Tuesday 24 February 2009

Short blog

Hey!

So, this is my first "proper" blog in a while, there's not a lot to say actually.
Today I begun watching the drama adaptation of LIFE, I'm onto the fourth episode, it's really powerful and at times hard to watch.
For those of you who don't know what LIFE is, LIFE is a manga by Keiko Suenobu and it deals with a wide variety of issues, mostly bullying and self harm, the drama, however, doesn't include the self-injury.

LIFE is about a high school student named Ayumu and her descent into depression, starting with her best friend attempting suicide after Ayumu got into the school which she wanted to get into. Thus starts Ayumu's self-harm.
It deals mostly with depression, bullying, rape, and many similar topics.

The manga is fantastic and the drama really brings it to life (haha pun intended).

But, regardless of who you are and what your outlook is on things it makes me wonder "Hmm, should I have done that instead of what I did?"
I guess it makes you realise, just how bad bullying is in its many guises.

Suenobu's manga are always hard hitting and LIFE certainly is.

It makes me sad about a lot of things that I could've done different, things I could have said, and things I could've bit my tongue on.

But the past isn't worth talking about, isn't it the future we need to focus on? I think I should think about things a lot more.
I realise I can be an extremely selfish person, an extremely mean one too. But I try to better myself, even if I think it's useless to try.

But, back onto the subject, LIFE has to be one of the most powerful manga I've read in a long time, in fact it is the most powerful manga I've ever read.
I think that everyone should at least watch the drama or, even better, read the manga.
All though it's a shame that the manga hasn't yet been licensed in America.
It's the type of manga that after you've read a chapter you want to read more and you want to read until the character's end comes, whether it's a demise or a happy ending.
I think it's also useful in helping people realise what goes through the head or people who've been the victim of bullying, rape, etc. and who've fallen into the trap of self-injury.

But yeah, other than that, the day has been okay. I've managed to waste it again.
I'm feeling all right, a little under the weather though, I hope that I'll feel better soon.

Oh, by the way! I recently got promoted in the clan (in case you haven't notice, this is aimed at Sarah). So while you got promoted before me, I have an entire sub-forum to myself. Haha!
Actually it's hard work, I'll try my best though!
I guess this is all I have to report for now. So I guess I might blog later if something crops up. I doubt it will though.

Sarah reckons I should write a story. Isn't she silly? XD
I can't write at all. ^^

じゃ、またね~!

P.S. 恋しがる。 ^^;;

Monday 23 February 2009

Commiserations and Commemorations

So, welcome to my new blog, which doesn't really have a name other than "Working Title," which sucks. In any case, with the opening of a new blog, I hope to be opening up a new era (the 2009 era) of my blogging. So I'll endeavour to blog in a more mature style and focus a little less on myself (which I doubt I will). But without further ado, I'll post all the poetry I can find, in this introductory post from my earliest work, to my most recent (so hopefully you'll see a maturation).

Untitled
This would be my first ever poem, it's actually a little embarrassing to re-read my work, but hopefully you'll disregard it as a mistake of youth. I'm not really sure what I was feeling (if anything) whilst writing it, but, here it is.
There was actually...Elizabethan English in this poem, but I took it out.

The scars upon my arms,
The knife covered in my blood,
The pain that I inflict,
Giving some release, from a cruel world,
The death, the darkness, the wars than Man creates,
And if a God, did exist, surely he would try to intervene?
A cruel world and a "loving" God,
The suicide, the tragedy, the bitter, cruel remorse,
For things we wished to say but never did,
To which we could have gave our pride,
But now to you, I give my word,
The pain was short, and to you who hurt,
I was no one, so please forget,
Don't remember,
Don't regret,
The pain for me has now gone,
So for you why should it stay?

Shadows
So, this is another one I don't like, this time I've left the Elizabethan English in, but this is it in its unedited, raw form, before I rewrote it.

Thou art condemned to leave, sad, lonely and heart broken
At Thy wake the devil shalt dance, at thy birth the world did die
Loved by no one
Hated by all
Thee lay to sleep but no dreams come
For thou art harassed by the shadows of thy room
The emptiness that was created far too long ago.

