Today Prompt: This just in: let’s pretend that science has proven that karma is a thing. Your words and actions will influence what happens to you in the future. How (if at all) will you change your ways? Continue reading “No such thing…”
Tag: random
A Behind the Scene Performer
Daily Prompt: If you were involved in a movie, would you rather be the director, the producer, or the lead performer? (Note: you can’t be the writer!). Continue reading “A Behind the Scene Performer”
My horrible first-attempt at a Photo Challenge
I have never known my home can be such a horrible place to take pictures. I am not sure whether it’s my inability to capture a good picture or what. Continue reading “My horrible first-attempt at a Photo Challenge”
Encore Post: Awards and Announcements
Okay, since today is Sunday, I think this calls for an encore post. This post will be about so many things, a few things I have to announce. Continue reading “Encore Post: Awards and Announcements”
Favorite Inventions
“That’s the best thing since sliced bread!” I’ve been wondering what this phrase mean all morning. I have never heard this phrase before, how interesting. In the end, I managed to google it and found a site that will explain the phrase to people like me.
I grew up in the 90’s and surprisingly, I didn’t start to use a computer until the early 2000’s. Before that, it was just my cousin who knew how to use the computer, not me. In my mind, I’d thought it was a complicated object that hardly serve a purpose. I mean, the internet took forever to connect (dial-up) and once it got connected, there’s a timer limiting our access plus, we can’t use the phone while we surfed the web.
It wasn’t until the DSL age and my school started to grow dependent on the computer that I finally discovered its true use of a computer and I have to say, it is the best thing since sliced bread.
Another thing that I think it’s the best thing since sliced bread is the e-reader. I hated reading books. For one thing, my hands sweat a lot and make the books wet and the other down thing about reading a hard copy is that I need light. There is no way I can read anything in the dark.
Well, now I can. I have a kindle app on my tablet and it provides all the light I need to do some light reading before bed without the need to stumble to switch off the light.
Anyway, those are my two favorite inventions. My other favorite invention that no one uses anymore is the VCR. It helped me to record so much of my favorite shows.
Forgotten
May I say I feel a little forgotten and angry at the moment? Continue reading “Forgotten”
Better Together
Daily Prompt: If you had to choose between being able to write a blog (but not read others’) and being able to read others’ blogs (but not write your own), which would you pick? Why?
It’s either or? What?!!! What about both?
If don’t read other’s blogs, where else do I find inspiration? I would probably run out of things to write extremely quickly. On the other hand, if I can only read other’s blogs, I would be compelled to write my own because of all the little ideas that will start to pop in my head.
In fact, that’s why I wanted to write my own blogs in the first place. I bought a kindle with the hotel points my mom had saved up from her trips and began reading. I can’t remember how many books I’ve read before those tiny speck of ideas fill up my head and almost caused me to burst.
But if that’s how you want to play it, I’d say I would choose to read other’s blogs. So what if I can’t write my own blog, I will just write something else, on Word, maybe. It isn’t necessary that I have to write a blog, I just write it to gain attention, to have an audience. I will be either way. I can still read other blogs to gather inspiration. Who knows, I might even write a book. Either way, I don’t think it’s even possible to choose between reading and writing. Those two things are just…
The Existence of this Colorful World
Daily Prompt: You have three hundred words to justify the existence of your favorite person, place, or thing. Failure to convince will result in it vanishing without a trace. Go!
Okay, so last week, I finally finished reading “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. It took me almost three weeks of starting and stopping reading but I finished it. I must admit though, it wasn’t as exciting as the movie but the lesson was well taught. It is about the main character discovering that living in a world of sameness isn’t all that great.
I have to admit, I do see the ups and downs of living in this kind of world where everything is assigned even homes, spouses, and children and everyone is guaranteed a full stomach, clothed, and warm bed.
The downs? No colors and feelings. They simply don’t exist because everyone in the world of sameness was genetically modified to not have those things. Some people for some reason have them though.
I wrote a post I believe last May. When I was writing it, I was sort of complaining about not finding a pretty dress to wear for my Graduation because the colors of my clothes just aren’t really suiting me. So I went on a rant and said I wished our world was lack of color. For one thing, no color means I’ll have an easier time when shopping for clothes. At least I wouldn’t be so torn between choosing from so many different colors.
