During college, an ole neighbor shared with me her wise words that in order to become a great writer, "you need to write every day!" When I first heard her words, I felt like I needed to hear those few words of advice at that very moment. Little did I know that it would lead me to decide to start a blog series.
The one distinction that makes us as humans unique is that our language is recorded in writing. Being able to preserve intelligence throughout history in the form of written words is what separates us from any other living form. From documents and other texts in history books, we are really lucky to have the resources needed to view the past once more by simply turning to a page in a book. Because of written language, we as individuals and a society as a whole are able to grow, expand, mature, refine, and transform ourselves into greater heights. In addition to the spoken word, writing is an essential key to individual intelligence, whether it is emotional, mental, social, physical, or spiritual.
Writing permits expression of emotion that can not be voiced through action alone. Writing is in many forms, such as poetry, essays, novels, articles, journals, and blogs, etc. Through these different mediums, we as people are able to develop important critical and analytic skills. Most importantly, written words are an essential passageway for communication to become established between two or more persons. Through jotted words, communication becomes smoother and more clear.
I do not know if my old neighbor realizes how large of an impact that her words have had in my life. Because of those words, I have gained the confidence I need to express myself louder vocally. Before, I used to rely on my music and art as the main mediums for me to speak to others. Now, writing has become an attained skill. I still have a lot to improve on, but I am one step closer to become a better writer.
30.11.13
13.11.13
A Day at the Coffee Shop
I turn on the engine of my car
And a loud roar emits.
I adjust the rear-view mirror and glance to the outside.
The sky is lit with faded stars and drizzled with gray clouds.
Small drops of rain begin to tap slightly.
A small knock sounds on the side door.
I turn my head to see him waiting for me to open the door.
"Hey, so where to?" he asks as he enters the car.
He smells of the outside from soccer practice.
"Let's hit up Bennu Coffee!" I reply with a beam.
As I pull up to the driveway of the coffee shop,
I already see the small venue stuffed,
College students and professors fill almost every seat.
Laptop plugs connect to the outlets hung from above.
A blend of sweet pastries and coffee sifts through the air once we enter.
Luckily, an open table presents itself as a group rises to leave after its session.
I sit down and adjust my laptop on the oak wooden table,
Situating myself comfortably.
Across, he does likewise,
A calm expression spread across his face.
I plug in my headphones,
Jamming to an old Foo Fighters album.
The music appeases my stress,
Thoughts begin to settle and focus returns under my control.
Hell week has just begun.
I glance at the paintings hanged on every wall.
New pieces are placed every so often.
To the left of us, two people have a heated discussion,
Debating about the logistics of the current healthcare reform.
To the right of us, a hipster playfully handles her lover's scarf,
Arms wrapped around each other.
I return my attention to my laptop,
Tuning my focus to readily prepare for next week's final.
An hour laps by
Two hours,
Then three.
I stand up to take a break,
Taking a side glance at him.
He's wearing an old hoody and denim jeans.
The usual wear.
His concentration is not disrupted by me as I head toward the front to order coffee.
I return and progress to sit down and resume my studies.
My eyes quickly look up and meet his.
Words unspoken are expressed.
I reply with a smile and ease back to my studies,
A cup of coffee on one side.
And a loud roar emits.
I adjust the rear-view mirror and glance to the outside.
The sky is lit with faded stars and drizzled with gray clouds.
Small drops of rain begin to tap slightly.
A small knock sounds on the side door.
I turn my head to see him waiting for me to open the door.
"Hey, so where to?" he asks as he enters the car.
He smells of the outside from soccer practice.
"Let's hit up Bennu Coffee!" I reply with a beam.
As I pull up to the driveway of the coffee shop,
I already see the small venue stuffed,
College students and professors fill almost every seat.
Laptop plugs connect to the outlets hung from above.
A blend of sweet pastries and coffee sifts through the air once we enter.
Luckily, an open table presents itself as a group rises to leave after its session.
I sit down and adjust my laptop on the oak wooden table,
Situating myself comfortably.
Across, he does likewise,
A calm expression spread across his face.
I plug in my headphones,
Jamming to an old Foo Fighters album.
The music appeases my stress,
Thoughts begin to settle and focus returns under my control.
Hell week has just begun.
I glance at the paintings hanged on every wall.
New pieces are placed every so often.
To the left of us, two people have a heated discussion,
Debating about the logistics of the current healthcare reform.
To the right of us, a hipster playfully handles her lover's scarf,
Arms wrapped around each other.
I return my attention to my laptop,
Tuning my focus to readily prepare for next week's final.
An hour laps by
Two hours,
Then three.
I stand up to take a break,
Taking a side glance at him.
He's wearing an old hoody and denim jeans.
The usual wear.
His concentration is not disrupted by me as I head toward the front to order coffee.
I return and progress to sit down and resume my studies.
My eyes quickly look up and meet his.
Words unspoken are expressed.
I reply with a smile and ease back to my studies,
A cup of coffee on one side.
