Filters: Everyone Should Have One

Bob: Hey, Sandra. How are you?

Sandra: I'm great, Bob. You?

Bob: I'm fine, I'm fine. How are you liking your philosophy course?

Sandra: It's okay.

Bob: I love it. I was thinking about ethics, and that debate we were in, and I've decided that your views are wrong and have absolutely zero justification whatsoever.

Sandra: What?

....See, as Sandra has just discovered, Bob needs something called a FILTER.

This is actually based off of similar conversations that I've had in my own philosophy course. I've found that certain friends of mine get straight-up vicious when it comes to arguing their views. They'll ask what I think of something, I'll give my views on it, and then they'll pretty much tell me how I'm wrong. Or they'll be like: "Okay, those are your views." And then they'll mock me.

If this wasn't someone that I was friends with, I probably wouldn't care too much. Still, this is the same friend who partakes in making fun of how I LOOK with another supposed friend. They get pretty brutal sometimes, enough that other friends have commented on the situation.

This behaviour frustrates me with a capital FRUSTRATES. Yeah. I'm being snippy.

Anywhoo, I think the problem is still the people that I hang out with. This is just another short rant, because I just finished all of my Data work and am waiting for class to end...so I'm amusing myself. I like to get out my frustration by working out sometimes, but when I don't have access to a gym, ranting helps too.

Actually, for those of you who don't often go to a gym: get a membership. Not only does the gym help you get into and stay in shape, it really is quite the stress reliever. Speaking as a female computer geek, I never thought of myself as one who'd enjoy going off to pump iron. I sort of thought that was better saved for athletes. Boy, was I wrong. It's actually quite fun.

But seriously: it's totally worth every penny you spend if you make yourself go a few times a week. Honestly, you only need to donate like two hours a week (go for like thirty to forty minutes per session). Your stress levels will thank you.

Unfortunately, I Have Come Down With a Serious Case of the "Damn It, I Feel Depressed" Disease.

I recently went through a mid-life crisis...

Well, more like a 1/5 life crisis, because I'm not anywhere near mid-life yet. However, I have absolutely every intention of blaming this on my wild, teenage hormones.

I don't know if it's just me, but have you ever just been sitting there, doing really nothing exciting at all, and suddenly you realize that you really don't like a lot of the people that you hang out with?

No? Okay, it's just me, then. Sweet.

Why do I dislike so many people that I hang out with? Because they're jerks. Really. Some of them think that they're REAL hardass, and they totally out-badass the rest of us. Some of them are just jerks, and don't realize the repercussions of the things that come out of their mouths. Others are just so much less developed in the maturity area than the rest of us that I find it really hard to get along (even talk to) these people.

It makes me sad, because these are people who I used to be really close to. I don't know why I suddenly came to this conclusion, but now it seems like either they're different people or I've changed a lot. I guess that's just teen life. Well, that's just what my mommy said.

Regardless, I have been totally down in the dumps about it. It's making it increasingly harder to face these people. I hope that I can get past it for my last year of high school, because I don't want to regret this year. I really, really don't.

~~ Ze NeRd

Oh, Procrastination! I Salute Thee!

So...funny story...

I'm in class right now.

But the trick is that I'm not actually doing any work right now. Well, I sort of am, but I'm not exactly focusing like some kind of hardcore student. Interesting fact: not all nerds work their asses off. That's right, people. Suck on that stereotype.

Even funnier story, I'm sitting beside a fellow blogger right now (shameless plug: she's Porcelain Smiles and I follow her diligently here on blogspot). She's working. I'm kinda-sorta-might-not-be. However, I will be heading home to ask my parents about les depense fixes and les outiles so that my French grade can be properly stimulated.

Ah, stimulated... doesn't that word just bring about the most wonderfully immature, pervy thoughts you can possibly imagine? I mean, I've heard it thousands upon thousands of times in totally non-pervy contexts, but it still raises pervy thoughts in my head.

Then, I usually just go: "man, I love being a teenager. Pity when I have to grow up..."

And then I realize: I don't HAVE to grow up. You know, growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional, and all that junk. I declare this here: I shall be the most amazing grandma in the entire world.

Well, provided that anyone is willing to procreate with me, and that's only implying that anyone's willing to procreate with my procreations.

Since Nicole's probably about three seconds away from beating me (or I assume, since she's doing the work right now and we are partners), I'm going to end this. Oh, and by the way, I just wasted about four seconds of your life. Way. To. Go.

