Heyyyyy everyone, back again for another Around the World segment. So last week's short story was quite depressing and gloomy, as I noticed in retrospect, but I still feel like it was a necessary addition to the vast volume of knowledge they call my blog. Haha...no. But anyways, I guess I was in a very reflective mood that day, who knows. But whatever the case, at the end of the post I said that the next post would be something that discusses the global conflicts that have shaped human history. And while that would be very interesting and fascinating, I think I'm gonna have to put a raincheck on that one. I mean, it's the holidays right now. It's a time of joy, peace, and prosperity in the world. Also today's Christmas... It's not the right time to broach the subject of world conflicts and such and such. Although fun fact, did you know that during World War I in 1914 on Christmas, the two sides of the war called a truce and played football together and just completely stopped the violence! I just can't imagine what an amazing moment that must have been. But yeah, no conflict post today. But I promise that I will do research on that and eventually write that blog post, and it'll be freaking awesome. But anyways, I thought today would be a good time to do another Around the World segment. And this time, I thought I would start with a very historical city in one of my favorite countries in the whole world, Italy. First of all, some background on why I love Italy so much. In high school I took 4 years of Italian (Buongiorno persona!). Please don't expect me to write more right now, I forgot how to say person in Italian. Although now this means that I'm probably gonna revisit my Italian notes so who knows what'll happen in the future ;). But anyways, yeah I took Italian for 4 years, which was so cool. I can still understand some Italian as long as they don't speak too fast, and can speak haltingly. Which is not bad at all. But I've also spent years studying Italian culture and mythology, and have extensively studied the food through the many mouthwatering Italian restaurants close to me. But why Florence? Well this summer I'll be studying abroad in Europe, and while there I'll be visiting many European cities including Florence. So this research is as much for me as it is for your enjoyment too (I hope). But anyways... here we go! Ahh Florence, Italy...look at that beautiful European architecture. Some of the most well known places in the city include The Piazza della Repubblica : The site of the old Roman Forum and one of the oldest sections of the city. The Santa Croce Church : The church is nicknamed Temple of the Italian Glories, and some of the coolest people in the history are buried there, including Michelangelo, Galileo, and Dante. Basilica di San Lorenzo : This place is one of the oldest churches in Florence, and it's also the burial place of the Medici family, one of the oldest and most powerful families in Italy, and also probably Europe. I will definitely do a blog post on them in the future. Uffizi Gallery : One of the greatest art museums in the world, the Uffizi gallery houses many Renaissance art including works by Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli, Rembrandt, and of course one of my icons, Leonardo da Vinci. Florence was the center for medieval trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of its time. I mean this city was seriously poppin. I mean, this city has been rated one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The city was a stronghold for the Medici family, one of the most powerful families in Europe and a precursor to the Italian mafia. This family was completely insane as I mentioned before. One could argue that they were the most powerful family in Europe during their time, and definitely the most influential. I would love to talk on and on about the Medici family, but I feel like their story is one best left for another blog. For now I'll just leave you with this, think of the Medici family as some parts CIA, some parts Illuminati, and all parts terrifying. Anyways, another important part of Florence was that it was considered the birthplace of the Renaissance. And I kid you not, it was called the "Athens of the Middle Ages". How funny is that. But its cultural significance cannot be denied at all. This was the city where all the ninja turtles, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael all did some of their famous work. It's where Dante created Divine Comedy, which interestingly enough was written in the Florentine Vernacular, which was a descendant of Latin. Florence still remains one of the fashion capitals fo the world. While Milan is a lot more well known, did you know that Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, and Emilio Pucci are all headquartered in Italian. Prada, Chanel, Armani, and Bulgari all have huge offices right now. Yep, it's kinda a huge deal. Florentines were also one of the driving forces behind the Age of Discovery. It was a map drawn by a Florentine that our man Christopher Columbus used to sell his voyage to the Spanish Monarchs. Don't even get me on Chris Columbus. What a terrible terrible human being. I'm definitely gonna rant about him in another blog post, you can be sure about that. But additionally, Galileo and other scientists also "pioneered the study of optics, ballistics, astronomy, and anatomy." Florence was seriously an amazing amazing place. And yes, it was necessary to say amazing twice in that case. The last thing I need you guys to know about this place is the food. Oh...my...god. The majority of the dishes are made of meat. Sliced bread and meats are typically also used as a sort on appetizer. Then, Tuscan bread is combined with certain soups to make up a part of the main meal. Other steaks are typically served with cheese and olive oil as well. All combined, these meals are to die for. And maybe you don't know too much about Italian meals. Well they typically take up several hours as Italians eat, socialize, wave their hands a lot, and drink lots of wine. Florence was one of the most notable cities of its time. It was a major economic and cultural hub for most of Europe. If any of you are lucky enough to travel to Europe, please please try to stop Florence, or Firenze as they call it in Italian. Anyways, all this talk about traveling around Europe makes me want to share a project that I created for World History. It was essentially a journal of a man traveling around ancient Europe. I'll share a piece for the next blog, most likely. Anyways, yeah that's it. I really enjoyed researching for this one. See you all next time. As they say in Italy Ciao!
