"Cat with 8 Lives" by Tracy Au (Creative Writing class 2006)
I'm a cat with eight lives. I can be calm as a housecat lying on the couch watching comedy movies filled with sex jokes. I can be a tiger jumping up and growling when getting angry watching guests on Dr Phil. I can be calm as water flowing through a stream when on the internet reading about TV shows. I can be a squiggly line that moves up and down when laughing at the people on televisionwithoutpity.com make jokes like: "Is NSYNC'S Lance Bass gay, gay, gay or bi, bi, bi?"
I am a butterfly, always up and moving everywhere mentally in my mind. There is always the mechanical sound of a computer being booted up. It's like I'm always on. I'm a black car because it's my favorite color and I blend into the night. I'm a pizza, unhealthy because it's fattening, but healthy because it has all the four food groups.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
good/ writing/ resolutions
good/ writing/ resolutions
Jan. 10 Good: Today my old manager Amy from Clothing Store #4 dropped by my job, and she told me that I still have to pick up my paycheck. I thought it was direct deposit, but there was still a leftover paycheck. I'll add that to my income of 2008.
Another thing is, I got to leave a few min. early, and saw the last 20 min. of the TV show Flash Gordon. It stars Edmonton actor Eric Johnson (Whitney from Smallville). It's not on 5pm on Space anymore, it's now 6pm. I also want to add that Discovery cancelled A Haunting. Another show that I did quit, and with the show getting cancelled, it will ensure I will never watch it again. It's not bad, but I'm trying to cut down on TV.
Jan. 11 Job: The other week I started working on Sundays. I worked with Vivian for that one day. Next week, I then worked with Christine. This week I worked with Cameron's friend Steven. S wasn't even going to show up. No one told him that he was supposed to come today. I called S at 12pm when we opened, and he said he's coming. Then I call him at 1:30pm and he says he won't be coming because he's too tired from staying up all night.
Then I called Stella, and she called S to tell him to come to work. I was all by myself for the first two hours. At least it wasn't really busy.
If TV is my addiction, I think overdosed on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. On Tues. I saw an episode called "Stranger" that aired earlier this season that I missed. Then on Wed., I watched the same episode called "Smut" twice. It starred Michael Trucco, so I had to watch it. Well I was on the computer for the scenes he wasn't in. Then on Sat. I had to watch another ep I missed called "PTSD." Then I went on twop.com and read people's comments on the episodes I saw this season.
Funny: In the "Smut" ep, MT says he's going to Bogata. For the four times I saw this ep, I never thought of where that place is until today.
Me: Do you know where Bogata is?
Patrick: It's the capital of Columbia.
I laughed at that. P knows that because he watches documentaries about drugs. Cocaine is big in Columbia.
Jan. 12 Good news: I graduated out of college, I just didn't know it. I thought I needed to get a C- in Proofreading and Copyediting, and I got a D. On Fri. I went to class and talked to my teacher Cheryl and asked: "Do you need to get a C- in this class to pass?" She didn't know, and told me to go and talk to the Program Head Joyce.
Today I talked to Joyce, and she said that I got a D which is a minimal pass. I got the credits. I can graduate and get my college diploma. The first person I told was actually my manager Stella when she asked me about school. Then I went home and told my dad, and then Patrick. Now I'm telling you guys.
My dad then told me to get a job. Retail and restaurants are as he calls it: "Garbage jobs. You throw it away, you can pick it back up again." Now it's time to apply for a bank job, or a administrative assistant job. Now that I got that revised resume from Angela, I can pass those out.
Writing: After work, I actually worked on my script and added to The Fighter. I was working on The Hunter for awhile. I emailed Glynis Fighter, back on Dec. 15. It's been almost a month, and she hasn't written back. If I'm going to email her again, it should be another draft to the script. I sent her the first draft which was 24 pages. Then I sent her a second draft which was 46 pages. I then sent her a 56 page script. If I'm going to email her the fourth time, it should be way longer than 56 pages.
Jan. 13: I went through Fighter, and did some editing. I then put it all onto one document to see how long it is. It was 59 pages. So basically I only wrote three pages in total since my last draft which was a month ago. I can defend myself. I was working 48 hours a week. I was working on this other script called The Hunter.
My dad told my mom that I did graduate. Now she is saying what my dad said: "Get a job." I also told my grandma when she asked if I'll be home for lunch. Okay, okay, I'll pass out my resumes and start looking for another job on Friday. That's my day off.
Jan. 14 The Listener: Some months ago I joined the Facebook group about the upcoming TV show called The Listener. It stars Craig Olejnik as a paramedic who can hear people's thoughts. The group emailed me and it turns out that Fox International Channels will debut the show in March. CTV will air it later in the year though. Damn, I have to wait. Well I have to learn to delay gratification.
Today I talked to my manager and asked for a raise. I got a 25 cent raise. It was because my co-worker Lorraine told me that I should ask for one because I started opening on Sundays. She told me when Maygen started doing that, she got a raise.
I emailed Glynis who helped me with my script. I attached the 4th draft and my ideas. It's been a month, I might as well email her.
Feelings: I don't know, maybe me graduating out of college hasn't really sunk in yet. For the past 8 months, I thought I needed to do that one class to graduate. Now that I don't, I still have that feeling. It reminds me of the movie Mr. 3000. It's where Bernie Mac's character is a baseball player, and it turns out there are 3 hits that don't count so he may really be Mr. 2997. I need to read some inspirational quotes to make me happy, instead of making me achieve my goals. Well I still need those quotes as I look for another job. The economy is bad.
Resolutions: My New Year Resolutions are always the same like: Save money. I want to buy myself an ipod as a graduation gift, but that would be like breaking my resolution. I can still listen to my cds, radio, and the internet. I want to rent the remaining Dexter season 2 episodes, but I'm trying to save money, and cut down on TV.
On my day off I have to do something productive and look for another job instead of stay home and watch dvds. Everyday I get off work and watch TV and go on the internet.
Another thing is, I got to leave a few min. early, and saw the last 20 min. of the TV show Flash Gordon. It stars Edmonton actor Eric Johnson (Whitney from Smallville). It's not on 5pm on Space anymore, it's now 6pm. I also want to add that Discovery cancelled A Haunting. Another show that I did quit, and with the show getting cancelled, it will ensure I will never watch it again. It's not bad, but I'm trying to cut down on TV.
