Ke$ha.
I could say a LOT from the name alone… okay, Ke$ha, I’ll give you a shot.
Listened to the sample.
Vocal style was vaguely Rihanna, effects vaguely Rihanna/Lady Gaga, general musical “genius” [or SEVERE lack thereof] vaguely Katy Per- alright, general Katy Perry-esque vaguely Katy Perry.]
Looked up the lyrics for myself, and found the white girl rapper alibi I saw on her Wikipedia page.

[I don’t mindlessly argue against someone’s music because I don’t like their style; I build a bulletproof argument chock full of opinion.]

But I’m just getting started.

After seeing this chick on Wikipedia, her single for TiK ToK AND on YouTube, I’m thinking of a blonde, drunk, whored-out 21-year-old Miley Cyrus, no country with extra rap.
[Thanks, America.]
And her influences are listed as Beck and..

No…
It can’t be…

David Bowie?!?
What the FUCK?

Are you sure?

/Fumes heavily.

Okay.. deep breaths, we’re good.

Went to Ke$ha’s YouTube page. Very skeptical at this point, because of the 3 vlogs she had posted, 3/3 made her look like:

[brutal insults ahead, proceed with caution]

A. Stoned off her rocker.
B. She had just woken up, hung over, and to find $15 on the nightstand with a note saying “I’d see a doctor.”
C. Can I just go with “fucked up”?
D. All of the above.

Anyway, ignoring the vlogs, I went on to see her music video for TiK ToK.
[That’s getting really bothersome to type…]
And the randomness of the lyrics shone through more than I thought to be humanly possible.

Oh man.

Plot summary:
Chick gets dressed, brushes teeth, walks down hall. Random money falling scene. [Ironic, because she explained the “$” in her name to be irony because she wasn’t into music for the money. Huh.]
Chick goes into kitchen, woman [presumably mother] drops platter of pancakes at the audacity of her clothing choice. Attempting badassery, chick gives family a “fuck you” glance and walks out door.
Chick jumps on this tripped-out bike and rides into town.
More falling money.
Chick goes to party, gets wasted, and ends up with some random dude in a bathtub. Presumably passed out.

After witnessing these “works”, I’m thoroughly unimpressed with the lack of creativity behind any of this. At least Party in the USA had some thought. It honestly just seems like Ke$ha is trying to get the best of both worlds [Being white? Sorry, someone had to say it.] and using this overused style to hook the hiphop fanbase [Rihanna, Black-Eyed Peas] while pleasing the pop fanbase [3OH!3, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and anyone else Disney spawns].

I think it would be a noble attempt if it weren’t such a trashy performance.
And I'd be impressed if she weren't trying to hard to play to people's interests.
(…Oh, so THERE’S the rap.)

Anyway, thoughts are welcome.

-CS.

Newsfeed.

[You're right, I'm happy to say I DON'T understand.]

Q. So, what do all these images have in common?

A. My generation will be forever known as the generation of the Twilight saga, bad grammar, procrastination, pointless Facebook groups, arrogance defended by the US Constitution, and dismissal of the shift key.

It's times like these I really wish I'd been born earlier. And by earlier, I mean 30 years minimum. /: I really hate that I didn't get to experience the 70s and 80s.
Hell, I barely can call myself a "90s kid" because I wasn't terribly aware of what was going on.
But it's alright. Generations are what you make them, right?

Terribly short post again. I'd like to call it short, sweet, and to the point.. but that phrase honestly reminds me of a quickie.
:D

OH!
I know I slightly beat the point into the ground, but one last thing.
There is ONE group you'll see me joining..



-CS.

Basghetti.

Don't ask.

It occurred to me today that maybe, just maybe, relationships- especially teenage- fluctuate with the tides.
Or just have set fluctuations, at least.
I may have mentioned it before, but I noticed that break-ups and get-togethers seem to come in waves. So maybe it's related to the gravitational pull of the moon?

[Apparent byproduct of pensiveness. I apologize for anything that remotely resembles jibberish.]

Snow day today. Everyone loves snow, secretly.
Dad and I were talking about how the snow makes everything quiet. Like a soundproof room sort of quality. [White noise?] Not only quiet, but peaceful too.

Terribly short post, hopefully will think of more to say in the near future.

-CS.

PS: "I love you" in Albanian is "te dua".