Anyway, after reading this book, I have come to realize that living in a world of sameness sucks. I mean how can you tell people apart when they are all the same. Sure they don’t look alike but still, no colors, no feelings? I would rather live in a world with colors and feelings. Even with a little struggle, it’s worth it.
After all, difference is good. It’s beautiful.
Don’t Let it Burn
Daily Prompt: Your home is on fire. Grab five items (assume all people and animals are safe). What did you grab?
First of all, if my home is really on fire, my mom has better not be home but does it really matter? She will kill me either way. But I would really prefer if she’s not here during the fire though. She doesn’t handle these kind of situations well.
Second of all, really? Just five items?
This prompt is terrible for sentimental people like me. I hate to lose anything. Five items all not that much anyway. I mean, two laptops with chargers, an external hard drive, my tablet and charger, and my iPod, that’s five. I won’t even have room for clothes and it is quite difficult to find clothes that actually fit me these days. Also, what about that huuuge container of pictures? They are irreplaceable.
Hmm, gotta think of something.
Ah, I know. What if I have one of rollie containers things like cooler with wheels except it’s just a large container box? Then I would just throw in all the things I treasure most at the last second and wheel out with that big box of pictures, my clothes, my pillow, and my blanket. I can say, I can’t live any of those thing, let’s just say.
That Mighty Long Chat
I went on a camping trip for three days and two nights during the summer between 6th and 7th grade. It was fun and not fun as I pointed in this little walk through my adventures.
The fun? We got to go to all these cool and amazing places. The not fun? 3 minutes cold showers and the constant teasing by my camp-mates and the camp counselors couldn’t do anything about it.
I didn’t quite enjoy the telling ghost stories around the bonfire either. The log wasn’t comfortable and not a fan of burnt marshmallows. Also the night was still chilly even with the fire burning in the middle.
That’s why if I want to have a long chat with someone, I would definitely not do it around a fire. If I am to have that long chat, I have no idea who, surprise me, I don’t care, I would most definitely choose some place comfortable and indoor, preferably some place with couches.
Pencils Only
“Do all of your assignment with pencil on paper.” That’s what all the instructors said on the first day class.
When I was working on my undergraduate degree, we were not allowed to type our homework, except for the communication class when we were required to type our reports. Well, frankly, if we were to write our reports by hand, it would take forever and by the time we finish, our hands might be in some serious pain.
Even now, I write all my notes by hand on my tablet instead of typing them in Microsoft OneNote. I enjoy writing my notes by hands because it just feels so much faster especially when the class involves drawing tables and graphs.
Still, that doesn’t stop me from imagining what the world would be like if we were to go back to pre-keyboard era which would be before the 1860’s when the typewriter was invented. Technically, typewriters count as keyboards. They have keys and the paper is the screen.
I guess without the keyboard’s existence, I might be dipping pens, pencils probably existed but maybe only special people used ’em. Maybe clumsy people like me might not even have pens but just wooden sticks to write in the sand so we don’t get ink all over our dresses.
This semester, I found out I have to type all my assignments! Honestly, I rather prefer to go back to the pencil and paper days. At least I won’t have to stare at a screen the entire day. I mean, it’s killing my eyes! I find myself to have to zoom in to 150% this morning just to read this Supreme Court Case (Brown v. Board of Education) for my Business Law assignment and the font wasn’t even that small. The words just looked so blurry and tiny to me.
Please do NOT tell me I’m going blind.
Brain Power
Daily Prompt: Let’s assume we do, in fact, use only 10% of our brain. If you could unlock the remaining 90%, what would you do with it?
This is a strange prompt, I have to say, and it was late today. I didn’t see it come up until at the start of my second class.
Do we really use only 10% of our brain? That would be an interesting fact.
If I can unlock the remaining 90%, I would not know what to do with it. It’s just too much brain for me. I would rather it stays locked.
Whoa, scratch that…
Actually, I read this novel a while ago, I can’t remember the title but according to the story, apparently everyone has some kind of supernatural power, they just need to unlock it with their minds.
What if my other 90% was some sort of supernatural power? If that’s true, I would love to use that 90% for mind reading or some kind of cool psychic power. So I can secretly get a glimpse into my mom’s complicated mind, hey maybe it’s not complicated, just to see and double-check her tasks for me before I go do it. Because I’m really tired of the vague instructions and the unappreciative behavior. I mean what exactly do you want me to do?