Jan. 11 Job: The other week I started working on Sundays. I worked with Vivian for that one day. Next week, I then worked with Christine. This week I worked with Cameron's friend Steven. S wasn't even going to show up. No one told him that he was supposed to come today. I called S at 12pm when we opened, and he said he's coming. Then I call him at 1:30pm and he says he won't be coming because he's too tired from staying up all night.
Then I called Stella, and she called S to tell him to come to work. I was all by myself for the first two hours. At least it wasn't really busy.
If TV is my addiction, I think overdosed on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. On Tues. I saw an episode called "Stranger" that aired earlier this season that I missed. Then on Wed., I watched the same episode called "Smut" twice. It starred Michael Trucco, so I had to watch it. Well I was on the computer for the scenes he wasn't in. Then on Sat. I had to watch another ep I missed called "PTSD." Then I went on twop.com and read people's comments on the episodes I saw this season.
Funny: In the "Smut" ep, MT says he's going to Bogata. For the four times I saw this ep, I never thought of where that place is until today.
Me: Do you know where Bogata is?
Patrick: It's the capital of Columbia.
I laughed at that. P knows that because he watches documentaries about drugs. Cocaine is big in Columbia.
Jan. 12 Good news: I graduated out of college, I just didn't know it. I thought I needed to get a C- in Proofreading and Copyediting, and I got a D. On Fri. I went to class and talked to my teacher Cheryl and asked: "Do you need to get a C- in this class to pass?" She didn't know, and told me to go and talk to the Program Head Joyce.
Today I talked to Joyce, and she said that I got a D which is a minimal pass. I got the credits. I can graduate and get my college diploma. The first person I told was actually my manager Stella when she asked me about school. Then I went home and told my dad, and then Patrick. Now I'm telling you guys.
My dad then told me to get a job. Retail and restaurants are as he calls it: "Garbage jobs. You throw it away, you can pick it back up again." Now it's time to apply for a bank job, or a administrative assistant job. Now that I got that revised resume from Angela, I can pass those out.
Writing: After work, I actually worked on my script and added to The Fighter. I was working on The Hunter for awhile. I emailed Glynis Fighter, back on Dec. 15. It's been almost a month, and she hasn't written back. If I'm going to email her again, it should be another draft to the script. I sent her the first draft which was 24 pages. Then I sent her a second draft which was 46 pages. I then sent her a 56 page script. If I'm going to email her the fourth time, it should be way longer than 56 pages.
Jan. 13: I went through Fighter, and did some editing. I then put it all onto one document to see how long it is. It was 59 pages. So basically I only wrote three pages in total since my last draft which was a month ago. I can defend myself. I was working 48 hours a week. I was working on this other script called The Hunter.
My dad told my mom that I did graduate. Now she is saying what my dad said: "Get a job." I also told my grandma when she asked if I'll be home for lunch. Okay, okay, I'll pass out my resumes and start looking for another job on Friday. That's my day off.
Jan. 14 The Listener: Some months ago I joined the Facebook group about the upcoming TV show called The Listener. It stars Craig Olejnik as a paramedic who can hear people's thoughts. The group emailed me and it turns out that Fox International Channels will debut the show in March. CTV will air it later in the year though. Damn, I have to wait. Well I have to learn to delay gratification.
Today I talked to my manager and asked for a raise. I got a 25 cent raise. It was because my co-worker Lorraine told me that I should ask for one because I started opening on Sundays. She told me when Maygen started doing that, she got a raise.
I emailed Glynis who helped me with my script. I attached the 4th draft and my ideas. It's been a month, I might as well email her.
Feelings: I don't know, maybe me graduating out of college hasn't really sunk in yet. For the past 8 months, I thought I needed to do that one class to graduate. Now that I don't, I still have that feeling. It reminds me of the movie Mr. 3000. It's where Bernie Mac's character is a baseball player, and it turns out there are 3 hits that don't count so he may really be Mr. 2997. I need to read some inspirational quotes to make me happy, instead of making me achieve my goals. Well I still need those quotes as I look for another job. The economy is bad.
Resolutions: My New Year Resolutions are always the same like: Save money. I want to buy myself an ipod as a graduation gift, but that would be like breaking my resolution. I can still listen to my cds, radio, and the internet. I want to rent the remaining Dexter season 2 episodes, but I'm trying to save money, and cut down on TV.
On my day off I have to do something productive and look for another job instead of stay home and watch dvds. Everyday I get off work and watch TV and go on the internet.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Inspirational quotes (Part 2)
“Challenge: Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
“Persistence: Never, never, never, quit.”
“Determination: Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.”
“Success: In order to succeed we must first believe that we can.”
“The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure.” – Vince Lombardi
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” –Abraham Lincoln
“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” –William Feather
“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not what he is capable of receiving.” –Albert Einstein
“The future depends on what we do in the present.” –Mahatma Gandhi
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” –Vincent Van Gogh
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”-Mother Teresa
“The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen.” –Roy Moody
“Quality is never an accident. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”-Willa Foster
“There is plenty of room at the top, but no place to sit down.” –Unknown
“Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker.” –Zig Zigler
“Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” –Joshua J. Marine
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
“I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle.” –Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lessons afterward.” Vernon Law
“Kindness is the noblest weapon to conquer with.” –Unknown
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the life-long attempt to acquire it.”
“In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.”- Arnay Janos
“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” –Alexander Woolcott
“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” –Pavese, Cesare
“Continuous effort is the key to unlocking our potential.” –Black Elk, Native American
“Constant and determined effort breaks down all resistance and sweeps away all obstacles.” –Claude M. Bristol
“Every time you are not practicing, someone else is.” –Boris Becker
“Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” –Thomas Paine
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” –John Maxwell
“My favourite part of the game is the opportunity to play.” –Mike Singletary
“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”- William James
“There are no limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.” –Ronald Reagan
“No one knows what he can do until he tries.” –Publilius Syrus
“The secret of success is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” –Benjamin Disraeli
“Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.” –Unknown
“History is the record of an encounter between character and circumstance.” –Donald Creighton
“To keep the body in good health is a duty otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” –Buddha
“One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, don’t go in.” –Wayne Gretzky
“If you are not big enough to lose, you are not big enough to win.” –Walter Reuther
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” –Abraham Lincoln
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” –Albert Einstein
“Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.” –Sandra Carey
“Where you start is not as important as where you finish.” –Zig Zigler
“Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.” –Martin Luther King Jr.
“Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation.” –Willam Arthur Ward
“Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.” –Aesop
“The first wealth is health.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self.” –Unknown
“The greatest mistake a man can make is to be afraid of making one.” –Elbert Hubbard
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” –Unknown
“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” –Henry Ford
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
“Enthusiasm: a little thing that makes a big difference.” –Unknown
“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.” –Michael Korda
“What happens to a man is less significant that what happens within him.”-Louis L. Mann
“Happiness is in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” –Franklin Roosevelt
“Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.” –Henry Van Dyke
“Persistence: Never, never, never, quit.”
“Determination: Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.”
“Success: In order to succeed we must first believe that we can.”
“The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure.” – Vince Lombardi
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” –Abraham Lincoln
“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” –William Feather
“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not what he is capable of receiving.” –Albert Einstein
“The future depends on what we do in the present.” –Mahatma Gandhi
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” –Vincent Van Gogh
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”-Mother Teresa
“The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen.” –Roy Moody
“Quality is never an accident. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”-Willa Foster
“There is plenty of room at the top, but no place to sit down.” –Unknown
“Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker.” –Zig Zigler
“Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” –Joshua J. Marine
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
“I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle.” –Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lessons afterward.” Vernon Law
“Kindness is the noblest weapon to conquer with.” –Unknown
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the life-long attempt to acquire it.”
“In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.”- Arnay Janos
“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” –Alexander Woolcott
“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” –Pavese, Cesare
“Continuous effort is the key to unlocking our potential.” –Black Elk, Native American
“Constant and determined effort breaks down all resistance and sweeps away all obstacles.” –Claude M. Bristol
“Every time you are not practicing, someone else is.” –Boris Becker
“Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” –Thomas Paine
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” –John Maxwell
“My favourite part of the game is the opportunity to play.” –Mike Singletary
“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”- William James
“There are no limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.” –Ronald Reagan
“No one knows what he can do until he tries.” –Publilius Syrus
“The secret of success is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” –Benjamin Disraeli
“Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.” –Unknown
“History is the record of an encounter between character and circumstance.” –Donald Creighton
“To keep the body in good health is a duty otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” –Buddha
“One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, don’t go in.” –Wayne Gretzky
“If you are not big enough to lose, you are not big enough to win.” –Walter Reuther
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” –Abraham Lincoln
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” –Albert Einstein
“Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.” –Sandra Carey
“Where you start is not as important as where you finish.” –Zig Zigler
“Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.” –Martin Luther King Jr.
“Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation.” –Willam Arthur Ward
“Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.” –Aesop
“The first wealth is health.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self.” –Unknown
“The greatest mistake a man can make is to be afraid of making one.” –Elbert Hubbard
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” –Unknown
“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” –Henry Ford
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
“Enthusiasm: a little thing that makes a big difference.” –Unknown
“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.” –Michael Korda
“What happens to a man is less significant that what happens within him.”-Louis L. Mann
“Happiness is in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” –Franklin Roosevelt
“Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.” –Henry Van Dyke
Sunday, January 11, 2009
To the person who found my business card on the bus
This is to the person who found my business card on the bus: It had my blog address on it. Welcome to my blog and continue to read it to get to know me. I left a business card there, because I don't want to be those people who vandalize the bus by writing what their nexopia address is.
Friday, January 9, 2009
discovery/ writing
Jan. 6 Discovery: Yesterday I used another locker at work because someone took mine. There were all these papers there like ads for car bargains dated in May 2008. There were a couple of old Christmas cards to an old employee Curtis whom I've never met. I came in June 2008, and we never crossed paths. There was even a gift labeled "To: Molly From: Curtis." I gave the gift to Molly.
M: Did Curtis come by and drop this off for me?
Me: No, I found it in the locker.
C actually gave her a wallet. I don't know when this Secret Santa thing was given.
Funny: I was on Secret Life of the American Teenager thread and I said this: "I don't know about you guys, but I know Amy is going to keep the baby and raise it. That's my speculation."
Someone said: "I think she will too. I just think she'd be an awful mother."
Me: If she doesn't keep the baby, then what's the whole point of this show?
Person: To let us know about American Teenagers' secret lives where they run off to their peer's wedding and get fake IDs to act as witnesses to said wedding and not to drink underage.
News: I read in the Globe and Mail Focus section: " 'Our research shows small acts may lead people to unconsciously seek more indulgence,' the authors wrote in the Journal of Consumer Research. They suggested to that retailers may want to use samples to encourage spending." It was about you eat one chocolate, and that's it. That's what you think. After one chocolate, you can't stop and eat more.
Facebook: I looked up Brendan Van Aselstine on Facebook. We have 5 mutual friends on there. I gave a friend request to him and a message: "Hi, it's Tracy Au. We went to high school together. We sat on the bench together. I was best friends with Leslie Simpson in case you don't remember me. I've also been reading your stories in the Metro. Good work. How did you get that job?"
Jan. 7: Well Brendan confirmed me as a friend, and invited me to a protest against the war on Gaza.
Once again I'm on twop.com and it lead me to this true- story of a 30 -year- old guy who was pretending to be a kid. It's a long story, but compelling. He was able to pretend to be a kid by wearing a baseball cap, to cover the fact that he was balding. He also changed his voice and mannerisms.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/08/11/080811fa_fact_grann?mbid=msnbc
Economy: Chanel is laying off 200 people. I went to the Dollarama store in City Centre today so I could drop off this crate for work. I passed by Oriental Home, and they are having a "Closing sale." I remembered they called me for an interview last summer. Looks like I dodged that bullet. I think that store has been there since 2006. At least that's what I remember.
I want to add that Shark, a crime procedural starring James Woods got cancelled. It was on from 2006- 2008, with 2 seasons. I saw a ad for another crime prodedural Raising the Bar, starring Jane Kaczmarek (mom from Malcolm in the Middle.) She plays a judge on this new show, like she did when she was on The Simpsons.
Jan. 8 Writing: I sent my script pitch to Omnifilm back in Sept. 2008, and now Michele McMahone emailed me back with this message:
Hello Tracy:
First I must apologize for the time it has taken to respond to this pitch. We do read every pitch we receive and last year we received hundreds. Also, pitches from known showrunners and/or that already have broadcaster interest tend to jump the queue so it can take a while to evaluate new unsolicited projects.
After reading and reviewing your MOW called THE FIGHTER we have decided that it is not a project that we will be adding to our development slate. The television movie market is extremely narrow and even if ratings are good it is rare that an MOW becomes a series. We produced a Gemini award winning mini series called DRAGON BOYS that we tried for over a year to get made into an ongoing series… without success. Both the writer and Director have been in the biz for over 20 years and won many awards.
