Various (personal, societal, net-related stuff etc.)
Check out all the supervarious stuff DBS students are concerned about!
“This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” (Henry David Thoreau)
Find a model review below. Courtesy of the very talented Jenny Daxner
13 comments on “Various (personal, societal, net-related stuff etc.)”
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Supervarious 
I’d like to share my book Review on “Corner Boy” with you, I hope you enjoy it! 😉
Book Review- Corner Boy
Title: Corner Boy
Author: Herbert Simmons
The book is about an 18- years old boy, who pushes Drugs for an Organisation. He is admired by others for his expensive car & clothes and his attractiveness to women.
Everyone likes and respects him and he is leading the perfect life until things begin to change. Falling in love with a girl named Amenta and causing an accident (in which somebody dies) lead to a dramatical change in his life.
Admittedly I didn’t have one special reason why I read the book. It might have been the book covert hat caught my attention (because I was fascinated by the look on the boy’s face – it seemed old and young at the same time!) or maybe it was the blurb, which is really well written if you ask me. Moreover I’m generally interested in drug- stories, because it’s something different that the children’s books I usually have to read for school.
Whatever it was that caused me reading this book, I’m glad it did.
Concerning the main character’s development you have to know that Jake Adams is a black 18- year old boy, who lives in a city in America. His job is pushing dope for a guy called Monk, whom he really respects and admires. So far he had always been very lucky in his life (he has lots of money, an expensive car, many girlfriends, good friends) and until recently he had also been the head of a gang called “Termites”.
All this results in his attitude to life: He always wants to be strong and never to show weakness. Girls are forgotten easily and nothing is taken seriously.
A girl called Amenta however puts a spoke in his wheel and manages to change him a lot. With her father not liking him Jake has to deal with this for the first time in his life.
Moreover he has to face “real” feelings and emotions, which clearly makes him unsure and uncomfortable a little bit because it is new for him.
Although he tries to forget her, Amenta is not like other “broads” he had met so far and so he even follows her to college into another city.
The change in his character is also influenced by some of his friends:
– Scar, his best friend, who starts taking drugs (once Jake even gives some to him)
– Spider, another good friend, who gets punched from another gang, but still manages to get a job and care for his pregnant girlfriend
– Maxine, an ex-girlfriend of Jake, whom he takes home safely after finding her drunk in a bar
– Georgia, his “sister” (because they grew up together, but she is white)
After Amenta moves to New York (because her father wants to avoid any contact with Jake) he returns to his home and joins the scene of gambling and drugs again.
Then a bad accident happens when Jake is driving in a car with Georgia and she dies. Jake is sent to jail for seven years, not because the accident was his fault but because the police found drugs in his car (Jake didn’t lie, as his lawyer suggested, and tell the drugs belonged to Georgia).
At the end of the book Jake not only realised that he didn’t really have perspectives in “his world” but also that he had no chance working somewhere, where he could earn lots of money. His life goal (to be rich) is still the same!
Consequently I think he will go on pushing drugs and living a careless life after the 7 years in jail (although the book doesn’t reveal it).
Regarding the strong points of the book I have to say that is written really well. Despite the fact that it is quite an old book (1957) it conveys great importance to our life now and the topics (love, drugs, friends…) are really interesting. I also liked the slang of the book (my ole lady…).
Nevertheless the book has also some weak points, e.g. the gambling is always described in great detail and the description of the area is also very long sometimes. Furthermore, in my opinion the book is sometimes a little macabre (e.g. when a friend of Jake died).
Still I don’t regret reading it because it is really a very good book and I can only recommend it.
Actually I’m not sure for which readership I’d recommend the book. I’d say it is for anybody who is interested in the topic, particularly people aged between 16 and 20 years, but I can’t see any reason why older ones shouldn’t read it. It’s not only a book for girls, on the contrary this is a very rewarding book for boys too.
So the only thing left to say: This book is worth reading for everybody!
I don’t know where to put this link, so I’ll put it here.
I just can’t help myself, I need to post this because it’s just too hilarious and I have to share this with somebody. So why not here?
I was sitting in the train today and was grinning and laughing the whole time while reading this. I guess everybody around me thought I was being weird, well I would have thought so too.
Anyway, if you can spare 5 minutes of your time read it if you want something to laugh about. In my opinion it’s super witty.
http://9gag.com/gag/aBKGpyO
But that is so mean! Had to laugh though 🙂 That LOST feature just killed me
I’d like to introduce you to the american youtuber Anna Akana.
She says that she wants to make people laugh with her videos, also because her sister committed suicide a few years ago.
Though I don’t always agree with her I love the way she looks at things.
She puts them in an other perspective so they are either funny or quite serious and make you think about “the world”.
She also produces short films, I personally really like „Miss Earth“.
(I’ll put the link to her youtube channel below, you can find all of those films there if you want)
I’d like to share one specific video with you that amazed me, also because the video is not about what you’d guess by the title. If you want to know what I am talking about, check the video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f49xeXdFSgc
“Stay awesome Gothem!”
https://www.youtube.com/user/AnnaAkana
She’s got great teeth! As for the rest, I’m not sure I like it…. I have to make up my mind and maybe watch more videos 😉
Sorry for my typos but I wrote this on my phone. I’m still proud of this little accomplishment 🙂
I haven’t really thought this through I just wanted to write something so the post is pretty confusing and messed up I guess. 😛
I’ve never thought about this, the struggle of being an individual and the member of a group although it’s so obvious. I would love to talk about that more some time. Thanks for that huge comment and the wise words I really appreciate it 🙂 I feel really inspired
a little afterthought: Learning never stops
Hm well I think those big changes in your life certainly play a big role at the moment. You’re about to embark on something new, maybe also a new self? That can be wonderful, but also scary. Well I’m not sure what you actually want to face or change or improve. It’s great that you reflect so much but could it be that you’re sometimes too critical with yourself?
