Shit just got real

Dang... What a wake-up call..

After recieving an informative message from a batchmate, I realized that I have been wasting so much time on needless pursuits and have been deviating from the timetable I had once proudly set for myself..

I guess its time to get off my ass and buckle up, 'coz like the title of this entry says, the shit has just gotten real..

See you in a few months.

Getting past the (writer's) block

The downside of not writing for a really long time is that it gets really difficult to get started again, and that includes writing scientific papers. So, in order to get past this writer's block that I seem to have hit (and thus finally get my paper going), I shall return to the blogging scene after this apparently long hiatus.. hehe

A LOT has happened in the months that passed, and it would be too exhaustive to go into detail about al of them, but I guess I'll give it a shot.. :P

Its been about 5 months since the end of training. Finishing the aforementioned research paper and preparing for another diplomate exam should keep me occupied for the next few months. :/

Finally achieving this much-desired change of pace is something really new for me. I'm finally rid of having to go on duty at the hospital forever. (Bwahahahaha! :P) I've spent the better part of the first month clearing out stuff from my room, including setting aside some little-used clothes for charity. :) There was also a lot of catching up to do with the considerable sci-fi backog I had built up in the last couple of years or so.. hehehe

I've actually missed this.. being able to just creatively unload my thoughts on a blank slate which would serve as an online memoir of sorts in the years to come.

My wrist hurts.. probably carpal tunnel syndrome.. Serves me right for all those late-night sessions with the iPad before going to bed. I've already gotten rid of most of my games, especially those that can run offline, but I just cant seem to remove a couple which tie me and the guys together (since we're such total geeks :P). A litte more self discipline won't hurt, and will probably go a very long way..

I realize that I really need this writing session to help me get used to being productive in front of the computer again. Otherwise, I would just wander off to read some sensationalist news or social media garbage.. I really miss the good old days when people would just blog or participate in forums, where people had to actually exert an effort to go out and read stuff and think about it (since they had already made an effort to find it in the first place), instead of just being stuffed right infront of an immature audience who tends to have this underlying impulse to freely comment whatever shit opinion they may have at the moment without really thinking about it just because the info was so easy to come across.

The hate and vitriol on the internet, primarily on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is sickening, and makes me question where humanity is really headed. I'm no saint, and I admit that my emotions have been swayed at times based on some stuff I had come across.. Even more sickening is the fact that governments have finally resorted to using the internet as a tool, and in the wrong hands could cause a lot more harm than previously thouht possible. Just take a look at what is happening now in the US, with their hateful and spiteful leader taunting people over Twitter like a spoiled child. Or if one would go locally, the presence of these faceless social media trolls whose main aim isto make people angry, opinionated, or downright nasty against each other, and the das fact is that some peope are actually paid to do this..

The world was never really a perfect place to begin with, but the outpouring of such negativity online has me wanting for better days, when things were much simpler, when people were actually more civil towards each other due to the lack of anonymity, and when opinions were better thouhgt out before being displayed in the public forum for all to see.

Social media has allowed everyone's inner jerk to reign free, since there is no apparent threat of actual retaliation in real life. People have abandoned decency at times just to satisfy a pathological need to be noticed and be right no matter what the cost.. :( Is this really what we will become? A race of entitled brats who pounces on anyone who does not see things their way? I believe in free speech, but it does not grant you the license to act like an asshole towards others just because they don't know or won't be able to know you personally anyway.

I used to think that the creepy side of the internet was confined to stalkers, sexual predators, serial killers, shady individuals who wish to rob you through technologically advanced means (or even just through simple scams for those who are gullible enough), and probably some other deep web stuff that I probably wouldn't even want to know about.. :/ But now all of a sudden its the basic creepiness of human nature that resides in all of us that scares me.. :( I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm disappointed at people..

I used to laugh at the concept of people saying that society is in decay and all that stuff, but when I take a look at the internet and see how much it has permeated all the aspects of our life, I can't help but believe that its true... :(

I've been watching sitcoms lately, and currently have FRIENDS in my sights, and I must say that even though its funny, it sometimes gad a little sad at times due to its unspoken commentary about the way things are in this modern age. I won't go into details at the moment though, because think this post has been depressing enough.. Still good writing therapy though :D