I'll find something more life-relevant to blog about later.

Ciao,

~ Ze NeRd

The Definition of Teenager

Teenager [teen-age-er] noun, verb.
(n) a creature of extreme disaster, known for its grumpy mornings, natural unpredictability and tendencies of overdramatizing. Also defined as a human during pubsecence.
(verb) To behave in a manner that is defiant or disrespectful. To behave in a manner that is considered outrageous. To do stupid things because one simply can.


....Ah, puberty. Speaking as one currently in the throes of it, I can certainly understand why the above definition would be considered feasible by any parent of such a creature. We're not exactly easy to deal with.

By the way, the above "dictionary-style" format is probably not accurate to that of an actual dictionary. The one that is in my home is currently residing in my basement, whilst I am upstairs, and I am entirely too lazy to retrieve the stupid thing. So there. Whoever feels insulted by the inaccuracies of my blog can just go...shove their problems someplace where the sun don't shine.

Speaking of darkness...

Teen ANGST.

Though I am one of the fabled monsters of pubescence, I don't really understand why teenagers feel the need to do the thing commonly referred to as "angst". I mean, really, are our lives so horrible between the age of thirteen and twenty compared to the other years of our lives? Really, really?

I'm not talking about natural stuff. I mean, if one of your loved ones (heaven forbid) passes on, then no one expects you to sit there, during the funeral, grinning like some kind of idiot on a psychedelic hallucinogen. What I mean is the teenagers who spend every day of their teen life whining about how awful said life is.

HONESTLY, people.

Now, I do feel a tad hypocritical writing about this because I've caught myself "angsting" on more than one occassion. However, that does not say that I agree with it. I try my best not to. I really, really do. I admit where I have had issues and problems, and I fully understand wherein those are either legitimate things to "angst" over or problems of my own creation. My advice to constant "angst-ers"? Recognize something: there is always someone out there whose life is worse than yours.

Pessimistic? Perhaps. However, I think it's important that we understand, as young adults coming into the real world, that there are bigger fish to fry out there. Ever since I was young I haven't been able to stand the people who think that the world revolves around them. Since they have issues, everyone else must suffer through it with them because they are the most imporatant thing in the world. My parental units have accused me of acting that way, but I maintain that I have NEVER seen myself as the centre of the universe and I never will. I understand fully just how small and inconsequential I am in the whole scheme of things, and I would darn well like to keep things that way (I hate it when attention is focused on me. I don't know about you, but it gives me sweaty palms and knocky-knees).

You may ask me where such teenagers exist, these ones who think that they are, as the young-uns say, "all that". Well, my friends, they are out and about in short skirts, bad dye jobs, and shirts that go all the way down to there. Yes, I am talking about (for lack of better term) bitches, my friends. They are a plentiful (albeit pest-like and entirely unwanted) breed.

I know it may seem that bratty girls don't really relate to the "Definition of Teenager", but I feel that they do. Jerks and delinquents also factor in here. The point is that they GIVE THE REST OF US A BAD NAME. As a proudly labelled "pussy" (according to my extraordinarily eloquent, word-gifted peers), I hate the feeling when adults treat you like you're going to do something stupid. Not saying that I haven't done stupid things, because I have. What frustrates me is that I'm roped in with the rest of the idiots out there that just happen to fall in my category of age group.

So I was on this trip to Italy (awesome trip that was a beautiful and unforgettable experience) and we were hanging out in this store in one of the cities that we stopped in (near Florence, I think). Anyways, we walk into this souvenier shop. I had every intention of buying some stuff for my family and friends back at my home planet. I was a customer. This woman, however, was following me around the store like she was expecting me to steal something or start randomly vandalizing her store. That, or break something. I was looking through a neatly folded pile of throws (because I wanted to bring one home for my mummy), not wrecking the lovely fold job, and she freaked out and demanded that I stop touching things. Honestly, my reaction can only be described as:

O____O

Seriously. Had I been twenty or so, she wouldn't have even batted an eye. I guarantee it.

Thus, I had yet another experience of what I like to call the "ball of play-do" factor. Every piece of play-do can't be different. Oh, no. When you're teenager play-do, you're labelled a bad influence that does hard drugs, has sex with anything that moves, and behaves utterly outrageously.

I will not lie, I have been guilty of the last one. However, it is in an entirely nerdy fashion that harms nothing but the sanity of those around me.

Anywhoo. Bitches.

