Quick and Sweet

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

It's the Holidays(ish)!

Hello, and an early Happy Holidays to you! I'm already off school as exams are over now!

Mindscape will not be updated as often this holiday, as I'll be busy on my new project: K and N Holiday Novels! I'll still post a couple of times here, but not as often as it might be expected since I have so much time on my hands.
Yeah, yeah, I know I already have a lot of stuff on my hands already like Puppetmaster Story and Teen and T-shirts but this is a challenge for me to write almost everyday and to create an "alternate reality" story.

So check out the progress on the novel blog, and give some feedback :)
Thanks!

Exams start tomorrow. 

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gravity

Sometimes I wonder 

that maybe 

gravity 

is created by a machine 

that the government uses 

to keep us here... 

under their control.

Maybe we can really breathe 

in space 

but they are scared of us 

wanting more than 

they can give us. 

I

really

do

wonder.

A Late Fall Evening

The pale full moon 

veiled by the pastel clouds 

hangs above the stark branches 

in the still light sky. 

So washed out, 

it doesn't compare to the vibrant 

reds, 

oranges 

and purples 

behind me as the sun sets, 

its brilliance refracted and magnified by the 

glassy towers 

and pinnacles. 

But as the sky darkens 

and clouds turn to a dark grey 

that blends into the night, 

the moon 

is now a bright disc above my head 

with a single star accompanying it.

Fourteen Candles

He walks into the classroom, 

brandishing his gun. 

His shouts echo around the room 

ordering the men and women to separate, 

punctuated by the gunshots he fires.

Fear and tension starts to thicken 

in the air. 

He shouts at the women, 

saying he hates them, 

hates their kind. 

All hell broke loose.

Gunshots are heard throughout the school.

The man believed his actions 

were just. 

By the end of the day, there were 15 dead.

14 women 

and the man. 

----------------------------------

The girls light their candles, 

their fourteen candles, 

shining light upon the white ribbons. 

They gently blow the flame out

just as the women's hopes, 

dreams 

and lives had disappeared.

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique massacre that happened in Quebec. A 25 year old man walked into the engineering school and started systematically murdering women, and then commits suicide. If you'd like some more history on this tragedy, here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/École_Polytechnique_massacre

Because of this violent and awful incident, December 6th is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women day. 

Please take a moment to remember those women who have suffered or died because of female-targeted violence. And all you guys out there, please take the pledge to never be violent towards women and to never stay silent about it if you know. Thank you.

Mindscape's Birthday

Whoa. Wait a sec. It's November 25th today.....
I just realized this blog has just reached its 1st birthday yesterday.
It seemed only a short while ago that I started!
So yeah.

To all my beloved readers,
thanks.
Your support has kept me going for this whole time.
When I had all those times where I had nothing to write, knowing someone is reading my stuff is awesome.
Even if some of that stuff isn't my best work.
I really hope you'll continue to read my stuff.
It makes me feel good to get some of my stuff out into the world. And to get some feedback. It really helps in my times of troubles.

I'm feeling too moved right now to write a poem.
Oops.

The Darkness Inside

The darkness inside 

is hidden by the light, 

a caged beast that has fallen asleep 

with boredom. 

Everything is normal. 

But sometimes, 

I let the beast out 

and let it unleash its claws 

and bare its teeth. 

I can feel its hunger resonate inside me, 

so hungry for destruction 

and despair. 

The veil of light 

slip away... 

I don't stop it. 

Havoc is wrecked.

When the beast is sated, 

it stretches and cleans its fur, 

wiping away the blood and gore 

that has collected on the teeth and claws. 

It slinks back away inside 

and I shut the door, 

barricading it in 

until the beast become restless 

once again. 

My stories and poems can be very dark. People dying, having tortured lives, traumatized, brutally murdered, killing in cold blood, revenge... you get the gist. Now if you were to see me, you'd probably think I'm the cheerful, smart who has no evil inside. But the darkness just doesn't come out to play very often on the outside, unless I totally snap. I, instead, let it wreck some havoc in my fictional world. Be warned when you read my stories....