Every shadow, a different lie.
Every shadow another one dies.
The knife by the sink the bloody bed.
The life you took a falling star.
Shadows of the people that you hate
They hated you but now they die.

At the end what’s the point?
The touch of death
A banshee cry
Pain that fades
Regret that’s stays.

Talking shadows drive you insane
People scream what do you gain?
You swore never to let your hate show
But now they know
Where will you go?
Your life in ruins
The one you love
Everything you stood for then
Was nothing important?
How did you change?

Deathly Silence
I guess you could say this is my first ever narrative poem, first of many. I guess this is yet another depressing poem. It was inspired by (Don't Fear) The Reaper.

Deathly silence covered that room...
Where laughter and love once bloomed...
Something happened, something changed
Nothing that, no-one could explain
A mysterious disease which no cure hath been found
Three words could've summed up their feelings for each other
Their pride was too high, they would never ever say
But the price of that was of what I tell in this
She held the razor on her milk-like skin
A tear dropped from her beautiful eye
She whispered what those three words were
"I love you...” she then held on her hands were trembling
She signed the contract for the Devil's law
She pressed on hard and screamed out loud
No one was there, and no one heard
Her last dying words were uttered slowly
"He doesn't feel the same way about me"
Her lips went pale her head fell limp.
The room died with her final breath.
As he walked up to the door, he rapped it twice
No one heard, he knocked real loud, but still not a sound
Calling clear but still to no prevail he tried the door
To find it open, as it creaked no one came to greet him in
He yelled her name, the one of whom he had his secret love
His face was puzzled and worried too but he boldly walked to her bedroom door
He clutched the frame going pale; he screamed with shock, “No this can’t be true”
He ran to her side when he saw the blood, he saw the razor about her wrist
He held her close as if she slept, but he couldn’t accept her suicide.
Tears escaped out of his eyes “How could this happen?! I love her so…”
He hit the floor to pick up the blade bared his soul n’ ran it down his wrist
He held her closer and kissed her cheek, as he drifted in and out, this terrible state.
His soul was spared with lack of pain, when the curtains blew, and the lights flickered
Much like their life…

Shadows
This is the rewritten version of Shadows.

Leaving behind the past condemned by every lie
Shattering a heart made of tempered glass.
A funeral prophecy, where devils dance in a blood covered sty
Shadows of a past, it happened in a room not known by him, far too long into the past
It haunts the sleep with ungodly fear
This is the result of emptiness of too long ago in a black atmosphere

Chorus:
Shadows of your past mistakes
They found a knife beside the bed
The covers were covered in a blood of which guilt makes
The life that was took, no-one even knew, knew they were dead
Shadows of the guilty fate
Manifested from that hate

On the step a banshee cried
No-one listened that’s the end
Pain that faded
Regret which stayed
Now this fate the clergyman laid

Chorus

Bridge:
The talking shadow of sanity’s bane
A lonely scream not to be heard
For what happened that fateful night
No-one died and no-one knew

&
This is...a strange poem, I really don't like it, but I think that it will show my "poetic growth."
I also just renamed it.


& I’m sat here, alone and typing this.
& I’m thinking, so… this is love
& yeah, this must be love, yeah that feeling they all rave about
& so I sit here thinking, love is complicated, I’m happy then sad…
& then I’m happy and depressed, and my heart is caving in
& then… you save me… yeah that’s the word, save me from me
But… I can’t say how I feel, it’s complicated… like & I can’t express it…
But I’ve never felt like this… and I’ve never known this && I’m not used to this…But I’ll try… &…and for you…
The feelings come and question my heart… &…& would I want to be with her for the rest of my life…? And I know the answer… I couldn’t imagine this, and I want it to happen and I want to be with her… I want to be with her until… &…Till death I do part… and how could I ever show it…? I mean, how much you mean to me, and express my true feelings much more easily, There’s no words to describe you, and there’s no simile to compare you, and there’s nothing but to do, but tell you often && share this life with you…

& I can do this… because… I love you…

Frozen Inside
This is the start of my semi-decent poetry.