6.11.13
A Natural Record
Midday after the day's classes ended, I paced my stride, heading toward home.
I heard the shuffling of feet on the rocky pavement that travels down the endless walkway along the university's astute buildings. Old and new buildings sit by each other with a stark difference in atmosphere emitted from the clashing of old and modern urban themes of the city of Austin.
Instead of inserting my headphones in, I tune my ears to the free streaming provided by the noises of the life presenting itself to me.
A professor walks briskly out of a Starbucks coffee shop as she noisily sips on her latte between office hours. Her face wears a worried look.
A cashier from the corner Chipotle location shuffles out the trash from the morning shift, wiping his forehead with a rag damp with sweats of stress and anxiety. A disgruntled sound muffles out of his mouth. "Dammit."
A Christian-based fraternity group sits outside the patio beside the student center, hastily chatting excitedly about the upcoming retreat while being surrounded by student organization booths with young college kids advertising "Free Food, Free T-shirts, Free Fun" to passerby students who either politely decline the offer or accept the flyers.
I hit pause on the playlist as my attention flickers to a sign plastered on the student news post. It reads "Upcoming Varsity Show. FREE Event!" with a picture of a diverse student group, smiling enthusiastically back at me. I stare at the post, hoping to feel an interest spark from the remote advertisement. However none arose at the moment.
Not too far from where I stood, the chiming of bells ring through the air, disrupting my out-of-space moment. My curiosity faces a dead end when I turn my head around only to see the continuing streams of students and faculty roaming to their destinations. The sound of chimes continued to glisten through the air, making my new priority to find its source.
I peer around me, making a whole 360 degree turn, but no instrument is visible. Suddenly, I feel a vibration on my right jean pocket. I fumble my hand in my pocket, feeling a crumpled receipt and sticky Jolly Ranchers wrapper. My fingers wrap around the edge of my cell phone and pull it out. I open it to find a text from a friend who invites me out to a concert featuring one of my favorite bands "Young The Giant" happening downtown tomorrow evening. The text is in all lowercase except for hash-tag "YOLO" (as if capitalizing it would convince me to attend). I reply with a simple "sure" and then scroll down the keypad to schedule a reminder on my calendar.
I pitch my phone back into my pocket and then decide to plug back in my headphones attached to my iTouch to listen to the band's first record, simply titled "Young the Giant". Before placing the buds in, I take one last look around me. The student community continued to shuttle past me in hurry to get classes, home, or work. The chime bells had stopped already. I took a deep breath and then immersed myself back into a world shut from the orchestra of life.
I heard the shuffling of feet on the rocky pavement that travels down the endless walkway along the university's astute buildings. Old and new buildings sit by each other with a stark difference in atmosphere emitted from the clashing of old and modern urban themes of the city of Austin.
Instead of inserting my headphones in, I tune my ears to the free streaming provided by the noises of the life presenting itself to me.
A professor walks briskly out of a Starbucks coffee shop as she noisily sips on her latte between office hours. Her face wears a worried look.
A cashier from the corner Chipotle location shuffles out the trash from the morning shift, wiping his forehead with a rag damp with sweats of stress and anxiety. A disgruntled sound muffles out of his mouth. "Dammit."
A Christian-based fraternity group sits outside the patio beside the student center, hastily chatting excitedly about the upcoming retreat while being surrounded by student organization booths with young college kids advertising "Free Food, Free T-shirts, Free Fun" to passerby students who either politely decline the offer or accept the flyers.
I hit pause on the playlist as my attention flickers to a sign plastered on the student news post. It reads "Upcoming Varsity Show. FREE Event!" with a picture of a diverse student group, smiling enthusiastically back at me. I stare at the post, hoping to feel an interest spark from the remote advertisement. However none arose at the moment.
Not too far from where I stood, the chiming of bells ring through the air, disrupting my out-of-space moment. My curiosity faces a dead end when I turn my head around only to see the continuing streams of students and faculty roaming to their destinations. The sound of chimes continued to glisten through the air, making my new priority to find its source.
I peer around me, making a whole 360 degree turn, but no instrument is visible. Suddenly, I feel a vibration on my right jean pocket. I fumble my hand in my pocket, feeling a crumpled receipt and sticky Jolly Ranchers wrapper. My fingers wrap around the edge of my cell phone and pull it out. I open it to find a text from a friend who invites me out to a concert featuring one of my favorite bands "Young The Giant" happening downtown tomorrow evening. The text is in all lowercase except for hash-tag "YOLO" (as if capitalizing it would convince me to attend). I reply with a simple "sure" and then scroll down the keypad to schedule a reminder on my calendar.
I pitch my phone back into my pocket and then decide to plug back in my headphones attached to my iTouch to listen to the band's first record, simply titled "Young the Giant". Before placing the buds in, I take one last look around me. The student community continued to shuttle past me in hurry to get classes, home, or work. The chime bells had stopped already. I took a deep breath and then immersed myself back into a world shut from the orchestra of life.
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