Waiting For The End (A response to the song by Linkin Park)

Waiting for the end to comeWishing I had strength to standMy knees buckle and shake beneath me, and I wish I never started to begin with.
This is not what I had plannedIt's out of my control....The fire has gone wild, and as I stand in the middle of the blaze razing everything that stood between us to the ground.
What was left when that fire was gone?Only ashes and regret as I shift through the char, holding the burnt match in both hands.
I thought it felt right but that right was wrongDoing this all for the two of us, I thought we were saved when I destroyed it all.
All caught up in the eye of the stormAnd trying to figure out what it's like moving onThings toil around the two of us, a false sense of calm inside my soul,  perhaps if we 

moved on from the past we can save whatever's left.
And I don't even know what kind of things I've saidMy mouth kept moving and my mind went deadMy voice and shouting set off this madness, I wish I could take back my hurtful words that I didn't realize I was saying until it was too late.
So, picking up the pieces, now where to begin?The hardest part of ending is starting again!

All italicized words are from the song "Waiting For The End" by Linkin Park. One of my fave songs! I always wanted to try writing a response to the lyrics, as the lyrics are really powerful. They're not in order here, but I chose some of my favourite stanzas. There's nothing personal this time. At least not currently.

Read more: LINKIN PARK - WAITING FOR THE END LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/waiting-for-the-end-lyrics-linkin-park.html#ixzz1djAyBBwH
Copied from MetroLyrics.com 

Remembrance Day (In response to "In Flanders Fields)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Poppies grow, 

red with the blood spilt 

upon the land, 

each representing a different soul.

The birds still sing to this day 

their praises and songs for the souls above, 

perhaps remembering the day 

the guns fell silent 

and they could once more be heard.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

We are the Living. 

Today we stand and remember those who 

made the ultimate sacrifice 

and those who continue to fight for our country 

and what they believe in. 

We see the sunrise and fall, 

we love and most of all 

remember.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The torch is heavy, 

yet we hold it high above our heads 

and pledge on our hearts 

that we'll never forget 

those who are dead 

or fighting 

for us, 

so they may forever sleep 

in peace 

in Flanders fields.

All writing in italics is from the original poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae

The rest was done by me.

Lest We Forget

Twilight Zoo

Went to Kitchener-Waterloo, St. Jacob's, Elora and Fergus on Sunday with family. Elora had this cool art thing going on called the "Twilight Zoo" where a former special effects artist created creepy and ginormous lanterns. We went during the day, so things didn't look too creepy, but they get lit up at night! So cool! We didn't get to see them though... but here are some pics of the ones we saw. Enjoy!

Apparently this looks like a Dire Wolf from a TV show.

This belonged to a pirate ship

Same here

And here

Centipede... of sorts.

Did you know gods of death were sometimes depicted with horns?

Reminds you of one of those Egyptian statues of cats, doesn't it?

An arachnophobic's worse nightmare

OK. So this isn't creepy, but rather cute.

This is the creepiest one in my book

It's the Loch Ness Monster!! Last year it was floating on the river on rafts.

What is in the basket? I wonder...

This is a very close second in creepiness. Very close.

Photos 2

Just thought I'd share some pictures from the Thanksgiving weekend... it was so beautiful! Perfect lighting and weather for picture taking and hiking. 

Thinking of Pink

When I think of 

pink, 

I think of you: 

the smiling, 

happy, 

optimistic, 

romantic, 

manga loving, 

poking, 

pigtailed 

sweetheart. 

You are 

the personification 

of pink, 

the go-lucky ball 

of energy 

always looking at the world 

through rose coloured glasses: 

you dye the moments we have together 

in pink.

I wish we had 

more moments to share, 

more memories to create, 

more time together, 

but don't forget that 

even if you're leaving us, 

you're not rid of us yet! 

Good-bye, Veronica! We'll miss you!!! We won't forget the girl that (even if only for 3 years) dyed our world pink. Even as we grow older, a patch in the quilt we call "Life" will be coloured pink and have your name etched on it. 

What Happened To The Boy Who Said, "It Only Gets Better"?

What happened? 

What happened to drive 

you beyond the security 

of you friends' words and 

family's love?

What happened to push you to the rock bottom? 

What happened to the boy 

that was able to write about it 

day after day, 

who said, "it only gets better"? 

What happened? 

Was it the ignorance? 

Was it the words that were thrown at you 

from all directions, 

piercing you like daggers 

until it reached your very 

core? 

Was it the people who failed 

to take a stand and 

stop it; 

the crowds of people who just 

stood and stared? 

Was it the ignorance? 

What if I was there? 

Would I have been able 

to stop you? 

Would I have been able to hug you, 

reassure you that you weren't alone, 

that you would be able to cope with it? 

Would you have lived? 

But it's too late 

to ask questions now. 