Empty inside, a frozen figure
This ice can never melt
The furnaces of Hell couldn’t melt this screen
Shutting out the world
Seeing from the frosted glass
Distance is all but one
Of these symptoms to be froze in time
To be lost in direction
Not a compass of a map will free this statue’s still
Nothing, no nothing, for he is far too empty inside.

(Together) Always and Forever

On this long and deadly road
We tread so carefully
Many trails in our way much like a tragic ode
Many hindrances faced just like a stormy sea
But… together we should make it
This long and deadly path
The trails life will throw as me however
They shall be no problem if you are here with me.

Although our paths have crossed
Maybe they shall meet once more.
Together we could face these trails that this heart has lost
Together always and forever we’ll mend more heart that’s sore
Together always and forever…

Sunrise
I tried my had at acrostic poetry, and I think it turned out pretty well.

S - Swarms of colour flood the earth
U - Underwater glistens colours so sublime
N - New romantics watch the sun, as it glows on their lovers skin
R - Rise and shine as the cockerels crow, screaming out their mighty roar
I - Indecision in the air, the alarm clock rings giving off a scare
S - Showers flood the tiled floor, the drain of to the sewage core
E - Every morning that passes by the sunrise is quite a high

Day after Day
Another sun-related poem, written at the same time as "Sunrise," which was when I was staying up all night with Maria.

As sunrise appears beyond the drowsy horizon
As the nation wakes up a million screaming clocks
Getting up to face another day, another con
Another day, another day, leading to another knock

As the sun sets, everybody forgets they events of their day
At least they try, to cast away the nightmare of reality
As the clock strikes 12 many people pray
For strength for more callouses...

To face another day

Seasons
I actually entered this into a competition, needless to say I didn't win. ^_^

The world all around us
Changes as we speak
The four seasons give the year a buzz

Starting in December
Cold, dark and wet
This season is Winter
When everything is asleep

The second starts in March
Getting warmer, the sun comes out to play
This season is Spring, with the rain your never parched
This is when you hear the lambs they bleat all through the day

halfway into the year the third begins in June
the weather is now very hot, never cloudy weather
this is known as Summer the holidays start soon
travel to Blackpool, and see everyone crowd together

The year has almost ended, and the last season begins in September
It’s starting to get colder now the trees have lost their leaves
This is called Autumn and it’ll soon be December
Time for you to go to school and roll up your sleeves.

Lithium
I guess this is more of a song? I don't know, it was coupled with one whose working title was "My Emo Cloud," which never got finished and I don't actually remember it.

The summers light
It has been devoured by the fall
And these thick black clouds
The are crying acid tears

Chorus:
So dose me up on Lithium
'Cause I can't stand it anymore
Give me my overdose of Lithium
My favourite drug

The days are much more colder
Without your radiant smile
And now I've lost your gentle touch

Chorus

My mind is vaccant and useless
No way to find my love
Among the deep dark waters
And up in the castles of the skies

Chorus

Now...I won't ask once more
Give me my lithium
My overdose...
Of Lithium...

Kimono
This was actually a commision, which I don't do often, but anyway, I wrote it for my friend Gemma, but it's widely considered my best ever poem. It's a narrative poem, by the way.

Long ago:
They fluttered around Gion like flowers in the breeze,
The long furisode of the maiko once scraped along the ground,
The hanamachi were odorous with the smell of sakura incense,
All this beauty, hidden behind the fragile veil of flowers,
The mysterious world, covered in secrets not to comprehend.

Who could have foresaw, the tragedy that befell this peaceful life?
The crumble and decay of this delicate existence,
The panic and furore that was caused in this intimate land,
The tragedy exposing the thousand year old antiquity
And at this point, things were never the same again

Legends of the East, brought back to the West
Never understood, not meant to be questioned

Now the furisode and elegant kimono are legends of the past
The Gion hanamachi full of urban promise, full of ghostly past
A long-lived veil, snatched from the ephemeral times

What could the island of the East do, but bow to the West?
Embracing change like the fleeting transition of winter into spring
This is the culture of the Geisha, the mystery of Japan
Rare but not eradicated
Seen but only misunderstood

The hanamachi of today, still weave this sacred world
More steadily and carefully, as the veil grows thinner still
Waiting 'till the day the Noh mask finally breaks

Daemon
This was my first poem after roughly a year long hiatus. The name Daemon is the older form of "demon" before the "a" was dropped.

