I'm Still Here, I Guess

Hello again,

Unlike last time, I'm not going to make any promises. By that, I mean I won't promise you that I'll write a blog everyday or put up a song of the week like I used to last year. That doesn't mean that I won't resort to going back to my old habits, but I just don't know what direction I plan on taking this blog in. 

I've had millions of thoughts running around in my head and out of this sea of thoughts sprung forth the idea that I should post in my blog again.

So, here I am. 

The last time I posted was in October 2012, here is what's going on with me these days:

1. I'm a senior in high school now, planning on graduating high school in less than a week.
2. I got my license on January 2013! I have deeply enjoyed having the opportunity to drive to and forth from school every day since. 
3. I made myself a commitment to be committed to fulfilling my schoolwork to the best of my abilities. Well, that never came to pass and I've been lazily going through my academic school year putting minimal effort into everything that I do. As a result my grades have been, well, what they would be if you put minimal effort into everything. I suppose I should be content with what I do have.
4. I got into the top 10% for my class. Which, by the time I figured it out, was well past the deadline for getting into the school I wanted.
5. To emphasize the last point, I didn't get into this school or this school and I feel...shallow.
6. On a more positive note, I got a new computer. Shout out Dell XPS and HP Printers, lol. No love, however, to Microsoft's Windows 8 (ugh), but it is tolerable...and aesthetically pleasing.
7. I have this new passion love for movies. Especially the abstract and artsy sorts, but I still watch other kinds of movies.
8. I need to find some new music.
9. I'm starting to read Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Rousseau. I've only finished the Introduction. So far, I'm not sure what to make of it. But then again, I haven't started reading the book.
10. I can't believe I'm saying this again, but my dad's in India. I certainly don't feel as emotionally attached to that now as I did last summer.

It's been interesting these days and I certainly hope to, through this blog, be able to express all of my thoughts and feelings about all the things that are going on. Even though I'm not content with the ups and downs and where I am right now in life, I guess I just be glad that at the end of the day,

I'm still here.

And in a way, that's what matters.

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Thanks for reading

P.S. This blog is getting revamped a little, again. Some of the widgets don't seem to be working right now.

I'm Getting Ready

Just a few minutes after this post, life is about to get a little more overwhelming for me. It's not just "schoolwork" lately, but greater expectations, requirements, desires, college applications, deadlines, wants, needs, and so forth. So before I embark on this quest, I must take this moment to size up what is before me, take a big breath, absorb it all in, and GO! 

So for the past few days, everything's has been fine. Not smooth sailing fine, but more "the calm before a storm" fine. Life has been throwing a few mostly curve balls directly at my face, but I've been swinging a good amount of them out of my way. However, it feels as if it's only a matter of time before the storm surges in and life becomes overwhelming. 

One thing that I have been doing lately is listen to more music, and it just so happened when I was tumbling through the interwebs did I find a brand new artist. Okay, maybe he's not that new, but he has been around for only a little while (say, a year or so) and his music is just reaching the hearts and minds of many men. His name happens to be Michael Kiwanuka, and he recently released a brand new album. A lot of people have recommended his music such as Nicole Kidman, John Mayer, and even BBC. Listening to his music has to have been one of the greatest moments of my life. I can't put a finger on what it is exactly, it's just so smooth and much needed in such a time of despair (for me, that is). I fell in love with the song "I'm Getting Ready", for reasons that I just can't seem to put in words. I think you will enjoy it, and I hope you pass it on to others.

Anyways, check out the song below, and below that is more information about him. Remember to share with others if you enjoyed it!

So that's my life lately. I think it's time to get ready for the unexpected.

Thanks for reading,

Click here to find out more about this soulful artist.

Acknowledging History is Hypocrisy

I found this video online when I was watching a few news videos of Iran's potential nuclear capability. It's a time lapse map of every single nuclear explosion throughout a span of 50+ years. It's one of the most amazing yet terrifying things that I've ever seen in my life. Since the video is nearly 15 minutes long (and possibly mundane), you may not be interested in watching the whole thing, but I would personally recommend watching at least the last two minutes of the video, starting from the 12:00 marker. I'm not trying to make a political statement by posting this, rather just to show how countries around the world are using nuclear weapons without consideration of its effects on people and the environment. 