Please don’t be too disheartened it is a challenging business to break into.
Finally, I think you have us confused with OMNI TV. The television station OMNI TV has only been around for a few years and we are a production company that has been in Vancouver for almost 30 years.
Best of luck,
Michele
I'm getting a flashback of Dragon Boys back in 2007. Here's the imdb.com summary: "Set in Richmond and Vancouver, British Columbia, DRAGON BOYS, is both compelling family drama and a high-octane thriller. The two-part, four-hour mini-series centres on a Chinese Canadian police detective and an immigrant family who confront a deadly threat from Asian organized crime."
At first I thought this was going to be TV series, and not a mini- series. I was watching it with Patrick.
Me: I like this show and all, but it's Chinese and Canadian, and I'm Chinese and Canadian, and I'm taking it too personal. I can't watch it on a weekly basis.
Right at that moment on the screen:
White cop: You're taking it too personal.
Chinese cop: I'm Chinese, I make it personal.
lol. That is what I just said.
Jan. 9 School: I'm at school right now, before I go to class. I see new art on the campus walls. I also bumped into my friend Sarah at the library there. There is also this huge can that looks like a battery and it's a battery recycle can. I then threw my batteries in there.
M: Did Curtis come by and drop this off for me?
Me: No, I found it in the locker.
C actually gave her a wallet. I don't know when this Secret Santa thing was given.
Funny: I was on Secret Life of the American Teenager thread and I said this: "I don't know about you guys, but I know Amy is going to keep the baby and raise it. That's my speculation."
Someone said: "I think she will too. I just think she'd be an awful mother."
Me: If she doesn't keep the baby, then what's the whole point of this show?
Person: To let us know about American Teenagers' secret lives where they run off to their peer's wedding and get fake IDs to act as witnesses to said wedding and not to drink underage.
News: I read in the Globe and Mail Focus section: " 'Our research shows small acts may lead people to unconsciously seek more indulgence,' the authors wrote in the Journal of Consumer Research. They suggested to that retailers may want to use samples to encourage spending." It was about you eat one chocolate, and that's it. That's what you think. After one chocolate, you can't stop and eat more.
Facebook: I looked up Brendan Van Aselstine on Facebook. We have 5 mutual friends on there. I gave a friend request to him and a message: "Hi, it's Tracy Au. We went to high school together. We sat on the bench together. I was best friends with Leslie Simpson in case you don't remember me. I've also been reading your stories in the Metro. Good work. How did you get that job?"
Jan. 7: Well Brendan confirmed me as a friend, and invited me to a protest against the war on Gaza.
Once again I'm on twop.com and it lead me to this true- story of a 30 -year- old guy who was pretending to be a kid. It's a long story, but compelling. He was able to pretend to be a kid by wearing a baseball cap, to cover the fact that he was balding. He also changed his voice and mannerisms.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/08/11/080811fa_fact_grann?mbid=msnbc
Economy: Chanel is laying off 200 people. I went to the Dollarama store in City Centre today so I could drop off this crate for work. I passed by Oriental Home, and they are having a "Closing sale." I remembered they called me for an interview last summer. Looks like I dodged that bullet. I think that store has been there since 2006. At least that's what I remember.
I want to add that Shark, a crime procedural starring James Woods got cancelled. It was on from 2006- 2008, with 2 seasons. I saw a ad for another crime prodedural Raising the Bar, starring Jane Kaczmarek (mom from Malcolm in the Middle.) She plays a judge on this new show, like she did when she was on The Simpsons.
Jan. 8 Writing: I sent my script pitch to Omnifilm back in Sept. 2008, and now Michele McMahone emailed me back with this message:
Hello Tracy:
First I must apologize for the time it has taken to respond to this pitch. We do read every pitch we receive and last year we received hundreds. Also, pitches from known showrunners and/or that already have broadcaster interest tend to jump the queue so it can take a while to evaluate new unsolicited projects.
After reading and reviewing your MOW called THE FIGHTER we have decided that it is not a project that we will be adding to our development slate. The television movie market is extremely narrow and even if ratings are good it is rare that an MOW becomes a series. We produced a Gemini award winning mini series called DRAGON BOYS that we tried for over a year to get made into an ongoing series… without success. Both the writer and Director have been in the biz for over 20 years and won many awards.
Please don’t be too disheartened it is a challenging business to break into.
Finally, I think you have us confused with OMNI TV. The television station OMNI TV has only been around for a few years and we are a production company that has been in Vancouver for almost 30 years.
Best of luck,
Michele
I'm getting a flashback of Dragon Boys back in 2007. Here's the imdb.com summary: "Set in Richmond and Vancouver, British Columbia, DRAGON BOYS, is both compelling family drama and a high-octane thriller. The two-part, four-hour mini-series centres on a Chinese Canadian police detective and an immigrant family who confront a deadly threat from Asian organized crime."
At first I thought this was going to be TV series, and not a mini- series. I was watching it with Patrick.
Me: I like this show and all, but it's Chinese and Canadian, and I'm Chinese and Canadian, and I'm taking it too personal. I can't watch it on a weekly basis.
Right at that moment on the screen:
White cop: You're taking it too personal.
Chinese cop: I'm Chinese, I make it personal.
lol. That is what I just said.
Jan. 9 School: I'm at school right now, before I go to class. I see new art on the campus walls. I also bumped into my friend Sarah at the library there. There is also this huge can that looks like a battery and it's a battery recycle can. I then threw my batteries in there.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
blog/ Desmond Harrington/ fun
Jan. 4 Blog: Blogging about my blog. Yesterday I put my Short Fiction Forms assignments on the blog to show my work.
I read on Globe and Mail Business section with the headline: "Got bad news? Blog about it, fast" In the story it said about blogging about layoffs: "'Today, whatever you say inside of a company will end up on a blog,' said Rusty Rueff, a former human resources executive at Electronic Arts Inc. and PepsiCo Inc. 'So you have choice as a company- you can either be proactive... or you can let someone else write the story for you."
Rant: I have mild annoyances. I called Rogers Video to see if they have Flash Gordon on dvd, but they said they don't have it at that location. I would have to call every location to see if they have the dvds. I might as well throw in that Tyra episode about prostitution was mediocore. I had written earlier that "I have to watch it." It did not meet to my expectations.