With the first beads of blood, the first broken skin,
Like a sinister requiem entwined in sin,
Caught in the midst of a lethal masquerade,
A release from the anguish of putting on this façade,

How many times have I played this game?
Of spiritual torment, my life answer still the same,
This unnatural addiction --
A sole communication to the man who isn't there,
For everyone else to stare,

Living like a shadow held in repugnance,
Like a demon in its stance,

Liar and a fake, crying for pity,
Lying through my teeth,
"Pay me no attention,
It's not even like you care", I seethe,

Naught but malediction flows --
Through these malignant veins,
Pouncing like a lion,
Preying like a wraith,
All I am -- a bane.

Malignancy
Malignancy is version two of Daemon, much like Shadows.

With the first beads of blood,
The first broken skin,
Like a sinister requiem entwined in sin,

Caught in the midst of a lethal masquerade
A release from the anguish of putting on this façade

How many times, have I played this game?
Of spiritual torture, my answer still the same
This unnatural addiction
A sole communication to the man who isn't there
Full on the outside, so everyone can stare

Living like a shadow, held in repugnance
Like a demon in its stance
Liar and a fake,
Crying for pity, lying through my teeth

I seethe words of "Pay me no attention --
Not even like you care."

Naught but malediction flows through these malignant veins
Pouncing like a lion, preying like a wraith
Only just a bane

Flowing out a river of crimson
A lake jealousy
A pond of pain

Salix
Originally titled "Willow," I changed the name to Salix, which means the same.

Sat inside a willow tree
Bending in the wind
Branches twisting, winding to the sky

A stark comparison to our way of life
Rigid, towering like a silhouette of pines

'Grow this way, not that way'
Surrounded by wires
To guide us up to God

One path to follow
No where to grow
Struck by lightning
Up in flames

No room to bend,
Only to break
Trapped in a shape
That's solitary and right

Much unlike the graceful willow
Sculptured down below
Branches break
Then they heal

Struck by Jove's arrows
They aren't hurt
Bending ever upwards
Slowly into heaven

Sure it took a while
Of course there were mistakes

Room for change
Patience from growth
Unlike the stubborn pine --
Ever zealous; no mistakes

And thus the weeping willow
Mourns the pine unto this day

Eternal Conflict
This is probably my most powerful poem, on par with Kimono, it's also my favourite, it's written about the Arab-Israeli Conflict, particularly in response to the Israelian offensive on the civillians of Gaza, in which (mostly) women and children were gunned down by Jewish snipers.

Enjoy another slice of toast,
Whilst Palestine awakes, to yet another human roast,
Hum your favourite songs,
As Israel is committing, even more wrongs.

Is it just, that the Muslims are being killed by the thousand?
Was it just that the Jews were shipped of to Poland?
Build a wall around Gaza and blow them to bits!
Brick the Jew in the ghetto, next they'll be sent to Auschwitz!

Isn't it sad that a boy, just sixteen years of age,
Hears of the news, immediately feels nothing but rage?
The Jews returned to Zion, and want even more,
I've seen the evil, amidst all the gore.

It's all very well, dreaming of peace,
Our very own Government, has sided with a beast,
Speak out 'gainst Israel, you're anti-Semitic,
Don't side with the Muslims; don't be altruistic.

Really we're given, one of two choices, side with the enemy,
Or be part of the remedy,
Dr. Sam, nurse Britannia prescribe ethnic cleanse.
After all, these are Muslim, public enemy of our lens.

The fact is simple, the truth is pretty clear,
Their children are living, under Jewish sniper range,
Do realize it is Israel, not Palestine we should fear?

Snow
Heh, I guess this was really more of an experiment than anything, I've always loved Dr Zeuss, in fact I was brought up reading his stories, so I thought I'd try my hand at it.

One bitter morning, the snow came down,
The weather acerbic, it relentlessly fell all around,
The once green lawns, were smothered in white,
The entire village was just inviting frostbite.