Amazed…
You know, I’m kind of amazed at myself right now.
I finally finished this month’s work last night. I am so happy I get to relax and decompress during these last few days before the semester officially begins again.
Now I know I’ve complained about my work often because it’s so bored. I just sit at my computers translating stuff. Is that boring or what? So to take away the dullness, I decided to scour through my CD collection and listen to songs I haven’t listened to for at least the past 5 years.
When my stereo was still in the basement, I used to go down there and sing along to all the song I know. This week, I decided to do the same thing. That’s why I am so amazed. I still remember the words. All of them. It’s like when I want to sing along, the words just flows perfectly out of my lips and I heard these songs forever ago.
I don’t know how I do that because if you ask me to repeat it back to you, I cannot but when the music plays, I can sing the lyrics perfectly.
Sanctuary
Daily Prompt: A sanctuary is a place you can escape to, to catch your breath and remember who you are. Write about the place you go to when everything is a bit too much.
My place of sanction is a small area in the entire house where I can store my personal stuff, blast loud music and sing along, is the place where I finally feel at home after a long day. That place is my room.
It’s like my own little studio. I’ve got food, water, bed, basically everything I need to survive. Not long but you get my point. I basically live in my room. I stay there most of the day, to work, write, whatever.
It’s not the brightest spot of the house though. I keep the blinds shut so the sun won’t hurt my eyes and make me feel sleepy. It tends to do that.
Anyway, I feel like this post is more or less a repeat from a project I recently did for a company called Wework where I share my workspace with everybody. You can check out the article here.
3 Ways to Go Viral
Daily Prompt: Your blog just became a viral sensation. What’s the one post you’d like new readers to see and remember you by? Write that post.
My blog had just became a viral sensation??? How did that happen? I wonder, hmm…
I think there are probably only three ways that this blog can ever go viral.
- I’ve done a crazy stunt and got taken down and uploaded onto Youtube.
- I finally finish a novel and some big name producer read and decided to turn into a TV show or movie and everyone’s flocking to find out who I am.
- All my doctors got my symptoms wrong and misdiagnosed me AGAIN and I really have days to live.
I don’t think any of those situations are very likely though.
- I am not a risk taker so I won’t do dangerous stunts.
- Some big name producer is going to read what I write, yeah right.
- The third way? Ha, I’m healthy as a horse and unless I suddenly come down with something and I don’t get better, that’s not going to happen.
As for the one post I would like readers to see and remember me by? I haven’t written it yet and I don’t think I’m ever going to because if I ever feel the need to write that post, let’s just say it’ll either be the end of me or the end of this blog.
The First Day
So I wanted to write yesterday but I couldn’t get myself to. First of all, I am home, finally. I was dead tired. I slept 12 hours, from 9 to 9 and I was still tired. I worked 7.5 hours yesterday and went to bed extra early. Continue reading “The First Day”
Tears, can’t live without them, just have to live with them
Daily Prompt: We cry for lots of reasons: sadness, pain, fear . . . and happiness. When was the last time you shed tears of joy?
Hmm, that’s interesting. I don’t remember crying for joy, ever or maybe I just haven’t yet.
Do people do that? Crying for joy just seemed a little funny to me because why would happiness provoke tears? Wouldn’t it provoke laughter and smiles?
Ah, I get it. It’s not the kind of joy that makes a person smile but the kind of joy that causes one to feel surprised, glad, or even relieved like right after a mother gives birth. I’ve seen it in the news and movies. Or when someone realizes that person’s been there for him/her all along and is grateful. I guess I just never had that kind of thing happen to me yet but I’m not giving my hopes up. Someday.
I remember exactly the last time I cried. It was tears of anger. It was at the end of September right after my aunt back my mom’s car into a pole. Then the very next day, my mom blamed me for it. My fists and teeth clenched and tears fell from my face while fire looked like it’s about to flare from my nostrils. There was this pull inside me rendering my ability to speak or fight back.
It’s not my fault, I wanted to say but couldn’t. Ultimately, I just had to ignore every hurtful my mom said that day.
The result of that event?