Funny: This was unintentionally funny. I see on twop.com that there is a show called Law and Order: Trial by Jury. I have never heard of it so I looked it up on the internet and see that it was on for one season back in 2005. I laughed because it's like: "Ha ha, you are not successful like the original L&O which has been here since 1990 and on it's 19th season. L&O: SVU is on it's 10th season. L&O: CI is on it's 8th season."
I was reading old posts of my blog, and I see that Canterbury's Law got cancelled after one season. When there are too many lawyer and police procedural shows on TV, they will get cancelled. As for CSI, it's on their 9th season, CSI: Miami is on their 7th season, CSI: NY is on their 5th season.
I remember watching Dragnet. It's where I first saw Eva Longoria Parker before Desperate Housewives. I really watched it for the actors Ethan Embry and Desmond Harrington. Dick Wolf who created L&O, also made Dragnet and it got cancelled after two seasons. The first season had 12 eps, and the second season had 10 eps. Now I'm getting all these flashbacks of old shows. DW also made Conviction, which was a spinoff from SVU that only lasted one season. There was another law show called Close to Home that lasted two seasons.
News: The economy is bad. The only ones that are successful are grocery stores because everybody needs to eat. I read in the Globe and Mail Business section that says Wal- Mart, the world's largest retailer is safe because their stuff is cheap.
Jan. 5: Did you know there is such thing as the Canadian Blog Awards? I learned about it today by reading the Metro. Here's the site: http://cdnba.wordpress.com/
Desmond Harrington: Yesterday I read that Desmond Harrington was on Gossip Girl. Today I actually saw him. I squealed when he appeared on screen. He does look like he's related to the character Bart Bass. Here's how Bart Bass looks like (the guy in the centre):
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2721748480/nm0121559
Here's how Desmond Harrington looks like:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1440059904/nm0004993
It's been a long time since I've seen him in anything. I saw him in Ghost Ship, Wrong Turn, My First Mister, and Dragnet.
Fun: Today I was watching a little Law and Order: SVU, and then I change the channel and see that a star of the show Ice- T was on a show called Where you at Baby? It's really fun to watch him. They went behind the scenes of SVU, and it was during the taping where Michael Trucco guest- starred. I saw him sitting in the interrogation room.
Ice- T created a list of rules as an actor and how to succeed. First rule: "You act. Don't direct the scene." One of the rules is: "Don't assume people know who you are, or even care who you are once you tell them." Ice- T adds: "If you assume that someone knows you, and you are wrong, then you will be embarassed."
I remember reading in Cosmogirl 1999, they interviewed James Marsters (Spike on Buffy). JM said: "I was at a laundromat and I saw these three girls talking and looking at me. I thought: 'They must be Buffy fans, let me go over there and talk to them.' I start to say: 'Hi, I'm James' and stuff like that. It's not until 10 seconds in did I realize something is wrong. They don't mention anything about Buffy at all. One of the girls gave me this look and said: 'Uh, I'm like 13.' They thought I was hitting on them. I walked away." lol.
Another rule is: "The PA (Production Assistant) is your slave." It was crossed out.
Ice- T: A PA crossed that out as a joke. Yeah well, now he's fired.
Rule: "Do background checks on your actors."
Good: On twop.com, people are always dissing the show Secret Life of the American Teenager. Then I talked to my friend Angela, and she thinks the show is stupid too. It's a good thing I found this article through twop.com about another person thinking the show is bad. The comments that follow the article also diss the show so I'm happy that there are a lot of people who watch it because it's bad so that they can snark on it.
http://blog.zap2it.com/tvgal/2009/01/my-not-so-secre.html
Here's another article dissing the show:
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/reviews/view/2008_01_05_Bestkept_%E2%80%98Secret_:_%E2%8098American_Teenager__is_stupid_and_inadvertently_funny
Here's an interesting article about the show, and how TV and some other factors correlates
with teen pregnancy.
http://www.getreligion.org/?p=5508
Jan. 6 Woolsworth: Woolsworth is a department store that opened in England back in 1909, making it a 100 years old. They closed down today and laid off 27 000 people. There used to be a Woolsworth in the US, but that closed down in 1997. I remember looking at a teen magazine in the late 90s, and I saw a picture of a girl holding a Woolsworth cart. I was like: "What's Woolsworth?"
I remember that time when Eatons closed down back in 1999. I remember talking on the phone with my friend Heather about it.
H: Those customers who shop there now, are like vultures going in after the lions killed the gazelle. When Eatons was open, no one shopped there. Now that they're closing, that's when shoppers come.
Me: I blame the competition. Look at what they have to compete with like Sears, the Bay, Zellers, and Wal- Mart.
Of course, the most recent store that closed down was Music World.
I read on Globe and Mail Business section with the headline: "Got bad news? Blog about it, fast" In the story it said about blogging about layoffs: "'Today, whatever you say inside of a company will end up on a blog,' said Rusty Rueff, a former human resources executive at Electronic Arts Inc. and PepsiCo Inc. 'So you have choice as a company- you can either be proactive... or you can let someone else write the story for you."
Rant: I have mild annoyances. I called Rogers Video to see if they have Flash Gordon on dvd, but they said they don't have it at that location. I would have to call every location to see if they have the dvds. I might as well throw in that Tyra episode about prostitution was mediocore. I had written earlier that "I have to watch it." It did not meet to my expectations.
Funny: This was unintentionally funny. I see on twop.com that there is a show called Law and Order: Trial by Jury. I have never heard of it so I looked it up on the internet and see that it was on for one season back in 2005. I laughed because it's like: "Ha ha, you are not successful like the original L&O which has been here since 1990 and on it's 19th season. L&O: SVU is on it's 10th season. L&O: CI is on it's 8th season."
I was reading old posts of my blog, and I see that Canterbury's Law got cancelled after one season. When there are too many lawyer and police procedural shows on TV, they will get cancelled. As for CSI, it's on their 9th season, CSI: Miami is on their 7th season, CSI: NY is on their 5th season.
I remember watching Dragnet. It's where I first saw Eva Longoria Parker before Desperate Housewives. I really watched it for the actors Ethan Embry and Desmond Harrington. Dick Wolf who created L&O, also made Dragnet and it got cancelled after two seasons. The first season had 12 eps, and the second season had 10 eps. Now I'm getting all these flashbacks of old shows. DW also made Conviction, which was a spinoff from SVU that only lasted one season. There was another law show called Close to Home that lasted two seasons.