It could be, at least I’ve heard it from other people that I am but that’s something I wouldnt want to change bcs it keeps me from neglecting things. However I start thinking too much at times and miss the moment to act and then I get really disappointed. But hey realization is the first way to improvement 🙂
Well anyways, these deep and personal things about my own life are what I’m most vulnerable of and it’s scary and I just hope my ramblings here help some people who struggle and make them see they are not the only one.
But for now it’s enough of navel gazing. Life’s certainly not there to be too concerned all the time. It is however a part of it at least for me and I think it’s all about finding the right balance 🙂
Hey folks!
I’ve decided to write a blog post about something personal that I love to do. Travelling!
For me, travelling isn’t just a thing to do in the holidays, it’s more like a passion. You know this excitement, when you’re waiting at the airport gate and you just can’t imagine what will await you? Isn’t it the most amazing feeling? I literally got addicted to it (not the best thing if you’re a poor student 😉 ).
Fortunately, my parents took me and my brother on any kind of trips since we are kids. We’ve been to the U.S., Australia and different European countries like Italy, Sweden or Spain. All of these journeys are connected to memories, solving problems, making new friends and most of all it’s a change in personality.
In my opinion, travelling helps you to understand the world a little better and it broadens your horizon, because you get to know so many different cultures, religions and languages.
One of the most memorable destinations I’ve been to was South Africa in 2016. Not just because of its unbelievably wonderful and stunning landscapes and wildlife, also because of the locals!
The start of our journey was already, how should I call it… exciting in a scary way? Just a few days before our departure (our flight went from Munich to Istanbul and then to Johannesburg), an attempted coup against president Erdogan took place in Istanbul. Therefore, mostly every flight was cancelled. Luckily, ours wasn’t. But the thing that scared me so much was that Turkish Airlines showed a clip on the airplane monitors, where people who died during the attempted coup were called martyr, which is in my opinion totally inappropriate on board of an airplane!! (But the policy of the Turkish president is a different story)
After a long flight we arrived in Johannesburg and picked up our language and rental car. So let the adventure begin!
The first problem confronted us quicker than we thought. Most of the roads in the countryside aren’t the best, due to that there were lots of potholes. After 2 hours of driving we got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. The scary thing about it was that we weren’t sure if we had a replacement tire in the trunk. God bless, there was one! The next day we had to search for a garage to get our tire fixed, because it’s not allowed to drive with a replacement tire. But where do you find a garage when you are 200 kilometres away from civilisation and there’s no way to drive back? That was the first time that we experienced the African kindness and hospitality. The waiter of the lodge where we stayed for the night, offered us to call his friend, who was a motor mechanic. His friend fixed our tire in his backyard and he didn’t even demand a dime for it. (I think something like that would never happen in Austria!)
In general, we noticed that there’s still inequality regarding skin-colour in South Africa. Black people are still oppressed and are paid unfairly. Especially in the country side it was noticeable that there is a tense situation between black and white people. Once a guy cleaned our car without asking, so we gave him 200 Rand (~ 14 €), because we didn’t have any change. You should have seen his face! He nearly began to cry! I mean sure 14€ for cleaning a car might sound a little bit more than usual, but it’s still not that much money. So we were been a little confused as to why he was so happy. Later a ranger told us that most of the people living there earn 100 Rand in a month, therefore we gave him a 2-months-salaries without even having a clue!
I could just write about 1000 other stories, but I think this post has become already way too long! 😉
What does travelling mean to?
I would love to hear about some of your experiences and stories!
P.S.: I would have loved to share some pictures with you, but it somehow doesn’t work? If you have any advice for me, please just let me know 🙂 (otherwise you can check out my Instagram profile: xxxresa)
Sounds like an amazing trip! My parents-in-law were in South Africa last winter and we had to keep them from booking a return ticket straight to Jo’burg upon their arrival in Austria – they just loved it so much! So I’d really love to see this country! But I guess I’d like to see any country in the world, no matter how far away it is. Or maybe the farther away, the better 🙂 Funnily enough, I mostly end up in England or Italy, though. I guess England because of the language and the culture and shopping, and Italy? I suppose one doesn’t need a reason to go to Italy 😀
But I know how hard it is to be a student and to be in love with traveling at the same time. Luckily, there are cheap hostels and backpacks. I remember spending most of my savings on trips to far away places when I was a student and I don’t regret one cent spent on these trips – for the same reasons you mentioned above: adventure and personal growth.
Nowadays I particularly like road trips: just getting into the car and going wherever the wind blows is my favorite type of vacation. It’s the epitome of freedom!
BTW I’m sorry about the picture issue. I think you can’t upload pics, but you can link your Instagram page.
I can relate so much to your parents-in-law! In every country, city or village I’ve ever been to, I lost a little piece of my heart and want to go back as soon as possible. On the other hand I have this strong desire to discover new places. Maybe it just some kind of vicious circle?! 😉
Italy is always a good idea! Especially the cities Florence and Siena literally enchanted me. Furthermore, the summery vibes and delicious smell of pizza at every other corner is just awesome.
WordPress should definitely work on that issue, I mean sharing pictures is so much fun and entertaining! 🙂
Link to my Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/xxxresa/
Gorgeous pics, Theresa!