Six months and the Brits...

It is hard to believe that in about a week I would have lived in Austin for six months and to discover how much my life has changed. I have always been the green type of person but these last six months I feel that I have grown into an even greener person. I do not have a car in Austin, I ride my bike everywhere,

Without driving I am reducing CO2 emissions drastically and I love knowing that I am making a small impact. I know it is not much but I feel it is enough. By cycling everywhere I am also getting more exercise and daily exercise. Its not like I didn't exercise back in Reno but I am definitely making health a larger priority in my life in Austin. I am eating out a lot less and cooking more at home. My overall consumption has been decreasing.

I am learning to find fun in new and different activities that I haven't done before. I am finding my passion for creative writing more and more everyday. I am growing more into myself. I am becoming a stronger individual. I have struggled through some of this but I keep my motivation high and I keep myself going. I am finding zen.

Although I haven't really found a "circle of friends" the people that I am finding are teaching me so much about life. Helping me find new discoveries. I am realizing so many different avenues. I am not saying I know what I want to do but I am learning things that I don't want to do. I am discovering a new way of learning. I have been putting myself through many rigorous mental challenges as well.

I feel lost and found all at once. I am just going with the flow but not settling for anything. I am creating some safety nets but none of them are for certain.  I am discovering a new pair of lens to see the world through and I am loving it.

I have also seemed to meet some very notable people during these 6 months. A few have been some people who I occasionally meet-up with for drinks, a few of them are people vacationing in Austin like my last extravaganza with the Brits. They were some of the coolest and most genuine individuals I have yet to meet. However having a night out with Brits entails a large amount of drinking because they expect you to keep-up pint for pint. Thus creates a large headache the next day but anyhow it is always fun.

Born Free

A friend that is very dear to me asked my opinion on an MIA music video called Born Free below are the lyrics and the video.

Whooo!
Yeah man made powers
Stood like a tower higher and higher hello
And the higher you go you feel lower, oh
I was close to the end staying undercover
staying undercover
With a nose to the ground I found my sound

Got myself an interview tomorrow
I got myself a jacket for a dolla
.............
and the car doesn't work so I'm stuck here
yeah i don't wanna live for tomorrow
I push my life today
I throw this in your face when I see ya
I got something to say
I throw this shit in your face when I see ya
Cause I got something to say

I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
(bo-bo-born free ....)

You could try to find ways to be happier
You might end up somewhere in Ethiopia
You can think big with your idea
You ain't never gonna find utopia
Take a bite out of life make it snappier yeah
Ordinary gon super trippyer
So I check sh!t cause I'm lippyer
And split a cheque like slovakia

Yeah i don't wanna live for tomorrow
I push my life today
I throw this in your face when I see you
I got something to say
I throw this sh!t in your face when I see you
Cause I got something to say

I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
(bo-bo-born free ....)
ooooh

I don't wanna talk about money, 'cause I got it
And I don't wanna talk about hoochies, 'cause I been it
And I don't wanna be that fake?, but you can do it
And imitators, yeah, speak it

Oh Lord? whoever you are, yeah come out wherever you are
Oh Lord? whoever you are, yeah come out wherever you are
and tell em!

Born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
(bo-bo-born free ....)

I am still trying to figure out what the message this video is dictating. There are so many different angles that my mind went to. The first thing that I can for surely say is the directing style of this video is phenomenal. Also I appreciate the "freedom of speech" used in it. I quoted freedom of speech because MIA is not American, she is from the UK. My point being is that I appreciate people who speak their mind on controversial issues. I respect that no matter what their cause is. The fact that the speak-up I appreciate it. Now that I have said that I want to explore the message of this video.

The first time I watched it my immediate thought was that in some weird underlining way it was talking about the holocaust but portraying a different sector of discrimination upon redheads or the ever new popular term that South Park created, "Gingers", the soulless, red haired, freckled individuals. I have decided against the idea of it talking about the Holocaust but I do think that the director did use ideas from the holocaust to make the point.

After thinking it over I believe this video means and dictates one own thought. It hits on many different political elements. It speaks a lot but I feel what it is mostly doing is creating an action/reaction conversation about discrimination and police states. With the over all lyrics saying "Born Free" it states we are all human, we are all born to live, we all have the right to be free and live life the way we want. 

I think that the target of redheads was perfect to a degree because of the pop-culture affect of the "Ginger" it also highlights that people try looking for reasons to discriminate against others. This video is a perfect outlet to bring-up the conversation of discrimination in all aspects.

Do I think it was fair that it singled out redheads, no, but I don't think it would have been fair to single out any other group either and that is the point I see in this overall video and song. Let's all learn to love, accept and fight to have that freedom, because we are all born free. We are all human.

I feel that it can hit on many current events, such as the revolution in Libya, or on if muslim women in France can wear a burka. These issues can be discussed with this video. It is an alternate world that we are not used to seeing but by choosing redheads to discriminate against in the video does that completely alter their reality and could it cause discrimination against them like the "Ginger" episode of South Park did?

Struggle

Being a poor young intelligent individual is tough. I always think I have a plan or solution to the chaos of life. My thought my be correct. I have great intentions, I try to make life happen and do things but then I always get into some sort of funk where I do nothing. I get lazy. I stop working out. I just sit around and bum around.

This could be due to the fact that when I am in my active state I stay active until pure exhaustion and then my bum state comes along for maybe a month or so. I start to get lazy and not care to do much besides go to work and go home and sleep all hours. It gets to the point where nothing is satisfying unless if it is late night boozing but even then that wears on my individual. I become fatigued, lost in thought, great thought, possibly the best thought of life but my laziness has won to the point where I don't write it down and it is lost forever.

I have been feeling like I was in that funk for a couple of weeks. I wasn't creating anything to happen in my life. No surprise, no big events, nothing to look forward to but the same monotonous day that just keeps occurring and then I think if this is how my eternal recurrence will be looking through the eyes of Nietzsche then I pray there better be a God. Although I know it is much more simple after life, there is nothing. I think about this and realize I must create. I must focus, I must live and not get trapped by any funk or financial digression. Part of living is to struggle but part of joy is overcoming these struggles and realizing that it is my life. Live it. Don't be defined by others, don't live to the expectations of society. Live  each experience. Live each moment. Create a moment to be living in. Make things happen. Don't sit around waiting. Drown yourself in the sea.

I didn't see this part of me until I got my bike brakes fixed. I struggled cycling because I had to take some hills nice and slow, especially going down hill. I had to struggle. I couldn't brake, it was scary, possibly deathly but that was because of cars and traffic but if I could have kept going with out worrying about those other people it would have felt like freedom, satisfying. I am thankful I have brakes again and my bike. The extension to my life, the thing that make me feel the most free. The thing that grants my will. Sometimes it is a pain in the ass but that is freedom. I have to give myself some restrictions of complete freedom like having safety brakes but what I am learning now is to not always depend on safety brakes by depending on them to much you are constraining yourself causing a new struggle but a struggle that is trapping you. Creating a struggle that has no boundaries but a safety brake sounds better.

I missed seizing certain moments that could have been life changing. I wanted to see what will happen instead of doing. I am tired of waiting. I need to create, engage, live. I know I will struggle and get in other funks but I also know I am making things happen. It is not about having plans and goals for a future. Those things are nice, it is about the small things. Not knowing what you are going to do the next day but knowing you are going to do something. The things I currently do know that I am doing is that I am going to Lubbock to see the Nevada football game, I will be going to a Thrice concert and Niki (@missniki13) is visiting me for that, and I am taking the GREs. That is enough for me to know but I know this now I need to live in other ways. I need to create smaller random things and become more spontaneous from day to day.