News: The economy is bad. The only ones that are successful are grocery stores because everybody needs to eat. I read in the Globe and Mail Business section that says Wal- Mart, the world's largest retailer is safe because their stuff is cheap.
Jan. 5: Did you know there is such thing as the Canadian Blog Awards? I learned about it today by reading the Metro. Here's the site: http://cdnba.wordpress.com/
Desmond Harrington: Yesterday I read that Desmond Harrington was on Gossip Girl. Today I actually saw him. I squealed when he appeared on screen. He does look like he's related to the character Bart Bass. Here's how Bart Bass looks like (the guy in the centre):
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2721748480/nm0121559
Here's how Desmond Harrington looks like:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1440059904/nm0004993
It's been a long time since I've seen him in anything. I saw him in Ghost Ship, Wrong Turn, My First Mister, and Dragnet.
Fun: Today I was watching a little Law and Order: SVU, and then I change the channel and see that a star of the show Ice- T was on a show called Where you at Baby? It's really fun to watch him. They went behind the scenes of SVU, and it was during the taping where Michael Trucco guest- starred. I saw him sitting in the interrogation room.
Ice- T created a list of rules as an actor and how to succeed. First rule: "You act. Don't direct the scene." One of the rules is: "Don't assume people know who you are, or even care who you are once you tell them." Ice- T adds: "If you assume that someone knows you, and you are wrong, then you will be embarassed."
I remember reading in Cosmogirl 1999, they interviewed James Marsters (Spike on Buffy). JM said: "I was at a laundromat and I saw these three girls talking and looking at me. I thought: 'They must be Buffy fans, let me go over there and talk to them.' I start to say: 'Hi, I'm James' and stuff like that. It's not until 10 seconds in did I realize something is wrong. They don't mention anything about Buffy at all. One of the girls gave me this look and said: 'Uh, I'm like 13.' They thought I was hitting on them. I walked away." lol.
Another rule is: "The PA (Production Assistant) is your slave." It was crossed out.
Ice- T: A PA crossed that out as a joke. Yeah well, now he's fired.
Rule: "Do background checks on your actors."
Good: On twop.com, people are always dissing the show Secret Life of the American Teenager. Then I talked to my friend Angela, and she thinks the show is stupid too. It's a good thing I found this article through twop.com about another person thinking the show is bad. The comments that follow the article also diss the show so I'm happy that there are a lot of people who watch it because it's bad so that they can snark on it.
http://blog.zap2it.com/tvgal/2009/01/my-not-so-secre.html
Here's another article dissing the show:
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/reviews/view/2008_01_05_Bestkept_%E2%80%98Secret_:_%E2%8098American_Teenager__is_stupid_and_inadvertently_funny
Here's an interesting article about the show, and how TV and some other factors correlates
with teen pregnancy.
http://www.getreligion.org/?p=5508
Jan. 6 Woolsworth: Woolsworth is a department store that opened in England back in 1909, making it a 100 years old. They closed down today and laid off 27 000 people. There used to be a Woolsworth in the US, but that closed down in 1997. I remember looking at a teen magazine in the late 90s, and I saw a picture of a girl holding a Woolsworth cart. I was like: "What's Woolsworth?"
I remember that time when Eatons closed down back in 1999. I remember talking on the phone with my friend Heather about it.
H: Those customers who shop there now, are like vultures going in after the lions killed the gazelle. When Eatons was open, no one shopped there. Now that they're closing, that's when shoppers come.
Me: I blame the competition. Look at what they have to compete with like Sears, the Bay, Zellers, and Wal- Mart.
Of course, the most recent store that closed down was Music World.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Inspirational Quotes (Part 1)
It's the beginning of the new year. I'm sure you all have New Year Resolutions. Here are these inspirational quotes I have collected. It's not until last year did I type them out and save it onto a disk. I want to share it with you.
“It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“I must do something” always solves more problems than “Something must be done.”- Author unknown
“It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I know I was onto something.”- Omette Coleman
“You win some and you lose some, and some get rained out, but you have to suit for them all.”- J. Askenberg
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” –Winston Churchill
“No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking.” – Ruth Benedict
“We either find a way or make one.” – Hannibal
“Interest and attention will insure to you an education.” –Robert A. Millikan
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
“Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.” –Liz Smith
“Few minds wear out, more rust out.” Christian Nestell Bouce
“Nothing great was achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.” -Jewish Proverb
“I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” –Edward Everett II
“Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane ande the pessimist the parachute.” Gil Stern
“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” Raymond Lindquist
“Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself.” Alfred Sheinwold
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt
“Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” Benjamin Franklin
“With every civil right there has to be a corresponding civil obligation.” Edison Haines
“Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?” Author unknown
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney
“We rely on cliches, we become clichés.”
“We must not be ensnared by our imagined limitations” Virginia Euver Wolff “True Believer”
“The more you do, the more options.”
“Be down when you lose, but not out. Go and show them what you’re all about.”
“Live life like a firecracker: Light up the sky and go out with a bang.”
“A challenge is worthwhile.”
“Opportunities will always surround you if you know where to look.”
Lessons hard learned, but education worth the effort.
You always miss the shots you never take.
Nothing’s impossible if you try.
The greatest mistake you can make in life is…to be continually fearful you will make one.
Don’t hate the playa- hate the game.
You stay on the ball/ You stay on the wall/ It’s your call/ If you stand of fall
“Cause you’re free to do what you want to do/ You’ve got to live your life and do what you want to do.” -“Free” by Utranate
You can’t start a fire without a spark
“Fear is a mind killer” –Movie “Dune”
“Good judgment comes from bad experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”
“Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” Alexander Pope, poet
“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need. The remainder is needed by others.” Saint Augustine
“The divine test of a man’s worth is not his theology, but his life.” Morris Joseph, author
“Kindness in words create confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” LAO- TZU, founder of Taoism
“Safety and happiness can only come from individuals, classes, and nations being honest and fair and kind to each other.” C.S. Lewis, author
“When troubles will come, they are always temporary- nothings lasts forever.” Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
“If a religion does not teach love, respect, and regard for others, it cannot be the religion of humanity.” Swami Muktananda
“There must be a cooperation of all who believe in God, knowing that authentic religiousness- far from placing individuals and peoples in conflict with one another- rather pushes them together to build a world of peace.” Pope John Paul II
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Ghandi, Indian spiritual leader and nonviolence activist
“It is the enemy who can truly teach us to practice the virtues of compassion and tolerance.” Tenzin Gyastso, the 14th Dalia Lama
“We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.” Luciano de Crescenzo, author
“9 requisites for contented living
Health- enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth- enough to support your needs.