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So today I want to write another short story. But this one will have a direct connection to my last short story. For those of you who don't remember it, essentially the unnamed narrator woke up in bed with the knowledge that in 2020, two years from now, the world will end. Now he's trying to figure out what exactly it could be. The story isn't going to be very long, but I think after I'm done I'm gonna share some of my thoughts. We'll see, here we go!
I went downstairs, still shocked over what I'd just seen. The images were still etched in my mind. The pure insanity of hundreds of human beings, stuck with nothing left in life. And I couldn't get over the idea that two years from now, it is all going to happen. Humanity will be wiped out. I mean, it seems crazy right now. We seem on top of the world. Sitting in the kitchen of my house in the middle of the suburbs, it seemed insane. I looked around. How could this all go away? It just can't be possible. I looked at the porcelain plates in the wardrobe, at the bright granite countertops and the dark oak of the kitchen. There's no way something could happen...it just doesn't seem possible. But is it really that crazy? A voice nagged at the back of my mind. A world with nuclear missiles will never be a safe world. They said that the attack happened because of us, because of humanity. We caused our own downfall. It definitely doesn't seem impossible that two governments piss each other off enough that all of our nuclear treaties, everything to ensure that we don't destroy each other goes out the window. It's like our world is standing on a thumbtack right now. We're balancing on one foot. One sudden movement and we all come crashing down. But even if it's not the governments, think about all the splinter groups and rouge organizations we have in the world. There's too many, all with conflicting ideas. And I'm sure that many would be perfectly fine with destroying our world. But no, that would never happen. For every insane person in the world, we have three perfectly sane people, who are in charge of our heavy hitting weapons. No, the attack wouldn't be through nukes. I coughed slightly, wiping away the spit with a napkin. No, it would be through disease. Whether through bioterrorism or just through some sort of accidental epidemic, that's how it would happen. I thought of all the public transportation systems, planes, trains, and buses. So many people in close proximity. One person starts to cough, and they're suddenly able to infect so many people. Airports are hubs of disease simply because of the amount of people in one area. It's kind of ironic actually that the people themselves are the carriers of the very thing that will destroy them. Really makes you think. But no, while that may be a very plausible way in which humanity will go extinct, something about it just didn't seem right. As I took a shower and got ready for work I continued to think about it. I thought about the village from my dreams. They said that place was the epicenter, it's where everything started. Some sort of evil was released upon the village... As I drove to work I looked out at the bright and cheery day. Somehow, the warmth and brightness just cheered me up. I actually forgot about everything from the morning. I started working, debugging a particularly nasty piece of programming. All my thoughts were focused on my task. And as I sat down during my lunch break and surfed the web I actually started to relax. That is, until I heard a familiar chime from my phone. Looking down, I saw a notification from my news app, which read HUNDREDS DEAD IN VILLAGE MASSACRE IN NEPAL Alright, well there's the direct connection. So far the story hasn't started to speed up. That's all gonna change soon. But I also wanted to take this venue to discuss all of the violence within our world. I mean, it's a bit insane. We're all one species aren't we? I feel like sometimes people get all wrapped up in the different segregated groups they've create, based on race, religion, gender, work, or even interests. And this causes people to forget the we all are part of the same group. The human one. Next blog I think is either gonna be a discussion of the different conflicts we've had in the past twenty odd years, or it'll be another Around The World Segment. But yes, I have some ideas for the short story series. I think the next few ones are only gonna have subtle nods to each other. I think it's high time to delve into the past don't you think... See you all next time! Peace! Ok, so I know I was supposed to write a short story today, but I had this idea last night literally right after I posted the last update. Basically, my idea is that I'm going to share some interesting things about one city or one location that I've learned throughout the years. I'm gonna share as