on-line theft

When Myra, Shantel and I first mused about starting a group blog, we agreed on focusing on the positive and the  inspiring. Of course, it also never occurred to us that people would take advantage of internet anonymity -- BIG MISTAKE.

Last week, one of my media classes debated much about "intellectual property" and what exactly it entails. It got pretty heated as technology and media gets updated so often that lines get blurred, definitions perpetually compromised.

Now, I've heard various cases of identity thefts on the internet, but I certainly never imagined it to happen to anyone close to me -- or even to myself.

One of Shantel's followers on tumblr alerted her that the page above copied much of her posts verbatim.

Shantel then notified me that my photos were stolen as well.

That's right, folks. Photos from my birthday weekend were stolen... except I'm pretty sure there was no Stephanie and especially not a "Kikay" in attendance.

In this photo, you can see our cups of tea, my phone, a glimpse of my friends - MJ reading Amanda's sweet birthday note and Georgia sitting right across, her head conveniently blocked by the antique Cold War globe my friend Melody gave me as a present.

Stolen from the same post, guys. Mind = blown.

Of course, knowing Shantel, this wasn't a case to be ignored.

This "Kikay" person behind the above thefts was immediately reprimanded with swears and a well-constructed hate speech, I'm sure. And without skipping a beat, "Kikay" (sorry, I just can't stop using all the scare quotes) immediately deleted her page to avoid any further confrontation.

But then...

How does one explain her abrupt flight from the land of Tumbls to her beloved followers?!

The Return of "Kikay"...

entailed, um, an unnecessary public documentation of GERD and...

Anyway, isn't it funny how she subtly incorporates some kind of reverse psychology on us in her first post? K, guys, I took down my tumblr because people were stealing my stuff and messaged me about it. So, obviously the logical thing to do was to run because I'm, like, totally not guilty - WHAT?

What kind of person has the gall to pull this, I'll never know. So kids, be wary, and blog safely!

PS. If you've experienced something similar or just want to talk, shoot us an e-mail at holdhandsbreathelight@ymail.com!

on desire,

‘L’appétit avec conscience de lui-même’ - ”Appetite with knowledge of himself,” was the definition of desire for Spinoza. Indeed, in its universal definition, the desire is a particular tendency to want to get something to satisfy a need, a desire. In philosophy, the longing/desire to seek recognition of others and demonstrates a lack. It is a condition of human life that can register its existence in time, because the desire is inseparable from the projection into the future.

Living without releasing your desires is to live like a stone. In an ancient text describing conversations with his pupils, Socrates thinks that a life incontinent, that is to say without restraint, is a dissolute life and inconsistent. Using a metaphor, Socrates shows that such a life is absurd because it amounts to fill barrels drilled. Callicles responds that it is precisely this inconsistency is a source of pleasure and excitement. ”The man with casks has no pleasure,” because happiness is not in possession and comfort, but in the excitement of the conquest and the alternation of pleasure and pain.

As Rousseau said, “It excites the imagination and nourishes (…) desires” and who attribute to the object, qualities he did not. The reality is often disappointing because it does not coincide with what I had imagined and the expectation of appointment is sometimes more beautiful than the appointment itself. Rousseau concludes, “we enjoy what we get less than what we hoped, and we are happy to be happy than before.“

Life without desire is the life of a death in life. This amounts to show that even the desire is inseparable from life. So the real reason emerges from the struggle between the desires. So the desire is part and parcel of human life; an essential faculty of human life. It is constitutive of individuals and allows them to move forward in life because a desire is constantly renewed by another and so on … The people, through desire, seek to fill a lack - a flaw. And we do not mind, one bit.

January remnants

More photos from winter adventures in January.

Here's our buddy, Fred:

art/philosophy

Rembrandt Van Rijn - Philosopher in Meditation (1632)

Located at the Musee du Louvre, dutch artist Rembrandt’s Philosopher in Meditation has always fascinated my senses. The portrait depicts the essence of light captured within the darkness of the room, with only a glint of fire to match the light of the sun. The winding staircase plays a role in capturing the balance between the dark and light sides of the portrait, evidently similar to the yin-and-yang symbol. The metaphysical question of natural power facing the phenomenon of man-made itinerary, such as creating a fire, is pondered by the philosopher.

Perhaps Rembrandt’s theme was to capture the true essence of the natural power of the sun, as the preferred personal choice for himself, while showing that the forces of man could never amount to the power of the sun-rays leaking into the dark room.
This painting is the ideal studying place I would like to have. Peaceful, dark, and inviting to the sun’s beautiful and powerful rays. Such a life that would be.

birthday weekend

I turned twenty this past week.

Spent the weekend with some friends (minus Shantel and Myra, unfortunately).

(death of Jenga tower)

Ended the day at David's Tea with Georgia, MJ, and David!

tumbl'n back

Shantel and I have Tumblr accounts now. Well, I had one two years ago and then forgot about it and made another one a few months back. Shantel, on the other hand, made hers a couple of weeks earlier, and she's already got more substantial content than I do!

Also, there's a new e-mail address where you can all direct your questions/further comments: holdhandsbreathelight@ymail.com. (Apologies to those who have e-mailed us and did not receive a response! For some reason, the old hotmail was sending them all to the Junk folder and then deleting them forever into cyber abyss.)
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Today's featured photo is of a less snowy and less hazardous Queen's Park, taken on a relatively warm day earlier this month. (It's difficult to make out, but there's a girl walking on the path a few distances away, wearing such a beautifully bright red pea coat.)

misgivings

"Hatred is like a long, dark shadow. Not even the person it falls upon knows where it comes from, in most cases. It is like a two-edged sword. When you cut the other person, you cut yourself. The more violently you hack at the other person, the more violently you hack at yourself. It can often be fatal. But it is not easy to dispose of. [..] Once it has taken root in your heart, hatred is the most difficult think in the world to shake off."
— Haruki Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle)

Things to note as the end of January approaches:
1. Lazy mode should not begin now.
2. Catch up with sleep. It misses you dearly.
3. Go home more often.

It seems like I can't catch up with time, because I have so many goals set for this year, I don't really know how to organize them properly. Maybe I'm just too lazy to start, or too eager to multi-task. I don't think it's the later option, either.