It's funny how half of the world is throwing sanctions on Iran for their nuclear program but they fail to see who have been the repeat offenders throughout history. Like I said, I'm not blaming anyone in particular for this problem, but it's just something that people seem to disregard these days. For some of us, acknowledging history is hypocrisy.

Thanks for reading,

Sam R.

It's Been A While...

Yes, I'm well aware that it's been a long time since I've posted, but lately the only thing that I've been doing is schoolwork. You see, it's senior year at high school and I've gotta put a lot of effort towards getting into a good college which requires high grades as well as a high rank within the class. In order to do so, I've decided to place myself into more rigorous classes instead of just chilling my last school year (which by the way is not a bad thing to do). Anyways, that's nearly everything that's been going on in my life recently. 

Well, also this one kid that me and my friend always talk about. He's a great guy and getting to know him is quite interesting, but I always feel like I am judged under his eyes. Yes it's the human nature to judge others, but I feel as if he does it in an especially provocative and nearly a rude manner. I don't know, it's still a theory, but I don't think I am wrong. So yeah, that's my life these days. I'll try my best to post a little more on here but things obviously get in the way. 

Thanks for reading,
Sam R.

Song of the Week

I still haven't seen the Batman movie, but there is one thing that has fascinated me about it so far...the soundtrack. Usually, I put up a song that has written lyrics, a chorus, bridge, and so on. However, the soundtrack captivated my attention in such a way that I would not forgive myself if I didn't share it with those who read my blog.

I don't know what it is about the soundtrack, but it's just simply fascinating. The Dark Knight Rises had big expectations to fill for many moviegoers, especially after its Marvel rival released what many claim is its greatest movie so far, The Avengers. Without even watching the movie, I am impressed with Hans Zimmer's work on the soundtrack. Every single note for the song was carefully and keenly picked to fit the soundtrack of the movie. It is simply perfect for the movie, as it captures the darkness of Batman and those in Gotham City while displaying the magnificence and splendor that accompanies a superhero/action movie. 

After listening to a few pieces, it's made me look forward to watching the final part of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Yes, I have high expectations, but I'm really looking forward to see how the soundtrack and the raw film itself comes together to make one of the greatest works of film in the 21st century. 

Title: Rise

Artist: Hans Zimmer

Album: The Dark Knight Rises [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Year: 2012

So have you seen the movie? Comment below and let me know what you think of the film and the soundtrack. I look forward to your responses.

More information about the song and the album can be found here.

More information about the artist can be found here.

Thanks for reading,

Guess Who's Back?

So the Florida trip is officially over, I am back in Texas! Yeehaw!

Anyways, I'll try to post a few pictures that I took during the trip there and maybe blog about some other things that happened while I was down in Florida. 

So until the next post, I've got some unpacking and catching up to do. More blog posts will come in the next few days. Be sure to check out my Twitter on the right (if you're on the desktop version) and follow me on twitter!

Thanks for reading,

Moar Updates

That's right, it's another post that is not officially a blog post. I'm just putting this up here just to notify all my readers of many of the upcoming 'changes' to the blog.

1. I will still tinker around with the appearance of this blog - I was looking for a dark theme online, but so far I haven't gotten exactly what I've wanted. As you can tell, I've ironically ended up with the stark opposite. So yeah, be sure to check out some of the gadgets on the side. Share the blog with your friends, take the poll, or even translate it to a different language! I will also be tinkering around in the field of gadgets as well.

2. Less personal stuff - As it says, I'm gonna try and limit the amount of personal information that I put on my blog. Not like addresses, emails, and whatnot, but the things of my personality, how I react to certain things, and whatnot. Why, you may ask? That would be because of...personal reasons ;)

3. Expect slow posting for the next two weeks - Well, I've packed up my bags and I'm headed to Florida for a short vacation! Actually, the first thing that I've gotta to while I'm there is go to a conference, so the vacation aspect of it is actually not that big. Anyways, the point I was trying to make was that I won't be near many computers or laptop (I don't use the mobile app cause it simply sucks!) for a lot of time, which essentially results in less blog posts. I'll try to post some pictures and small thoughts while I'm there, but I probably won't get around to posting many blog posts at my usual rate (1-2 days). One thing that I'll still be on a little more frequently is Twitter, so if you follow my Twitter account, it's all good.

Anyways, these are just some small things that all of you, my readers, should expect for a while. If you enjoy reading my blog, don't forget to share with your friends!

Thanks for reading,