It set off a domino effect and it went on for almost two weeks that ultimately ended with my mom buying two airplane tickets for my aunt and cousin to go home at once but fate intervened. And they’re now staying until February.
It was strange for me to cry because I don’t usually cry when I’m angry. Actually, I can say I’ve grown stony and hard ever since I’ve been living with my mom alone that it’s hard for me to cry any sort of tears. But tears are meant for cleansing, so I guess everyone has to shed some tears once in a while whether it’s for joy, sadness, or anger. Tears are tears and everyone needs them.
Can I relax now?
Well, this week has been fun. Not really. Monday was my first day off for my Winter Break and I mean real day off where I have the house to myself for a few hours. I thought I’d write a lot this week, perhaps work on story I noted on my other blog but unfortunately, my week was ruin by my project manager and her stupid concern email. After working for such a long period, my creativity meter’s level fell to zero.
Thankfully, I just finished my work, just a few minutes ago actually. Hmm, I wonder if I can finally let out a breath and enjoy my holidays. In the last 3 days, I have worked 20.5 hours and translated over 5000 words. I woke up at 4 am yesterday and 6 am today to complete this annoying and boring monthly deadline. Yesterday, I’ve check and found out next month, there’s more. The deadline? January 12, the first day of school. I do hope I can complete it.
Anyway, now that I’ve done this month’s work and ran out of “me” time, I think I’d spend the last measly hours today, aside from going to the orthodontist and do the impression for my retainer, I think I’m going to blast the music on my stereo and sing. Ha ha, maybe but I think I have some other matters to take care of first:
- My AAA card will expire, got to call and take my mother’s name off it and pay the bill.
- I received a gift card two months and I think there’s a problem with it, so got to call and wait and wait.
After that, I hope people would chill for a while and cool it with the deadlines.
Why A Simple Life…
I was updating the About page and noticed it’s been about six months since I changed my blog name and I never bothered to introduce how it came to be A Simple Life.
So since I’m done for the semester and have few short days alone by myself, I thought I’d take the chance and do this late introduction to my blog. Oh and you’ll notice I’m playing with colors here, that’s how bored I am. 😀
F.Y.I, the underlines are links to ancient ancient posts, I thought I’d let you re-live them as part of looking back this year.
My blog is call A Simple Life. I changed it recently from My Simple Life after realizing I don’t have a simple life anymore. So now, this is A Simple Life and it reads in the heading, Tales and Life of a Simple Girl.
That tells a lot, doesn’t it? This blog is a tiny bit more stable now than a year ago. You see, this started out a nameless blog and then I went, “Oh, heck with it.” and named it The Random Blog.
Then I forgot about it, from February to September. How do you forget you have a blog? Shrug. I don’t know.
How did I come back?
I got an email one day last September saying someone likes my post. It was this post like that somehow inspired me to come back. After I came back, I didn’t know what to write at first but then I working three jobs and my boss was driving me insane. Also I had no one to complain to. So I wrote this post and several others.
Quickly, I took out the in the title and this became just Random Blog. It didn’t attract a lot of attention though 😦 no matter how many post I published. Hmm, I wonder why.
I didn’t find out until about six months ago. I was tagging too happily. 🙂
I still didn’t like the name though because I thought it was too misleading, perhaps make the readers think maybe I just re-blog other people’s material or maybe just post some random stuff. Nah uh, that’s not me. I’m a storyteller.
So on that hot summer night, while I was lying on my warm bed, kept awake by the F-16s and the heat, out of nowhere, a name hit me, Diary of An Optimist. For that short month (June and July), this blog was known as the Diary of An Optimist. I thought I liked it but then I was like, “Nah, too thought provoking.” I’m not into that.
So I changed it again. I kept thinking and thinking. What to name this darn blog? You see, I’m terrible with naming things.
What is the thing that simply described me and what this blog entailed. Life! That’s one word to put it. It’s about real life, my life, full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, troubles and chaos. That still doesn’t give me a name though.
Simple! My aunt and cousin were coming soon and once they arrived, I would have to cook for them, teach them, help them. Even the months before they came, it was becoming complicated, with me stuck at home daily waiting for the man to come everyday to work on the basement. Meanwhile, my mother’s temper flared every time she spoke of their arrival. Not to mention my life will no longer be two-some but four-some. I just wish that life could be as simple as what I have now.