I love them. They are fun to play darts with in my head. >:)

And they're not my playing partner. More like something about a new nose job and a bullzeye...

I want to rant about them, but you can just see my "Frustrated" blog about idiots. I know that one pertains mainly to racism, but you can also seek my "You are Not Alone" blog for more on what I think of bullying. It's probably just because I am extremely tired, but I'd feel redundant if I ranted about it again.

Well, I think I'm burned out for tonight. Sweet dreams, late-night earthlings.

~ Ze NeRd

Being a Nerd: You are Not Alone. May the Force be With You.

So I'm a nerd. I will admit that straight-up, because it's something that I enjoy being. And really, people, being a nerd is one of the best things you can be.

It really ought to be a professional, high-paying career. Although, I suppose that careers really aren't meant to be THAT fun. In fact, I shall take the opposite train of thought: being a nerd should be criminal, simply because it is just that damn fun.

Ahem.

Unfortunately, however, I have met many a nerdy soul along the way of my life that feels that they are alienated for their differences. They wish that they weren't the way they are, because things wouldn't be so hard.

I can understand not wanting to go every day dealing with bullying and bad treatment just because you're different. Trust me, dudes. I have been there. I would like to offer you some semblance of relief, though:

You are NOT alone.

If it helps, I am with you in spirit. :D

I was lucky in high school. I met a large group of nerdy nerds that were just as nerdy nerd-like as I am. Most of us are still good friends, and we all do what nerds do best...TOGETHER! Whoo!

Those of you who have not been so fortunate, I promise you, you will find someone, or multiple someones. There are plenty of nerdy people to go around. Be it high school or university, you will meet those people who are comfortable enough with themselves to be themselves. My suggestion for finding them? Scope em' out.

If you're a geek for drama, then join the drama club. You like music? Join the band or the school choir. Further, get involved in things. Honestly, when I got invovled in stuff, I was shocked to find as many otakus (definition: Japanese word for someone obsessed with something, but the English definition is mostly pertaining to those who are utterly obsessed with anime/manga culture) as I did along the way. Seriously. They were EVERYWHERE.

Funnily enough, I'm still friends with most of them.

These are the friendships that you will come to cherish. These people are awesome. However, you don't need to limit yourself to nerds like you. One of my very closest friends is most certainly not a nerd in any way, shape, or form. Well, with the exception of a slightly creepy obsession with giraffes and a firm belief in the religion of Johnny Depp-ism (which is not a real relgion, people). The key is that she doesn't give half of a crap about what I'm like. These people, also, are awesome.

Just remember to be yourself. Let your life shape who you are. Don't let the people around you shape who you become. You are the only one with any right to choose the person that you will be in the future. Never let another person take that right away from you. If they do, then you need to put some serious space between yourself and that person/those people.

Frankly, this rant/advice piece was started when I was talking to a guy that I'm doing an anime fan dub with. We were chatting on Skype, and he mentioned that he doesn't have a lot of friends and gets regularly bullied because he's different. This upset me, as I went through this when I was younger, and I just wanted to put it out there to any person who finds this post and so happens to need this kind of help.

No one person is the same, so be YOUR person. Don't be anyone else's person. Become who and what you want to be, doing things that you want to do. You have to be able to look back on your life, thirty or forty years down the road and go: "wow. I'm happy with how I've lived my life, and happy with being the person I've been while living it."

This, fellow humans, is my advice to you who need it.

May the force be with you,
~ Ze NeRd

Song recommendation of the day? "Porn Star Dancing" by My Darkest Days. (The song just makes me laugh, because it's so freaking dirty....) Tee hee.

Frustrated: The Idiots in Our World

WARNING: this post jumps around a lot. Try to not have your brain implode while reading. Also, it addresses sensitive topics. Well, one sensitive topic and a whole LOT of stupid people.

So.....I was hanging around YouTube today checking out cosplay videos when I quite accidentally stumbled upon something horrifying. I don't know how many ways I can be synonymous with the word "pathetic", but I think the following rant shall cover it.

Anywhoo, there was this series of channels, under names such as "PureJapanese", etc. etc. posting videos about how (and I quote) "racist westerners" should not be permitted to cosplay.

To this, I say: bull CRAP!

Unfortunately, this person's (or these people's) videos are just another example of the racism and stupidity that constantly happens on this planet. As a firm believer in equality of all people of all ANYTHING, I cannot help but be completely outraged by such a blatant ignorance from someone claiming to be protecting the purity of their race, or some similar silliness.

