Thursday, 22 March 2018

101 in 1001 - Re-learn How To Play Chess


Over the past few months I've spent some time working towards the 101 in 1001 goal:

  • 053. Re-learn how to play chess
Setting up the board
I used to play chess in as part of a chess club when I was a kid, but haven't played in years and have largely forgotten much of what I learnt. That was the motivation behind this goal. After talking with my friend Rina about chess one evening, I realised that I did still remember how to set up the pieces, their basic moves and the basic rules of chess. So I then watched the tutorial below (which I found as one of the suggested videos of a link Rina sent me) to give me an extra refresher. It helped a lot, especially with things like the en passant rule because I didn't remember that at all!


After that, I used the website lichess.org to practise and my friend Luciel and I played some games against each other via that site too. I lost every time, because Luciel is much better at chess and things involving strategy than I am, but they were helping me to learn, so it was fun!




A few weeks later, Luciel and I then played a game using a chess set; I was white and they were black. I tried my best and they helped me a lot, but it inevitably ended up with me in this situation:

Just the king left, preparing for checkmate
Honestly, Luciel could have won much sooner than this, but chose not to so that we could keep playing. So, I am still really rubbish at chess, but I do remember how to play it, which was my goal. It's complete! I will probably keep practising though, because I'd really like to improve.

Tuesday, 20 March 2018

101 in 1001 - Write 25 Poems (No. 13 - 20)

A photo I took of the moon ages ago; I needed an image for this post!

This is part 3/4 for goal 21 on my 101/1001 list:
  • 021. Write 25 poems.
Most of these were written yesterday and today, but a few I wrote weeks/months ago and simply forgot to post. All of these were inspired by someone or something, as opposed to some of the others I've written, which were entirely invented narratives. Some worked better than others, but I'm going to include all eight of them anyway. You can read the first six here and the second six here.


13. Pacificator Summi

Your way was not the path
That heros walked upon.
Not the celebrated honour
Nor pious pure of soul.
Perhaps it was too distant
From the romance of rebellion
Or the noble, worthy cause,
To impress the starry eyes
And rouse the sleeping minds.
The fire, burning history,
Breathed in human oxygen
And grew into a blaze.
Decimating all dissent
And razing it in flames.
The chaos brought by fools.
It could have been so easily
Extinguished by your cool;
Left to smoulder in grey cinders.
But a voice that is not heard,
Is devoid of powerful words.


14. Stars

Celestial lights,
Seem cold and distant, yet they
Melt worlds and form life.


15. Shadow 5 & 1

The mourning is over
Here it is always night.
Free yourself from the sadness.
You can die or you can fight.
Young mirrored doppelgänger
Controlled by your pain.
Your rage is transformed
And you know his name.
A fire to light your past,
A hand to take your sorrow,
A Gift to fill your mind.
You and he have no tomorrow.
Join in his melancholic melody
Cry out. Scream out.
Until you...blackout.

Do you hear his voice?

"I don't care about your dreams, my friend,
But I will stay with you until the end.
You and I aren't like them -
Disgusting human organisms."

Your intellect's superior but
You're not in control,
Still, he does what you tell him,
Soothes his sadistic soul.
The drone of voices echoing
Confuses those who come.
He can possess the weaker ones
But you are not like them.
Puppets piqued on painful strings
Amuse him as they writhe,
But you are unaffected by
The pitifully impressive sight.
He joins you in your hatred
Though it is a hopeless fight.
You're programmed to lose,
Temptation Revelation.

"The demonstration is over."


16. Aberration

3:33am
The tremors start again.
Is it the bed or is it the body?
The frames' motions sync,
Disturbing surrounding objects.
The arms and legs will not move,
But the eyes and head can look and tilt
And the brain recalls uneasy feelings.
The persistent rapid jolting remains,
Whilst the anxious discomfort heightens.
Mild palpitations occur at uneven intervals
But the breathing is incongruently steady.
The vocal cords are still, involuntarily
Silent.

4:44am
The vibrations cease abruptly,
And eerie silence fills the space around.
A thousand strings turn the head to the
Thick black velvet curtains, now backlit
And translucent. The brain recognises a shape
In the dark. At the window. In the light. But not of it.
Innocuous in appearance, the shadow puppet figure
Asks to enter, without any words.
Laughing? Laughter that precludes all sound.
Beyond the eyes. Denial. Refusal. Provocation.
Split-second synapses, the voice connects,
Praying for help in anguish. But there is only
Silence.


17. Osen

There is beauty in reflective pools,
Shimmering in hazy light that
Bounces from fresh pale greens,
Such delicate petals of Spring.
And in the glittering snowflakes,
And the icy breeze that carries
Rain and sleet like needles, alarming
Human senses so they know they are alive.
And in the wilting waves of Summer heat that
Evaporate the storms, and warm the hearts
Of those in need of a break from darker times.

But I long for Autumn's howling shrieks
And the baritone rumbles of thundering skies.
The untamed disasters and purple-grey washes,
Illuminated by blinding lawless cracks,
Giving way to the heavy atmosphere and
Spilling tears of joy to the land below.
Deep orange, yellow and red paints the paths
And the woods are alive, not in leaf but on floor,
With the mosses, mushrooms and insects transforming
The scapes and shapes of the world that is their own.