It seemed to them all that winter had finally come,
This long ancient wish, true it had become!
It fluttered, it flurried for five whole days,
The villagers walked to and fro' in such a cold daze.

One day the committee gathered together,
They talked, bickered, and agreed, cursing the weather,
'Something, O' something, must be done!' this was the issue, decided upon.
They merrily concurred, and argued some more 'But what? And how?' Could it be nature had won?

The lambs and the cows were not getting fat, the butchers grew angry and really quite red,
The carrots and potatoes wouldn't even grow, 'Too cold for potatoes? How will we be fed?'
The doctors were swamped, the nurses engaged,
Every professional was at home sipping chicken soup, they couldn't work while their ruddy cold raged.

Schools were closed, by the avalanche of pearly cold,
Children were home running a temperature so bold,
Old people were getting seriously ill,
People were now starting to lose their good will.

Then when it had been, firmly two weeks,
A young man called Peter, who was a seller of antiques,
Decided that it was him, only he who could help,
This poor little village who if could would yelp.

He constructed a machine, roughly like a car,
It was huge and quite scary, after all, this is a story fetched far,
So he invented this thing, which had no real name,
And he actually didn't know if it would be of aid or would maim.

He concluded in his thoughts that he would have to test it out,
So he drove to the mountains, following the snowy route,
He drove and he drove, until the summit he reached,
Stopping the vehicle, he let himself out, his car was so white, it was as if it was bleached.

He unbuckled the rather ugly machine,
He pulled on the gear stick and heard a low scream,
The thing on the front, shaped like a claw,
Gathered up snow, much like a paw.

The snow he had gathered, he put in the monster's boot,
He cleared the mountain, and headed back down the route,
Arriving in town, he went to the lawyer's home,
They talked and they talked to details the size of tooth combs.

Next he wandered over to the newspaper foundry,
The next morning they woke, to find a box with a red boundary,
The article read, in a font so bold,
Ask Peter Pilfer to clear your garden of snow, he charges just 1,000 gold.

Welcome to Capitalism, girls and boys,
Where the patent means no one can play with that toy,
Now didn't this story, have a rather random end?
And I don't think you realised, four pointless minutes you've spent



I guess, that's it for my welcome to Blogger thread, I have other poems that I would have included, except they were actually extremely unfinished.

Friday 20 February 2009

一般動詞

So verbs I shall know by the end of this year are:

「あ
会う・あう・To meet
開ける・あける・To open
上げる・あげる・To give/raise
遊ぶ・あそぶ・To play
ある・To be/have (inanimate)」

「い
言う・いう・To say
生きる・いきる・To live
行く・いく・To go
いただく・To receive (humble)
いらっしゃる・To go/come/be (humble)
いる・To be
入れる・いれる・To put in」

「う
動く・うごく・To move/change
産む・うむ・To produce
生む・うむ・To give birth
売る・うる・To sell」

「お
起きる・おきる・To get/wake up
教える・おしえる・To teach/tell
思う・おもう・To think
下りる・おりる・To get off
泳ぐ・およぐ・To swim
終わる・おわる・To end/finish」

「か
買う・かう・To buy
飼う・かう・To possess (animals)
返る・かえる・To return
かかる・To take (time)
書く・かく・To write
かける・To ring (someone)
貸す・かす・To lend
借りる・かりる・To borrow/rent
通う・かよう・To commute
考える・かんがえる・To think about/to consider」

「き
聞く・きく・To listen/ask
決める・きめる・To decide/fix/choose」

これは僕のPURANよ。

My current goal: Finish everything (I'll start this tomorrow!)

My short term goals:
Get at least 5 Cs, I don't care about any other grade, just the magic Cs, once I'm in college GCSEs mean nothing. Duh.

I WILL get a C in maths. So fuck you dyscalculia.

Get into Barnsley College (I even know what I'm doing ^_^).

Get a job.

Long term plans:
Get at least two As and a B in college (preferably AABB).

Apply for the School of Oriental and African Studies in London (offers Japanese Language BA and Japanese MA degrees)
Apply for the University of Sheffield (offers Japanese Studies BA w/ Immersion).
Apply for the University of Leeds (offers Japanese Language w/ Linguistics ^_^).