Strength- to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
Grace- enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
Patience- enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity- enough to see some good in your neighbor
Love- enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith- enough to make real the things of God.
Hope- enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.”
-Johann Wolfgan von Goethe, philosopher and playwright
“Don not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2
“A person’s true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.” The Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam
“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is a sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song,
as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”
“There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn’t hiss or boo me.”
“Trust and belief are two prime considerations. You must allow yourself to be opinionated. You must say, ‘Wait. Let me see.’ And above all, you must be honest with yourself.”
“Only the gentle are ever really strong.”
“To me, acting is the most logical way for people’s neuroses to manifest themselves…”
“I think the prime reason for existence for living in this world, is discovery.”
“The gratification comes in the doing, not the results.”
“I don’t want to be (just) the best. I want to grow so tall that nobody can reach me. Not to prove anything, but just to go where you ought to go when you devote your whole life and all you are to one thing.”
“If a picture is psychologically motivated, if there is truth in the relationship in it, then I think that picture will do good.”
“Being a good actor isn’t easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I’m done.”
“An actor must interpret life, and in order to do so must be willing to accept all the experiences life has to offer…”
“I also became close to nature, and am no able to appreciate the beauty with which the world is endowed.”
“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run that outright exposure…life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Hellen Keller
“Love is always patient and kind, it is never jealous, is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish: it does not take offense, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.” 1 Corinthimas 13: 4-8
“The love we give away is the only love we keep.” 9292
“It’s not about what we have, but what we enjoy.”
“To love is nothing…To be loved is something…To love and be loved is everything.”
“Don’t marry a person you can live with…marry someone you cannot live without.”
“Love. One word that frees of all the weight and pain in Life.”
“The friendship ball. A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end. It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for you to see is the treasure of friendship you’ve granted to me. Today I pass the friendship ball to you.”
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust
“Keep true to the dreams of the youth.” Johann von Schiller
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
“The stereotype not only saves time in a busy society, but tends to preserve us from all the bewildering effort of trying to see the world steadily and see it whole.” Walter Lippman
From a Starbucks coffee cup” “The Way I see it #17”
“The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you’re not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out, pursue any goal. Don’t take it personally when they say “no”- they may not be smart enough to say ‘yes.’” Keith Olbermann, brocast journalist
“Children are our most valuable resource.” Herbert Hoover (1874- 1964) 31st President of the United States
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin
“It takes a special person, with patience and wisdom to share, to unlock the treasure awaiting within children everywhere.” Joan Zatorski, educator
“Education must not simply teach work- it must teach life.” W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) Writer, Civil Rights Leader
“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” Mother Theresa
“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.” Sir John Lubbock (1834-1913), Business man, writer
“I teach with my heart and my souls and not with my mouth alone.” James Escalante (1930-), educator
“Education is simply the soul of society as it passes from one generation to another.” G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), critic, writer
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), educator
“Knowledge- like the sky- is never private property…Teaching is the art of sharing.” Abraham Joshua Heschel, philosopher, educator
“After the verb ‘to love,’ ‘to help’ is the most beautiful verb in the world.” Bertha von Suther (1834 -1914), writer, Nobel Peace Prize winner
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being.” Johann Wolfgang von Goette (1749-1832), poet, playwright, philosopher
“Life affords no greater responsibility, no great privelge, than the raising the next generation.” C. Everett Koop (1916-), U.S. Sergeant General 1982-89
Quotes by Malcolm X:
"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything."
"We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us."
"Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today."
"My alma mater was books, a good library... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity."
"Stumbling is not falling."
"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time."
“They put your mind right in a bag, and take it wherever they want.”
"We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us."
"Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks."
"A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself."
"I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they'll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action."
"If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary."
"I feel like a man who has been asleep somewhat and under someone else's control. I feel that what I'm thinking and saying is now for myself. Before it was for and by the guidance of Elijah Muhammad. Now I think with my own mind, sir!"
"The thing that you have to understand about those of us in the Black Muslim movement was that all of us believed 100 percent in the divinity of Elijah Muhammad. We believed in him. We actually believed that God, in Detroit by the way, that God had taught him and all of that. I always believed that he believed in himself. And I was shocked when I found out that he himself didn't believe it."
"I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation."
"It is a time for martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood. That's the only thing that can save this country." -- February 19, 1965 (2 days before he was murdered by Nation of Islam followers)
"Without education, you're not going anywhere in this world."
"...I shall never rest until I have undone the harm I did to so many well-meaning, innocent Negroes who through my own evangelistic zeal now believe in him even more fanatically and more blindly than I did." -- on those he encouraged to follow Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad
"When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won't do to get it, or what he doesn't believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn't believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire . . . or preserve his freedom."
"You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being."
"Dr. King wants the same thing I want. Freedom."
"I want Dr. King to know that I didn't come to Selma to make his job difficult. I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King." -- in a conversation with Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
"I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."
“It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“I must do something” always solves more problems than “Something must be done.”- Author unknown
“It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I know I was onto something.”- Omette Coleman
“You win some and you lose some, and some get rained out, but you have to suit for them all.”- J. Askenberg
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” –Winston Churchill
“No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking.” – Ruth Benedict
“We either find a way or make one.” – Hannibal
“Interest and attention will insure to you an education.” –Robert A. Millikan
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
“Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.” –Liz Smith
“Few minds wear out, more rust out.” Christian Nestell Bouce
“Nothing great was achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.” -Jewish Proverb
“I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” –Edward Everett II
“Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane ande the pessimist the parachute.” Gil Stern
“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” Raymond Lindquist
“Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself.” Alfred Sheinwold
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt
“Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” Benjamin Franklin
“With every civil right there has to be a corresponding civil obligation.” Edison Haines
“Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?” Author unknown
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney
“We rely on cliches, we become clichés.”
“We must not be ensnared by our imagined limitations” Virginia Euver Wolff “True Believer”
“The more you do, the more options.”
“Be down when you lose, but not out. Go and show them what you’re all about.”
“Live life like a firecracker: Light up the sky and go out with a bang.”
“A challenge is worthwhile.”
“Opportunities will always surround you if you know where to look.”
Lessons hard learned, but education worth the effort.