That was it! Simple Life that’s the name for the blog!
A Simple Life is about my life as it is. I am a person who strive for simplicity in life. I’m sure I’m not the only one. As you can see, everything about the design of this blog promotes peace, tranquility, and simplicity.
I’ve always wanted to become a graphic or web designer, either one, no preference there. So making my desktop backgrounds look good as well as playing with web design is kind of like my second hobby aside from jigsaw puzzles.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this how my blog came to be post and I do hope that I will still make it a habit to blog everyday in 2015. That’ll be my goal and hopefully, I’ll have some juicy stories to share. Oh and please follow, follow, follow!
Gotta get back to work. So ciao for now. 😉
Convey Emotions to Get Something
Okay, these prompts are getting more ridiculous and uninspiring by the day. Did something happen? Did the group of people that usually come up with the prompts go home for the holiday, leaving a bunch of substitutes in charge of the prompt?
Anyway, I’m terrible with conveying emotions with objects. And something I learned over the years, you only mean something to someone when they need something or want something from you. Like would my dear friends from middle school contact me unless they need help with homework or other sort of things? No!
My mother’s friends are the same, they don’t call her unless they need help with something. So in reverse, I really don’t see the need to convey this message unless I’m stuck on a island or something in need of help. Then, I would arrange tiny rocks on the beach that will spell out, “HELP!”
If I’m trying to convey my emotion with my mother, I wouldn’t need 5-10 objects, I would just use a big box of chocolate in the shape of a heart. Doesn’t that says enough?
*****
I guess I jinxed my vacation in yesterday’s post because yesterday afternoon, I received a somewhat urgent email from my project manager asking why aren’t we working. I mean, can’t a girl take a break? After all, finals are just barely over and it’s the holidays!
Apparently not, so today, I have to work. Ugh!!! 😦
All or Nothing?
“Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing.” — Sylvia Plath
Which do you find more dangerous: wanting nothing, or wanting everything?
I find both ends of the spectrum dangerous. Wanting everything can put a person in desperate situations that can lead a person to stealing, fights, and a whole lot of other things. Wanting nothing can mean a person is depressed and needs help. It can also mean this person wants no any sort of object whatsoever. It can just mean they want money.
I find a person healthy when they want something in between.
Horrible post for a horrible prompt and it’s not linking!
Got an exam to study for, later.
Pain in the Neck
Today’s prompt is very odd and specific, Today, write a post about the topic of your choice — using only one-syllable words.
I don’t know why but my aunt has been a pain in the neck of late. I find her now and then to speak her thoughts out loud. Like how she comes up the stairs and says, “I need to pee.”
I’m like, I don’t need to know that. Just go!
Then each day, at ’round 2, she will ask me, “What will we eat?”
I’ll be like, “We just ate lunch and you want to know the next meal?” At least let me get some work done first, then I’ll think ’bout food.
The thing that drives me nuts is the way she laughs. I don’t know how to tell you. If you look to your left, it says a lot. It’s quite weird and now and then, I get mad ’cause come on, I have a lot of work here and what you do does not help me.
The third and last thing is that she speaks so darn loud. When I sit next to her
and she turns to me to talk, I feel like she talks through a bull-horn. Now and then, I’d tell her, “please bring your voice down.” Still, she keeps her voice loud as a mic. Ugh, I feel like I will go deaf if she goes on this loud.
I took my first final exam to-day and got 100%. Yay! One down, three to go. 🙂
A Whole Lot of Apologies
I feel like today’s prompt is very similar to one that I did a while back. But if inanimate objects have feelings and emotions, then I owe a lot of apologies. There are so many items that deserve my apology equally. So I’ll just bullet-list a few.
To my microwave for sometimes slamming the door and the food explosion. You’re simply too powerful.- To my mouse for getting mad at the computer’s functionality and taking it out on you. I know you’re not made of steel and I will be careful with you from now on.
- To the recliner couch. Sorry for always putting weight on you.
- To the TV remote for always dropping you on the floor. It’s lucky you’re still functioning.
Oh boy, that’ll be a big problem if everything has feelings and emotions. Luckily, in my mind, they already have feelings and this makes me to treat them as humanly as possible.
This is Another Story 