18. Oh! You Poor Little Thing!

Generosity
Give giving,
Expect nothing.
Nothing in return.
Say too much,
Of volumed spheres,
And always nothing.
Nothing in return.
The language plain,
The message clear.
These cells are tired,
Will not be restored.
Narcissistic thread knots,
Painful catches on the line,
Numbed into naught over time.
Smile and say nothing,
Just overcompensate
For the inconvenience.


19. A-Fluent

Aesthetics of pain
Without suffering,
Uniforms of hate
Without the intent,
Soul of an animal
Without the body,
Artist and historian
Without experience.
I can afford to
Indulge myself,
I can afford to
But only if you pay.

Aesthetics of culture
Without surviving,
Uniforms of authority
Without the fear,
Soul of a people
Without the bodies,
Scientist and spiritualist
Without understanding,
That I can afford to
Forget the past,
I can afford to
At your expense.


20. Q+A - A

What is it that you long to hear
When you lift the lids to light?
Do you want to hear the answer
To questions swirling in the fog,
Or just old tales repeated and
Sacrifice to quench the bloodlust
Deep inside your spiral twins?
If I spoke with another's tongue,
Would my words tell you the Truth?
If my suit was black not grey
And my language silver electric shock,
Would you understand the code,
Or just let it crack and break,
With deception crafted bullets
From a front of veils to hide behind?

Sunday, 18 March 2018

101 in 1001 - Make Something Out of Snow (Part 2:Milquetoast the Snow Cat)

Milquetoast the Snow Cat
After my last post about the 101 in 1001 goal:

  • 085. Make a snowman/something out of snow

The skies again opened yesterday/today and my town was covered in a blanket of white ice crystals once more! I was really lucky this time, as I happened to be out volunteering on both mornings/early afternoons, around some amazing animals, plants and scenery. The snow gave everything a magical look (even if I couldn't feel my hands because of the cold/could feel them way too much when they warmed up!). 

When I got home, my friend and I decided to try to make another, bigger snow animal - this time opting for a snow cat (pictured above). The snow was much less powdery and compacted really well, which made it a lot easier than the last time When we were finished, we decided to name him Milquetoast the Snow Cat.

Saturday, 17 March 2018

101 in 1001 - Make Something Out of Snow

Creepy the Snow Duck
Where I live, it hardly ever snows and when it does it rarely settles. However, over the past few weeks the weather here has been a little unusual and we've had a cold snap, bringing with it a blanket of snow.


Originally, I had intended to go to Dartmoor in order to achieve the 101 in 1001 goal:
  • 085. Make a snowman/something out of snow
But this gave me the opportunity to make a little snow duck (pictured at the top), complete with grapes for eyes, in my own back garden. (Honestly, I'd just come back from the hospital that day, so I didn't really feel like trekking out to the moors anyway). 


The snow was very powdery, but I managed to construct my creepy little duck bit by bit!


My friend was taking the photos of me making him, but didn't take one from the side, and I also forgot to take one when I was finished. So the only completed photo I have is the first one in this post, which makes Creepy look a bit like a flat pancake duck, even though he was 3D. Nevermind - this goal is still complete!

Friday, 16 March 2018

101 in 1001 - Enter the 2018 BIAZA Photography Contest

Whiskers & Teeth
This is a goal from the 101 in 1001 list that I completed a while ago but forgot to post about until now (there are a few of those!):
  • 084. Enter the 2018 BIAZA Photography Contest
I also didn't want to post about the photos until I was sure they were going to be allowed, as they had to be checked by the organisation I volunteer for first. They were accepted at the beginning of last month though, so here they are! The above picture is of an asian short-clawed otter. He was yawning at the time, but it ended up looking like he's grinning.

That's Quite Enough
The second photograph is of two macaroni penguins, one of which was making such a din! The penguin in the foreground seemed like she'd had enough.

Whilst these aren't the best photos I've ever taken, they captured a moment and showed the animals' personalities, which is why I chose them. The 2018 award winners will be announced at the BIAZA gala dinner (no, I'm not an attendee, haha!) in June. These were just entered for fun, so I'm not expecting anything. However, if you'd like to see some truly award-worthy images, you can check out last year's winners here.

Wednesday, 14 March 2018

101 in 1001 - Blam Babylons Boy Blood


BLAM HONEY
The title is of course referring to the second post - 2/26 - for the 101 in 1001 goal:

075. Listen to 5 bands beginning with every letter of the alphabet

I also specified that at least two of the bands for each letter should be new to me, so I chose 3 bands I've heard before (BLAM HONEY, Babylon Zoo, Babylon Whores) and two that were "new" (Boy Harsher, Blood Ceremony). I was going to include Bauhaus in the bands I'd heard before, but they're a lot more well known than the others, so I went with these. 

To read about/see clips from the bands, click the cut below↓↓

Tuesday, 6 March 2018

101 in 1001 - Go Bowling



Last Wednesday (Feb 28th), I got to cross of another goal on my 101 in 1001 list:

037. Go bowling

Some people from the place I volunteer at invited me to AMF Bowling for the evening, so we had some food/drinks beforehand and then played a few games. I managed to come third (out of 7) in the first game and then ended up dead last, with a spectacular score of 44, in the second. Haha! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos, so the wonderful public domain image of some pins and a ball above will have to do.

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