You always miss the shots you never take.
Nothing’s impossible if you try.
The greatest mistake you can make in life is…to be continually fearful you will make one.
Don’t hate the playa- hate the game.
You stay on the ball/ You stay on the wall/ It’s your call/ If you stand of fall
“Cause you’re free to do what you want to do/ You’ve got to live your life and do what you want to do.” -“Free” by Utranate
You can’t start a fire without a spark
“Fear is a mind killer” –Movie “Dune”
“Good judgment comes from bad experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”
“Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” Alexander Pope, poet
“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need. The remainder is needed by others.” Saint Augustine
“The divine test of a man’s worth is not his theology, but his life.” Morris Joseph, author
“Kindness in words create confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” LAO- TZU, founder of Taoism
“Safety and happiness can only come from individuals, classes, and nations being honest and fair and kind to each other.” C.S. Lewis, author
“When troubles will come, they are always temporary- nothings lasts forever.” Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
“If a religion does not teach love, respect, and regard for others, it cannot be the religion of humanity.” Swami Muktananda
“There must be a cooperation of all who believe in God, knowing that authentic religiousness- far from placing individuals and peoples in conflict with one another- rather pushes them together to build a world of peace.” Pope John Paul II
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Ghandi, Indian spiritual leader and nonviolence activist
“It is the enemy who can truly teach us to practice the virtues of compassion and tolerance.” Tenzin Gyastso, the 14th Dalia Lama
“We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.” Luciano de Crescenzo, author
“9 requisites for contented living
Health- enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth- enough to support your needs.
Strength- to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
Grace- enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
Patience- enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity- enough to see some good in your neighbor
Love- enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith- enough to make real the things of God.
Hope- enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.”
-Johann Wolfgan von Goethe, philosopher and playwright
“Don not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2
“A person’s true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.” The Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam
“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is a sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song,
as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”
“There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn’t hiss or boo me.”
“Trust and belief are two prime considerations. You must allow yourself to be opinionated. You must say, ‘Wait. Let me see.’ And above all, you must be honest with yourself.”
“Only the gentle are ever really strong.”
“To me, acting is the most logical way for people’s neuroses to manifest themselves…”
“I think the prime reason for existence for living in this world, is discovery.”
“The gratification comes in the doing, not the results.”
“I don’t want to be (just) the best. I want to grow so tall that nobody can reach me. Not to prove anything, but just to go where you ought to go when you devote your whole life and all you are to one thing.”
“If a picture is psychologically motivated, if there is truth in the relationship in it, then I think that picture will do good.”
“Being a good actor isn’t easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I’m done.”
“An actor must interpret life, and in order to do so must be willing to accept all the experiences life has to offer…”
“I also became close to nature, and am no able to appreciate the beauty with which the world is endowed.”
“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run that outright exposure…life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Hellen Keller
“Love is always patient and kind, it is never jealous, is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish: it does not take offense, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.” 1 Corinthimas 13: 4-8
“The love we give away is the only love we keep.” 9292
“It’s not about what we have, but what we enjoy.”
“To love is nothing…To be loved is something…To love and be loved is everything.”
“Don’t marry a person you can live with…marry someone you cannot live without.”
“Love. One word that frees of all the weight and pain in Life.”
“The friendship ball. A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end. It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for you to see is the treasure of friendship you’ve granted to me. Today I pass the friendship ball to you.”
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust
“Keep true to the dreams of the youth.” Johann von Schiller
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
“The stereotype not only saves time in a busy society, but tends to preserve us from all the bewildering effort of trying to see the world steadily and see it whole.” Walter Lippman
From a Starbucks coffee cup” “The Way I see it #17”
“The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you’re not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out, pursue any goal. Don’t take it personally when they say “no”- they may not be smart enough to say ‘yes.’” Keith Olbermann, brocast journalist
“Children are our most valuable resource.” Herbert Hoover (1874- 1964) 31st President of the United States
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin
“It takes a special person, with patience and wisdom to share, to unlock the treasure awaiting within children everywhere.” Joan Zatorski, educator
“Education must not simply teach work- it must teach life.” W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) Writer, Civil Rights Leader
“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” Mother Theresa
“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.” Sir John Lubbock (1834-1913), Business man, writer
“I teach with my heart and my souls and not with my mouth alone.” James Escalante (1930-), educator
“Education is simply the soul of society as it passes from one generation to another.” G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), critic, writer
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), educator
“Knowledge- like the sky- is never private property…Teaching is the art of sharing.” Abraham Joshua Heschel, philosopher, educator
“After the verb ‘to love,’ ‘to help’ is the most beautiful verb in the world.” Bertha von Suther (1834 -1914), writer, Nobel Peace Prize winner
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being.” Johann Wolfgang von Goette (1749-1832), poet, playwright, philosopher
“Life affords no greater responsibility, no great privelge, than the raising the next generation.” C. Everett Koop (1916-), U.S. Sergeant General 1982-89
Quotes by Malcolm X:
"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything."
"We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us."
"Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today."
"My alma mater was books, a good library... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity."
"Stumbling is not falling."
"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time."
“They put your mind right in a bag, and take it wherever they want.”
"We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us."
"Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks."
"A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself."
"I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they'll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action."
"If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary."
"I feel like a man who has been asleep somewhat and under someone else's control. I feel that what I'm thinking and saying is now for myself. Before it was for and by the guidance of Elijah Muhammad. Now I think with my own mind, sir!"
"The thing that you have to understand about those of us in the Black Muslim movement was that all of us believed 100 percent in the divinity of Elijah Muhammad. We believed in him. We actually believed that God, in Detroit by the way, that God had taught him and all of that. I always believed that he believed in himself. And I was shocked when I found out that he himself didn't believe it."
"I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation."
"It is a time for martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood. That's the only thing that can save this country." -- February 19, 1965 (2 days before he was murdered by Nation of Islam followers)
"Without education, you're not going anywhere in this world."
"...I shall never rest until I have undone the harm I did to so many well-meaning, innocent Negroes who through my own evangelistic zeal now believe in him even more fanatically and more blindly than I did." -- on those he encouraged to follow Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad
"When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won't do to get it, or what he doesn't believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn't believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire . . . or preserve his freedom."
"You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being."
"Dr. King wants the same thing I want. Freedom."
"I want Dr. King to know that I didn't come to Selma to make his job difficult. I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King." -- in a conversation with Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
"I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)