Author Archives: logish

03/5/08

The Red Mist of Nostalgia

This is a recount of a dream I once had.

—

I stood rooted to the cold concrete, entranced by what I saw. Before me were glowing red mists, swirling in a curious fashion.

It gained momentum and slowly manifested into people I knew. At this point more than twenty of them faced me.

Though, they still had the reddish quality of the mist, each were frozen into the mannerisms they were well-known for. He had his trademark smirk, she had her cheeky grin; another had his hand on his nose, as if he had been rubbing it previously; yet another had her left eyebrow raised in exasperation.

I gazed on, appreciating the quirks of my friends. I thought about how they left a huge impact, even though some didn’t talk much to me. This is the funny quality of youth. Drama was always round the corner. I continued my reminiscences and contemplations.

Suddenly, just as mysteriously as my friends had manifested, each of them began to glide swiftly away from me. One by one they reached a certain distance, and there they lost their statue-like quality. With a whooshing sound, they had once again become smoky red; the mist that they were fashioned from.

All this while, as they left, I felt a distinct emptiness. Deep down, I knew it would eventually happen but I chose to ignore the truth of it.

So lonely…

Logen

03/2/08

Have You Seen Something But Failed to Notice It

There are moments in life, I’m sure, when you get too encumbered by thoughts. As a result, you do not live in the present moment; to see but not notice; to hear but not listen. Remember the last time you looked at a book, but none of the words made way into your brain?

Just this evening I was dining in at Botak Jone’s. I was served my meal, and the waiter clearly asked for $14. I rummaged through my wallet and then handed him two $10 and two $2 notes ($24). About to dig into the food, he politely told me that I had given him ten dollars over.

What the heck? I heard him say $14 for sure. But somewhere along the way, it seemed correct to overpay.

I will no doubt be more alert in the future, but it seems that I’m blur by habit. When out with friends, talking while crossing the road, I rely on them to look out for traffic. On a few occasions, someone had to pull me back to prevent myself from flying.

Anyway, I’m hoping Vipassana meditation can help with organising my perspective. This form of meditation reminds one of the transient nature of life, and the importance of letting go. Furthermore, there are studies that have shown meditation to be effective in developing astuteness.

Logen

03/1/08

Benjamin Franklin Tells You To Change Your Habits

Everyone knows who Benjamin Franklin is. Better known as an inventor who flew a kite during a terrible storm, he was also one of the founding fathers of the United States.

However, my focus is neither his scientific nor patriotic contributions. Quite the contrary and seemingly insignificant, it is his “life-list” that is of interest.

When he was twenty, Benjamin Franklin developed a plan. He wanted to attain moral perfection and therefore wanted to cultivate 13 different virtues. Each week he focused on working at one virtue.

At the end of the 13 weeks devoted to the 13 virtues, he’d repeated the cycle. Hence, moving closer and closer to his goal of moral perfection.

If you’re trying to change or inculcate new habits. Here’s what I’m trying to illustrate from this tale.

  1. Focus on a few goals at one time
  2. Practice Makes Perfect

—
1. Focus on a few goals at one time

The power to change lies with the amount of focus we give. Usually, we’d take on more goals than can be handled, at one time. Needless to say, the only result is being overwhelmed and feeling smotheringly incompetent.

When we undertake too many enterprises of equal priority, it becomes difficult to focus.

Focus on few goals at a time. Change gradually by breaking each goal into small steps. You will want to do things at a manageable pace; not an overwhelming pace.

2. “Practice makes perfect“

Consider this cliche, because it is true. Eugene had kindly reminded me that an average human takes 14 days to form a habit. 14 days of repetition is what it takes.

Repetition was a key feature in Franklin’s quest for moral perfection. He repeated the cycle of 13 virtues perpetually, just to make it a part of his lifestyle.

It is easy to make change. The question is: can you maintain it? Make use of repetition to form habits, which eventually will handle the job of maintenance.

—

If you think about it, the Benjamin Franklin model of developing virtues can be used if we seek to change any habits. Weight-loss, for example, seeks to lose weight through (presumably) healthy eating habits and exercising.

Logen L.

02/28/08

Waste Not The Sands of Time

Contrary to school days, I’ve taken to handling life at a sedate and relaxed pace. I don’t recall the last time when I stopped my mental banter, just to appreciate the purple evening sky coupled with the scent of rain. To truly contemplate circumstance without being affected personally.

Purple Skies

While I may be relaxing, I have not become unproductive with time. After all, time is the essence of life, without which, life wouldn’t exist at all.

The issue I face, however, is procrastination. In a previous blog entry, for instance, I explicitly intended to design the layouts for both Justice Tribunal and Logish Paradox. Yet I avoided the two and instead, designed my uncle’s website. I noticed on several occasions that I have a knack for doing so; avoiding my written plans and doing something else.

I did some pondering and could only guess that the fear of failure is acting up. I’m subconsciously afraid of letting myself down, especially when I planned certain things and announced them in the blog.

Then again, for me to confess this fear, makes it sound ridiculous. And it is. I can only work at it. Success is never a result of inaction.

Logen

02/27/08

Peace Exist Only In Dreams

Sometimes I watch the news, and at other times chance upon information. Both of which, force me to contemplate my existence and question my worth. Is reality as bleak as it is? Or should I deceive myself into positivity?

For sure hope stands with me. If it were otherwise, I’d have been dead, three years before, in my own hands. Sensibly, I made an oath to myself to fight and defend, and that I shall do.

The sad thing is, I’m nowhere near my goal. I know for a fact that I’d never see it in my natural lifetime. But for those who have yet to live life, it shall be worth the fight. To create a reality where peace exists among people.

Logen

02/25/08

More CSS Problems

This is a follow-up on the prior entry. I was talking about designing a layout using CSS and how the browsers were giving me problems. I have since sorted it out.

However, I have a new issue: screen resolution. Just as I was about to complete the layout, I tested the site on a 800 by 600 screen resolution. The results were shit. Everything was cramped together. In simpler words, if this isn’t clear enough, I have to redesign everything.

I don’t even want to think about it…

I’ll be better off using a premade layout but this option feels like cheating.

Logen

02/24/08

Layout Design Woes

Three years ago, I made a business deal with my uncle to design his company’s website. My uncle runs a property management company. During these years, I’ve been pestering him for pictures to include in the portfolio and design, but to no avail. Clearly, due mainly to this, the website is yet to be completed.

Nevertheless, I’m determined to finish it within the week.

Having started yesterday, I was extremely irritated when working with CSS. I had finished part of the layout when I decided to test the page on three different browsers for compliance; Internet Explorer worked fine, Firefox and Opera were having problems. Everytime I corrected issues on one side, another browser would have a problem.

I shall do some experimentation today, to identify the dumbass feature that is causing this.

Logen L.