Humanity is considered one species for a reason. That is because we are all HUMANS, we are all the same. Regardless of colour, eye shape, body size, facial structure, and whatever else, we still have the same basic structure. All of us are either male or female, we all have the same anatomies (barring male-to-female differences) and we all live on the same planet. To go around spouting nonsense about other races is just a waste of your time.

So, to all of you who feel like this "PureJapanese" person, I say: why? Why do you feel the need to put down other races? Why does it MATTER to you so very much?

Culture is definitely a beautiful thing. It adds diversity and wonder to the human race. I agree with you on one single front: culture is something to preserve. However, I disagree in the sense that it is not something to preserve to the exclusion and discrimination of and to all else.

I don't care if you're American, Canadian, Russian, British, Egyptian, Japanese, Korean, Indian, or anything else. You will never be able to justify your hatred towards any other race. This is a battle that you will FUNDAMENTALLY LOSE. I don't understand this need of yours. I never will. I hope that it brings you some sort of sick pleasure, because if you were doing it without deriving any sort of enjoyment from it, I'd wonder what's wrong with you. Not that I'm not already wondering that, because your issues are obvious and too many to name.

However, I wish to address the specific topic of "western cosplay". I do this particularly because I, myself, am one of these "western racists" that is apparently sullying Japanese culture by showing appreciation for a beautiful form of art that I've loved since childhood. Oh, yes.

Now. I would just like to make a point of saying that, though there are many awful cosplays on the net, "westerners" are not the only ones to produce them. In fact, I've seen many "western people" produce wonderful and accurate cosplays. Where do these people fit in this category of "awful non-Asian cosplayers"?

Even better, why does the "okay" group encompass all Asian cultures when anime and manga are specific to Japan? I hate to break it to you, but no Asian cultures are the same. Chinese people are not Japanese any more than Koreans are Vietnamese or Japanese or Chinese. (Insert other various cultures that are considered "Asian"). Following this ridiculous logic, wouldn't the argument only make sense if it said that only Japanese people should be allowed to cosplay, as it was created by Japanese people? Where is the line to be drawn?

Now, to delve deeper into this entire concept of racism: I think it's actually amusing that these groups have decided that all white people have to be racist. I GET that there have been issues between cultures, but they are between ALL cultures, not just one fighting everyone else. Racism is really, by definition, a hateful judgment against another based on race (loosely put). Thus, how are western people that adore anime and manga culture being racist? They are showing LOVE for something.

I was nine or ten when I started to get into anime. Honestly, I wasn't even old enough to understand or care about racism when I started to like that stuff. It wasn't until I started buying the anime DVDs that I even realized that anime/manga were of Japanese origin. Even after I found out, I didn't really care. I mean, to be stupid, am I racist because I like the French language? It comes from France, doesn't it? Am I a "racist westerner" because I take French classes in school? I'm a North American learning the language of a European culture, after all. Does that make me racist?

No. It does not.

If Japan didn't want anime or manga to be appreciated by people outside of Japan, the companies that create the various animes and mangas wouldn't market them in other countries. I mean, that's just ASKING for non-Japanese people to start liking it. How awful - that people will come to love a small part of Japanese culture. Man, I hate when that happens.

I actually read through the comments of this video (as I only saw one and was not interested in watching other videos filled with similarly bigoted stupidity) and was horrified equally by the people who responded to this anti-white racism in kind. Why, oh why, do people think that 'eye for an eye' works? If you say that: "oh, well then Japanese people are racist because they wear clothes that were made in America. Stupid racist Asian people," then you're being JUST AS BAD. This is not a competition of who is being the biggest idiot. By saying things like this, you are only enforcing the other's negative opinion. This entire situation is a vicious circle, one that too many people are dumb enough to keep going.

So that's all. I just wanted to address something completely asinine that has me utterly flabbergasted.

Please, if you are guilty of any of the above stuff, take my words into consideration and pull your head out of your rear end. Don't promote hatred of other cultures. It only reflects badly upon your person. Just because some people are stupid enough to agree with your views does not make your views righteous or good. You're a child if you think that.

Do as the hippies did, people. Spread the love.

~ Ze NeRd

A Review of That Which Sparkles.

It's TWILIGHT.

Okay, just to get this out there - I used to be a mega-fan of the story. I think it was a mixture of pre-teen angst and the fact that it wasn't popular yet, but I absolutely loved the story (with the exception of Breaking Dawn, which I will address in a moment).