For those of you who haven't heard, a 14 year old gay boy who was teased and taunted mercilessly committed suicide very recently. Here's a link if you'd like to read more about it, and watch the video he posted earlier this year: http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/another_heartbreaking_gay_teen_suicide/ 

Reflecting upon this, I realize this is a tragedy that could've easily prevented, if people took notice and took action. Instead, this boy was left alone to fight off a relentless attack of insults, and eventually felt that life was not worth living. I am ashamed for those who didn't take a stand when they could, for those who let this pass by without notice and those who kept on saying and doing hurtful things. So please, if you ever have the chance to stop bullying of any kind, whether it's about sexual orientation, gender, race, etc. DO IT. Maybe you'll prevent something like this from happening ever again.

Twin Towers Of Rubble (A 9/11 Memorial Poem)

10 years 

have passed since 

the towers lit up 

in flames, 

twin columns 

of smoke and 

twisted steel slowly 

starting to crumble. 

10 years have passed 

since we watched 

men, women and children 

flinging themselves out of windows in 

hopeless desperation, 

waiting for 

a miracle to happen, 

for them to sprout wings and fly to safety, 

but nothing happened and 

onward they fell 

onto twin spears of rubble, 

cement and 

glass. 

We could only watch 

the tragedy happen, 

as many risked and lost 

their lives to 

protect others 

 through the false intimacy 

of television, 

and we wish we could 

reach through the screen 

and help, 

that we could catch those falling 

and those stuck inside, 

but many miles and a 

pane of glass separates us 

from them. 

~~~~~~~

We cannot rewind the past. 

We cannot undo what has 

happened, 

what foolish actions 

humans decide to do. 

All we can do 

is bow our heads 

and remember the 2,977 victims, 

even if it is 

10 years since 

September 9th, 2001. 

Even though I was only four at the time, I remember 9/11. The adults talking, the pictures in the newspapers the next day, the footage on T.V. When I searched it up today how many lives were lost, it shocked me. 2,996 deaths (including the hijackers) were counted. 2,996 lives disappeared in one day. For those who haven't done so, please have a moment of silence and honour the dead, no matter where you were when 9/11 happened. 

I try to 

funnel the thoughts 

and words in my 

head, 

trying to make 

them into 

comprehensible sentences 

and sort them out 

into meaningful poems, 

not just a 

jumble of 

scattered ideas. 

How ironic that 

when I have the ideas, 

I have no idea how to 

write it.

You know how I was complaining earlier that I couldn't think of anything to write? Now I have too much to write about!!! Ahhh!!!! With the 9/11 tenth anniversary coming up and school starting a couple of days ago, my mind's in a big mess right now. 

Anyways, Happy Birthday Veronica!!! And Happy (early) Birthday to Neetya and Lizzie!!!

Of Curiosity and Boundaries

We push our boundaries, 

together reaching 

for those moments of undefined 

wonder and discovery, 

our endless curiosity propelling us 

farther and farther beyond 

what we could understand as 

the end, 

what we could understand 

as the limit, 

and our view of 

our world changes.

I meant to post this up for awhile! I went to see the Cirque Du Soleil show "Totem" on Sunday, and it was AMAZING. It explored the journey of humans -from the evolution to our hopes to fly-  in so many fascinating acts. As I was reading the program, they made many references to how we, as humans, are always changing and curious, and how we always want to go beyond what we had set as the boundaries (like wanting to fly). If you ever have the chance of seeing Totem, go see it.  

Uncertain

I wish I could 

offer you more 

certain answers,
something more than
"It's complicated,"

but I'm not even sure myself 

where we are, 

if we've made the step 

out of this 

no-man's land 

that could go either way;

with one foot on each side 

I wonder 

where I'm going, 

if I'm leaving or coming 

to one or the other, 

if I'm making the right choice 

to leave this place of uncertainty. 

So please, 

let me stay by your side 

until we can decide, 

together, 

where to go next.

I offer no explanation about this one. 

Photos

Because I'm totally uninspired, I decided to post some photos I took awhile ago at our family friends' cottage. Some of these were at the actual place, and some were taken at the surrounding islands.

Untitled 2

Another day spent 

casting my lines out 

into the depth of my mind, 

fishing for inspiration 

in the jumble of ideas and 

words and 

hoping to string together 

another poem. 

So here I am now, 

sitting with nothing to say, 

nothing to write, 

patiently waiting for 

something to bite.

Sigh. I have no inspiration to write anything. I've totally neglected my blogs (I'm sorry, readers of Puppetmaster!!!) and my writing. Whatever happened to the days I could just pluck out something and write??? Sigh... I guess I had just enough imagination to churn this out, but otherwise, I have nothing.