Poetic thoughts.

poetry |ˈpōətrē; ˈpōitrē|

noun

literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature : he is chiefly famous for his love poetry.

Something that is poetic tells a story. Whether it be through a painting, a song, or even a poem itself. A poem is a choice, it can be anything you shape it to be. The decision comes from you as you are the author.

I think poetry allows us to broaden our creativity and channel all of it in to a piece of writing. Poetry really has no boundaries, there are no rules in poetry. It gives me a sense of freedom and the ability to express what I feel.

Analysing poems can be useful. When I was in Grade 3 and 4, our English curriculum was heavily focused on poetry. We were taught to analyse poems and break apart the rhythms in to A/B/C patterns, a bit like deconstructing a song. We were also taught to make inferences and look between the lines to deeper understand the message and theme of poems. I think that it can be useful to do this as in the future, analysing skills can help with anything. What can be tedious is the fact that if you get a really in-depth, sophisticated poem, it might be hard and stressful to find the meaning.

This is one of my favourite poems. I first read it in Grade 4 and the message to it is really deep and connected with me. 

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

Nature.

When I hear the word nature, I think of greenery, trees, nice views and fresh air. I love going outside. Everyday, I find the time to go outside and take a break from all my homework, and I just breathe some natural fresh air. Whenever I am sick (i.e. having a cold), my mom always tells me,  "Just go for a walk around the condo. The fresh air will help." It really does help. I don't know how but it makes you feel less tired and it helps you sleep better. At least, that's what I feel.

My family really loves going outdoors so that has passed on to me. We go to places like Botanic Gardens and MacRitchie Reservoir about once a month just to spend some time outdoors. Sometimes, we just walk and other times we have a picnic. We also bring along our dog, because then the walk doesn't only benefit us, it also benefits our dog :) Also on holidays, we often make field trips to places like the beach or hiking trails. Every country has a different feel to the nature.

And at the end, we all enjoy ourselves. Even if we are sweating a lot and my dog is panting heavily, we always feel great :)

Lawson in Singapore

Hi,

Last friday, I went for a meet and greet with a band called Lawson. Lawson is amazing; their music is awesome and their backstory is really sweet.

They named their band Lawson after a docor who operated on the lead singer of the band, Andy Brown. Dr. David Lawson removed a brain tumour the size of a ping pong ball from Andy's brain in a chancy operation. I think its really sweet that they dedicated their band name to him :)

Anyways, I went to meet them with a couple of friends. They were really nice (and british hehe c:)! It was my first time meeting an actual celebrity (besides tennis players and other athletes)! That's what made this experience so special.

We got their autographs and took a photo with them! That was really cool. And surprisingly, I didn't get starstruck!

They were really nice people, it was easy to talk to them because after all, they are humans in the end (:

This made me think, why feel nervous to meet someone who's famous? Most people find themselves tonguetied when meeting celebrities. I think that you should feel fine, they will talk to you and act completely casual.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself and hope to see them again the next time they visit Singapore!

golden oldies.

http://barrygruff.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/80s-record-player.jpg

Just two nights ago, I went to a Journey concert. If you don't know who Journey is, it's the band that sings the original version of "Don't Stop Believing". Some people may only know them for that song because they're "old".

Who says oldies can't be golden?

I was astonished when people told me they didn't have a clue who Michael Jackson was until he died  in 2009. I grew up with the Beatles, Michael Jackson and others because of my parents. Michael Jackson used to be my favourite singer when I was 6, my favourite song was "Earth Song". Then when I was 11, my dad showed me a song by Black Sabbath called "Children of the Sea" which became one of my favourites too.

Music has been something everyone in my family shares as a common interest. My mom's favourite band is the Beatles so I grew up with their music. There was one point where I bought all the Beatles CDs for my mom's birthday, but I ended up downloading and listening to all the songs from them! My dad used to jam to Black Sabbath in college. He's even currently a drummer in a local band over here. For us, music is like a religion.

I know some people may relate to me but not very many, from what I know of. Old music is what made new music. This may be controversial but older music sounds better than some of the music produced nowadays.

I do enjoy listening to new music but sometimes, I just feel like listening to other music.

What are your thoughts?

Wake up.

The world is not what it seems.
Your lens deceives you.
What you see,
Is not what is the truth.
Or who knows, it might be.
But how do you know?
Wake up.

Life is full of shocks and surprises.
This is one of them.
Open the lens.
Close the lens.
Open your eyes.
Close your eyes.
Wait, open again.
What do you see?
Is what you see what you expect?
Not always, is the answer.
Unless you know the future.
Go back to sleep now.

Okay, so this is a poem I wrote when I felt like writing c: It's based on some thing I have realised in the past few days.

After reading What is the What, after learning about Israel-Palestine conflict, I've come to the realisation that the world is too complex. It's not what it seems. What lies behind the smoke-screen is often evil, bitter and shocking. But this is not always, it could also be beautiful and eye-opening.

I never knew about the details of the war in Sudan until I read What is the What. I never knew how people everyday are suffering so badly in Israel and Palestine.

It raised a question in my head. "Why does the world deceive me constantly? Why can't we not have a smoke-screen and know the 'truth' immediately?"

What is the What?

So far, I feel as if the book moves really slowly. The story has taken a long time to develop. At first, I found it slightly confusing because it switched between the present and past. I don't enjoy reading about the parts where he talks about the past in America, like the part where he describes Mary and Phil. Although he describes the parts in Sudan with too much detail, I still feel that it is more engaging than the parts in America. This book is quite perplexing in my opinion.

Even though there are parts I don't like reading, I still like the fact that I am learning about things I never knew about before I read the book. For example, I did not know that there was a civil war in Sudan, mainly because we only publicize the ongoing riots in Libya, Syria, etc. I also have learnt about the trauma of being a child on the move in the midst of a cultural war. Valentino describes his every thought and experience making you feel what it is like to have to run away from your family, how you have no food on some days, basically putting us in the shoes of a scared child in a horrible place. Though some of these parts are fiction, it still adds to the story. History always hits me hard, as if it is saying, "Wake up! This is happening. The world is not what you think it is!".

Overall, I feel the book is okay. I don't think it is something I would have read outside of English. The language is sometimes difficult to understand, as the book's audience is adults. When you think about the book, it was written for a reason. It was published to share a heart-shattering, trauma-filled story of the war hidden in the shadows. Why don't we share this story? Why do we only choose to share stories of war in WWII, Libya, Syria?

Photography Blog.

Hi,

Big news. I just made a photography blog!!!!!! It's called "Mischief Managed"(to keep up with my HP theme ;D). I'm really excited to share my photography with everyone. I'm not a proffessional person with a DSLR and all (though I wish I had one!) but I still like to share when I take good photos with my digital camera :)

So enjoy and enter a new world. I would love to hear your thoughts about it!

http://harrypotter1superfanphotography.blogspot.sg/