...Until it became a world icon for the concept of vampirism. That was the point where I went: "okay, this pre-teen, sappy romance novel has taken things a little too far." I grew up appreciating stories like Anne Rice's Pandora, or Queen of the Damned. I also grew up on movies that depicted vampires as generally vicious, instinct driven creatures. Was vampire-human mating possible? Perhaps. Was is dangerous? Certainly.

But the vampires that I knew before Twilight had a tendency of burning in the sun, not sparkling like a cheap tank top from Wal-Mart.

On the whole, I look back and tend to wonder what the heck I was thinking. This series was a complete insult to good literature, and was the loading zone for just about every bad romance stereotype out there. Those who hated it from the beginning - I take my hat off to you.

From a pure writing standpoint, I think Breaking Dawn takes the cake for being the embodiment of bad fanfiction that was published and allowed into our local bookstores. Honestly. This, perhaps, may just be the cynic in me, but the story was TOO...happy. I lost every ounce of respect for Stephenie Meyer upon reading the fourth installment to an all 'round passable series. Was I disappointed? Immensely.

My biggest issue was the fact that Eclipse builds up to this extraordinary clash between the Cullens and the Volturi. This is also built even further into Breaking Dawn itself. I think the best visual I can give is one of those charts we were given as kids, you know the ones that were a labelled line of a story's progression? Beginning, turning point, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion. (I apologize if I missed any crucial segment). The entire story just sort of left off at the tip of the rising action. It built and built and built and built and built...

...but never came to a head. Nothing ever managed to get to that climax. I feel very strongly that Meyer was just too in love with her characters to let any sort of battle occur. Frankly, this was a major mistake, and cost her a lot of respect in the eyes of her older followers. The pre-teens loved it, but those of us who have grown up and realized that perfect happy endings do not exist were robbed of a good ending. I have this saying, when it comes to writing: you send twenty of your characters to war, and you know your writing sucks when twenty come back. That sort of thing is just not feasible. It's unimpressive, childish idealism. I wish that Meyer had taken a step out of her story, away from her fans, and written the last book the way that the world she'd created would allow it to go. She twisted and contorted everything that we'd learned to love about the Twilight world. I'm ashamed that I wasted my time to read the novel, actually. I would have been happier with the open ending of Eclipse.

...And let us not even get me started on Renesmee. As a hopeful writer, I would rather sever every finger I use to type than do something that horrific to my story.

Anywhoo, it was this problem with Breaking Dawn that led me to readdress the series as a whole. What I found, I must say, did not please me.

If forced to choose, Eclipse was my favourite. Perhaps it was the fact that Meyer actually managed to make herself kill multiple things (even if they were villains). I'm not sure, but of the four, it was the only part that I actually still enjoy.

Twilight in of itself, actually, is an awful novel. It's full of sappy drivel that asphyxiated me with its gooey-goodness. Ugh. Talk about a painful read. The romance of Bella and Edward was just too easy. I think Meyer just added in the whole "I vant to suck your blood" thing to try to make the romance seem less forced and immediate. I do not believe in soul mates, therefore I absolutely despised the whole cafeteria scene when she first sees him. (Which was done in an appropriately stereotypical fashion in the film adaptation). Further, the actual character of Bella herself is dull, uninviting, and impossible to connect with. When writing from first-person, you need a character that is relatable and realistic. Meyer seemed to disregard that in favour of a cardboard box cutout that served as a poor excuse for a progatonist.

If I had to give a serious rating on the entire Twilight saga, I would give it a very generic four out of ten. I know that may seem high to those of us who hate the story, but there are some appealing aspects to it that actually drew me in the second time around. However, I can't rate it average or even slightly above average because anyone over fourteen will gag on the cheesy romance, perfect outcomes to every situation regardless of severity, and suffocatingly pointless angst.

However, after all this bashing of Meyer's work, I found that The Host was an exceptional story. The plot moved a tad slow in the beginning (something that a few friends of mine found impossible to get past, so they never finished the book). If you're patient, however, you'll find that the plot was worth the wait. It's a generally well done fantasy/sci-fi novel with refreshing characters and a unique outlook on humanity itself. In my opinion, it's the best book Meyer's written, and I would be surprised if she trumped it in future years of her writing career.

Shockingly enough, Meyer's newest novel (a side-story of a character from Twilight saga's Eclipse) titled The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, was also an excellent (albeit unfortunately short) story. I recommend both this book and The Host, if you want something to read in your spare time.

~~ Ze NeRd