Cool Class

So in English two students performed their DI (duo interpretation for those you don’t know forensics).  Maybe I should clarify that.  DI has two performers.  They have to perform a piece in 10 min, they cannot touch each other, look at each other, lay on the ground, sing for more than 30 seconds, be separated by more than a hoola-hoop’s distance, and must have an intro to the piece. 

So the two students performed the piece and it was pretty good; they are going to NCFL (national catholic forensics league) on Saturday so they have talent.  Ryan, a random former student who was in the class and previous forensics student, gave some tips, but thought the piece was pretty decent.  Cody, our impromptu coach (yes I said impromptu, I made a forensics joke ok) nitpicked the whole performance.

Cody was also a former forensics student and is really amazing at performing.  He went through a few exercises and tips.  One of the girls needed to act like a little girl, so he demonstrated how little girls walk and coached her to do the same.  Another tip he gave was how to create a deeper voice to play adult males.  I didn’t realize how important vocal exercises were until he explained how braces destroy our natural speaking ability and we have to re-train ourselves to speak properly.  

Other than that, he also added comments to make the piece funnier.  In the beginning one of the girls is cutting food with a fake knife and swings the knife at the other girl accidentally.  Nobody understood this the first time so Cody changed that part to the girl evilly sharpening the knife and staring at an audience member, adding to the humor later.  Each person says their line and then the other person speaks theirs, but Cody wanted them to make subtle sly comments in the middle of each other’s talks.  Not only comments but also facial and hand gestures.  This added to the humor and believability of the emotion.  We took 50 minutes to memorize what is usually taught in a semester.  I didn’t realize how much effort goes into acting.  Cody knew what he was talking about and really helped them become way better performers.  It was one of the best English classes I have had in a while.  Hope those two do well at nationals. 

Lying Part II

Unlike my fellow blogger whose scenarios of lying focus on other people, my lying is more internal.  I find it impossible to lie to others.  I’m not a good liar and either I say the truth or say I don’t feel like explaining.  It isn’t because I think lying is a sin, I’m just really too lazy to come up with a decent one.  If I do lie, you could probably spot it too easily since I’m not used to doing it.  

Now about internal lies.  After reading 1984, I feel like my life is exactly that way.  No not a dystopia, but a world of false history.  In the book, the main character edits past events to suit present needs.  I feel like I do that all the time.  If I may, I shall mention Abhinav again.  His life is crazy and all, but I exaggerate his life even more.  Since what I say isn’t the truth, I’ll just say it as a lie for the sake of this post.  If repeated enough times, it becomes the norm and the “truth” in the working sense.  People know him by his reputation, not his actual endeavors (even though the things they know are just bloated versions).  

One good example of how I doublethink myself is the story of one of my first long term friends.  I don’t even remember how we met, but I remember the exaggerated story I created.  It was we were enemies until we started throwing pokemon cards at each other in a fight until eventually we became friends afterwards.  Now I don’t remember what caused our friendship, but I definitely know that didn’t happen.  I feel like I have done this a lot to my past.  Why feel? Because the essence of doublethink is you make yourself think the false fact is true.  If I have done this to myself then I wouldn’t even remember, which is scary.  It is only the ones I failed at completely solidifying I can notice. 

Sorry About That

To make it up, here is a poem.  I guess I was irritated when I wrote it.

Kyrie Eleison

What is the point of having a heart,

A fickle heart that can be crushed by a single tear.

Lost in the world, what tune did you play

when you tried to find your way? 

Did you sing of yourself?  Of the future you aspire?

A you that is greater than yourself.

That weak tune can’t even be admired.

But you are still a child

The song you sing talks of pain

that can only be called mild.

Go on living in your illusion,

Your screams only reach so far

The clear sky may seem nearby

But it is impossible to touch the stars.

The worrying heart worries, that is its only job

What change can take place from that?

Only a vermillion scar, a lethal throb

And the loss of everything you worked at. 

Voices resound in your ears, and you let them affect your mind. 

Stop letting their sorrows become your fears, and just leave the chaos behind.

Lying Part I

I said before I lie to myself.  I do.

Me writing this instead of the thoughts I have right now is proof that I do.

That is all.

Hobbies and Other Stuff

Writing a blog post when I have so much work? I’m crazy.

So hobbies…I don’t have any.  That is enough to say about it right? I have to say more? Sigh…

I hate those surveys asking you questions like “what do you do in your spare time.”  My answer ends up being either reading or guitar.  I don’t have hobbies like most people.  People find passion in the most random things and pursue them to their full extent.  I don’t know if I feel content, am too lazy, or have not been provided the right environment to construct my own hobby.  

Sort of related is how I notice I live through others.  I personally don’t have to do anything interesting, as long as I can talk to and empathize with people who do interesting things.  Reading is an escape for everybody.  People get emotionally invested into characters and empathize with them.  I do the same but a little more extreme. 

If I’m not reading, I’m probably irritating other people to tell me their stories.  I like to hear what others are doing.  It isn’t that I feel I’m doing it, but I still get that sense of being an accomplice of the deed.  If I’m not doing that, I’m off daydreaming stories up, stories I never seem to write down but are stuck in my head.  I’ll probably clarify that later.  

So to sum that up, I would be bored if it was just myself.  Whether through stories, self-made or not, or other people, I live through these disconnections from myself (connections with others is too sappy and not what I have in my mind).  Self-awareness is an active and acquired skill, and I probably thoroughly confused anybody who is reading this.  Don’t think I understand myself, but I try to make my thoughts coherent.