much about the place that I want to. So in this blog post, we're gonna be discussing one my all time favorite cities in the world, Athens. Athens, named after the Greek Goddess Athena, is the largest city within Greece. Indeed, it's actually one of the oldest cities in the world, with a history spanning 3,400 years. Oh wow, I love the city so much. The most notable site within the city is obviously... The Parthenon, temple dedicated to the patron goddess of the city, Athena. The temple was completed in 438 BC. To the ancient Athenians, the temple was seen as a celebration of the Hellenic victory over the Persian invaders. And to this day, the Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian Democracy, and Western Civilization. Sorry one last thing about the Parthenon, just cause I think it's a super cool building. Did you know that there was actually an older temple which the Parthenon replaced, an older-Parthenon if you will, or Parthenon senior. Well that temple was destroyed in the Persian Invasion of 480 BC. So the Greek chaps were all pissed when the Persians destroyed their nice temple. So what did they do? Absolutely destroy the Persians, and then build a second temple on top of the original one. Sounds like good old passive aggressiveness to me. Honestly I can respect that. But yeah, I should probably continue talking about the city. This place, wow so much history buried within the city. Other notable sights with Athens includes: Erechtheion The Temple of Zeus The Panathenaic Stadium and Olympic Stadium
This city has been known as the cultural epicenter of Greece, as well as much of the civilized world, throughout it's long history. During the golden age of Athens, Athens became one of the first societies to create a democracy. Notable people included the playwright Sophocles, the physician Hippocrates, and the philosopher Socrates. Modern Athens remains a cultural hub for Greece. It's hosted the modern olympics twice, once in 1896 and once in 2004. The city itself is home to over 148 stages. Man that's a lot of theater, or as they say in Latin, "homo, quod suus 'multus of theatra." I'm not sure why I said that. But there you go. Athens, one of the most historical cities in the world, is truly one of a kind. I just want you all to know that when I visited the city with my family, I absolutely freaked out and visited every single place I possibly could in a single day. Anyways yeah, that city is definitely in my top 10. I really enjoyed talking about a city. I think that next time, I'll focus more on my personal experiences. But yeah, next blog post will be back to our pre-planned scheduling. See you all next time! Peace! Well I am still alive. Yes, it's been a whole month since I last posted. No, something terrible and tragic did not happen to me. Actually, that isn't entirely true. You see, I was abducted by aliens, who dissected by brain to see what knowledge I had. When they found out I knew nothing, I was promptly dropped back off to Earth. Just kidding.
For the past month I've been going through the terrible ordeal that is college finals. I spent two weeks studying for the finals, and then had to actually take them. Oh wow so much fun. I literally stopped taking care of myself in those weeks. And yes, I know that's very very bad. I felt the repercussions when I got extremely sick in the last week of my finals. That was great fun. I had a headache and chills, but somehow still woke up to study linear algebra. But yes, that is in the past now. I wanted to spend this blog post talking about what I'll be doing in the next few weeks on this blog. Since I am now on winter break, I will be working on this blog post a lot. I'm thinking that tomorrow I'm gonna write another short story. I think that after that I'm gonna write an essay on the Indus Valley Civilization based on a research paper that I wrote a long time ago. Don't worry, I'll keep it interesting through my charisma and wit. And after that I think I'm gonna check out another random writing prompt and write a short story based on that. It's looking to happen on Tuesday, but that might extend out to Wednesday. And after that I think I'm either going to talk about some guidelines I have for college, or maybe a funny story from my experiences so far. And after that, who knows what'll happen. I think I'll focus on short stories for a while. I also want to share some of my drafts of the novel I'm working on, Stargazers. So yeah, there's a lot to look forward to for the next few weeks. Man, it does feel good to be home with nothing to worry about. I'm really gonna enjoy these next few weeks. Peace! |
AuthorI am just a guy in my 20s trying to find my way in life. I love to write short stories and also document the wonderful world around me! Be prepared for a lot of pictures! Archives
November 2022
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