This has been a screwed up week. I'm tired and overworked. It's like the whole world conspired to place everything important to me in this week.
We're halfway into competition prep. Morale is okay. Team has finally shown some progress in actually writing a coherent case... I'm currently writing my share. Debate's on Friday, against SCGS. I won't say anything here about winning or losing, but you should know that this one's important. 3rd prelim round- given our previous record this match could decide whether or not we break quarters. More important to me as well... if we break quarters i'm dropping out of SYF, and that's one less worry i've got.
Schoolwork is at an all-time low. I haven't done anything since last week. Just realised that I successively threw away 10% of my physics CA, and then probably quite a good portion of my Bio as well. Haven't touched chinese since God-knows-when. Somebody please tell me i've got my priorities wrong before I fuck the rest of the year up.
Give me until april...
Well it looks like i'm not coping with the pressure well. No matter... schoolwork will pick up, and as for everything else... i'm sure we'll come through where it matters. I have faith in that.
- a d a m
Tuesday, March 29
Tuesday, March 22
go here.
For all skeptics, atheists, agnostics or people questioning the Christian faith in general.
Go to: http://www.whoisjesus-really.com
if intellectual proof is what you're looking for, you'll find it there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stop reading this and go click on the link.
- adam
Go to: http://www.whoisjesus-really.com
if intellectual proof is what you're looking for, you'll find it there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stop reading this and go click on the link.
- adam
Thursday, March 3
Poetry
Poetry has lost its meaning.
Not all poetry; I'm sure the great classics remaining just as great, and just as classic - but it seems that the art of poetry has been severely demeaned by the later generations.
Poetry is often thought of as the highest form of linguistic expression. I could go on about this, but to be rather brief, it is the condensation of feeling or thought into a short written piece that carries huge amount of insight or meaning. I may be generalising a bit, but that's the gist of it.
Also, poetry is remarkably free in its format; unlike an essay or story which requires a 'statement-elaboration' format or a coherent plot (at least), poetry can take any number of fixed forms or otherwise - as far as poetry is concerned there are very few limits on what you can do.
Unfortunately, very few limits on what you can do doesn't mean very few limits on what is good and meaningful, which is undoubtedly an exceedingly high standard. The general lack of comprehension of this difference leads to an impression that whatever you can slap together with a bunch of words is possibly acceptable - about as far from the truth as you can get.
Couple this with the recent insurgence of abstract, free-form, free verse or experimental poetry - a trend which is steadily moving away from classical poetic forms like the sonnet or haiku.
Yes, free-form expression is well and good, but what it cannot become for budding poets is an excuse to avoid the rigorous thought and composition which is enforced by stricter poetic norms such as rhyme and meter. I firmly believe that such basics of poetry must be established before anyone can move on to writing more abstract pieces. Without rhyme and meter (or otherwise) to govern conciseness and consistency, the general standard of poetry has become sadly degraded and frightfully unclear - poetry is thought to be the easy-way-out of expression to provide the facade of being artistic.
I just think any would-be poets should try and learn from the basics up; poetry is a craft like any other and you really, really can't just make a poem by slapping words together; not any more than you can make a painting by slapping paint on canvas. Please leave poetry with some dignity left.
- adam
Not all poetry; I'm sure the great classics remaining just as great, and just as classic - but it seems that the art of poetry has been severely demeaned by the later generations.
Poetry is often thought of as the highest form of linguistic expression. I could go on about this, but to be rather brief, it is the condensation of feeling or thought into a short written piece that carries huge amount of insight or meaning. I may be generalising a bit, but that's the gist of it.
Also, poetry is remarkably free in its format; unlike an essay or story which requires a 'statement-elaboration' format or a coherent plot (at least), poetry can take any number of fixed forms or otherwise - as far as poetry is concerned there are very few limits on what you can do.
Unfortunately, very few limits on what you can do doesn't mean very few limits on what is good and meaningful, which is undoubtedly an exceedingly high standard. The general lack of comprehension of this difference leads to an impression that whatever you can slap together with a bunch of words is possibly acceptable - about as far from the truth as you can get.
Couple this with the recent insurgence of abstract, free-form, free verse or experimental poetry - a trend which is steadily moving away from classical poetic forms like the sonnet or haiku.
Yes, free-form expression is well and good, but what it cannot become for budding poets is an excuse to avoid the rigorous thought and composition which is enforced by stricter poetic norms such as rhyme and meter. I firmly believe that such basics of poetry must be established before anyone can move on to writing more abstract pieces. Without rhyme and meter (or otherwise) to govern conciseness and consistency, the general standard of poetry has become sadly degraded and frightfully unclear - poetry is thought to be the easy-way-out of expression to provide the facade of being artistic.
I just think any would-be poets should try and learn from the basics up; poetry is a craft like any other and you really, really can't just make a poem by slapping words together; not any more than you can make a painting by slapping paint on canvas. Please leave poetry with some dignity left.
- adam
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