Hopefully get into SOAS (I really want it).
(Try and transfer to a Japanese university completely).

Stay on at university to do a Master's degree in Japanese Literature.

Random goals:
Meet these:
Siobhan, Sarah, Kaiyla, and Riah.
(I've been thinking of teaching in the USA).

I might add more. But as the title says: 「これは僕のプラン。」


Tuesday 3 February 2009

In today's society...

So, this is an interesting subject for me, it's kind of to do with sexuality, but more to do with gender identity.
But, in today's multicultural society, why are people so surprised to discover there is more than one gender?
Surely people can differentiate with sex and gender?

The sexes I am aware of are:
Male.
Female.
Intersex.
I think it says it all that intersex isn't even in the dictionary.

For people who don't know what intersex is, intersex is the sex in which the person cannot be concluded as purely male or purely female. This is a natural sex.
This usually refers to someone with a mix of male and female genitalia.

Then gender, I don't understand why this confuses people so much.
Gender isn't black and white, never is it black and white.
Generally people consider there to be just male and female genders, but this does not accurately cover it at all.

One thing that struck me as odd is that when people come out as homosexual, pansexual, omnisexual, bisexual etc. people are often confused because they don't consider this normal of their gender/sex.
When it's actually completely normal.

Also why are people shocked over cross dressing? It's not something "dirty" which requires therapy.
I think it's pretty unfair that people should be made to feel that their emotions aren't natural.

So what if a guy wants to wear "women's" clothes, so what if a girl wants to wear "men's" clothes, so what if that person can't say they're a girl or a boy.
This is one of the things that annoys me about official documents.

Male.
Female.
and very rarely Transgender.
Why must these be our only options? It's somewhat unfair, right?

This was somewhat random, I realise this.

Monday 2 February 2009

Poem/Story/Thing

One bitter morning, the snow came down,
The weather acerbic, it relentlessly fell all around,
The once green lawns, were smothered in white,
The entire village was just inviting frostbite.

It seemed to them all that winter had finally come,
This long ancient wish, true it had become!
It fluttered, it flurried for five whole days,
The villagers walked to and fro' in such a cold daze.

One day the committee gathered together,
They talked, bickered, and agreed, cursing the weather,
'Something, O' something, must be done!' this was the issue, decided upon.
They merrily concurred, and argued some more 'But what? And how?' Could it be nature had won?

The lambs and the cows were not getting fat, the butchers grew angry and really quite red,
The carrots and potatoes wouldn't even grow, 'Too cold for potatoes? How will we be fed?'
The doctors were swamped, the nurses engaged,
Every professional was at home sipping chicken soup, they couldn't work while their ruddy cold raged.

Schools were closed, by the avalanche of pearly cold,
Children were home running a temperature so bold,
Old people were getting seriously ill,
People were now starting to lose their good will.

Then when it had been, firmly two weeks,
A young man called Peter, who was a seller of antiques,
Decided that it was him, only he who could help,
This poor little village who if could would yelp.

He constructed a machine, roughly like a car,
It was huge and quite scary, after all, this is a story fetched far,
So he invented this thing, which had no real name,
And he actually didn't know if it would be of aid or would maim.

He concluded in his thoughts that he would have to test it out,
So he drove to the mountains, following the snowy route,
He drove and he drove, until the summit he reached,
Stopping the vehicle, he let himself out, his car was so white, it was as if it was bleached.

He unbuckled the rather ugly machine,
He pulled on the gear stick and heard a low scream,
The thing on the front, shaped like a claw,
Gathered up snow, much like a paw.

The snow he had gathered, he put in the monster's boot,
He cleared the mountain, and headed back down the route,
Arriving in town, he went to the lawyer's home,
They talked and they talked to details the size of tooth combs.

Next he wandered over to the newspaper foundry,
The next morning they woke, to find a box with a red boundary,
The article read, in a font so bold,
Ask Peter Pilfer to clear your garden of snow, he charges just 1,000 gold.

Welcome to Capitalism, girls and boys,
Where the patent means no one can play with that toy,
Now didn't this story, have a rather random end?
And I don't think you realised, four pointless minutes you've spent

^_^ It sucks, I know. :)