Friday, October 31, 2008

Just found out that my college mates have somehow found their way to my blog.
Oh well, now you people can see clearly; I am a poor writer.

Moving on;

I realize that even though I'm studying Economics, and I don't exactly dislike it, or am failing it in, but English is clearly more my forte. I'd probably do a better job at teaching literature, or writing, rather than fixing government policies.

Money never mattered. Words do. I've always been fascinated with the power of words, how it influences people. I get soaked into books; listening to great speeches. I find beauty in speeches, in proses. "Let freedom reign" said Martin Luther King; "An eye for an eye makes the world go blind" cried Mahatma Gandhi; their words are seeped into my consciousness. Shakespeare wrote "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds"; Murakami wrote "Death exists; not as an opposite but a part of life" and Lao Tzu wrote "Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." How can anyone not find all these awe-inspiring?

So what stopped me from going into writing?

Truth is, I was afraid. Writing, or more specifically journalism, was something I've always wanted to delve into, but I never had the courage to pursue it. I read great Pulitzer pieces, beautifully intricate materials by Nobel Prize winners, and I thought, "never in a million years would I be able to do that."

Sure, I wrote some pieces a few years back. Bits of poems, proses... None of it was satisfactory. I was too analytical, too much of a perfectionist, and it came out too refined. It never flowed properly, never the way I wanted it to be, the way I pictured it in my head. Too many awkward verses, grammatical errors, too much paraphrasing, stuff like that.

But lately I'm starting to get my writer's drive back. I've been scoring pretty well for my writing assignments at school, and hell are there a lot of those. Takes me ages to write something. But it's good practice, I realized how much I missed words.

I've picked up three books this weekend. I've read all of them, just needed to scan it through once more. The books are:

i. The Picture of Dorian Gray
ii. Norwegian Wood
iii. Atonement

These are the books that have recently influenced my writings. Norwegian Wood would be the book I single out as my biggest inspiration, as Murakami writes so flawlessly in such a simple way. It should be noted that two of the books are about love. I wouldn't call myself a hopeless romantic, but I find it amazing that people can put indescribable emotions into words. I'm hoping that by re-reading all this, I'll be able to write a good; no, a fantastic sonnet for Mr. Wise.

And I thank Mr. Wise profusely for giving me confidence in my writing, and for being a great, great teacher. Even though what you said could be entirely untrue, I appreciate the gesture. I really hope I'll be in your class next year.

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