Goals for my 23rd year

It’s a pretty straightforward title. Here they are:

1. Finish writing that post I’ve been mentioning for months. I’ve started it but I haven’t really done much with it for two months (no joke).
2. Finish at least one piece of fiction I’m currently working on. I’ve got three in the works. One is almost done. I’m not sure why it’s taking me so long. Although, when you look at my first two goals, it just shows how I don’t seem to be the type to follow through on personal projects. Not sure what that says about me.
3. Write more poetry. It’s been awhile since I’ve written a new poem. The ones I’ve been posting have been old pieces I wrote when I was in college.
4. Read all the books on my bookshelf. I have this terrible habit of buying new books all the time but never actually reading them. Almost my entire top shelf consists of books I’ve yet to read. Damn romances!
5. Cut down on the romance novels. You know, to aid number 4.

Unblocked

Tick…tock…tick…tock…

That’s all I can hear, echoing inside my head.

because the screen is no longer blank.

A gong to the temple I call my brain,

with nothing to drown it out.

Moore, Rowling and Jones surround me—

their spines stiff and lined up like young troops.

A blanket of dust collected from neglect

slowly transforms my room

into a Winter Wonderland.

The bright display of my computer monitor

wrongly accuses me with its harsh glare

because the screen is no longer blank.

The best things Sammi said in 2008 (according to her)

Another year is coming to a close and that calls for a moment of reflection and introspection. So, in true journalist form, I’ve done a little backtracking and have looked back on what I’ve written since I started this blog back in April. In a moment (or two…or three) of self horn-tooting, I’ve picked out some of my favorites. If you’ve read my About page you’ll know that I started this for a class. I’m not going to include the posts I wrote for assignments since I didn’t exactly choose to write about those topics.

So, here’s the best of Sammi Says, 2008 (according to me)!

Best journalism post

Respecting our first amendment rights - I liked this one because it was informative (in my opinion, at least) but I was also able to write in my own “voice.” It’s not easy to achieve that balance but I think I did in this post.

Best writing post (NOT to be mistaken with the above category)

An unconventional love/hate triangle - It provides a bit of insight into my thought process when it comes to writing–proving that the creative types usually are a bit on the crazy side. And I’m not ashamed to admit that.

Best political post

President Barack Obama: this one’s for the history books - It was such a historical moment and I actually put more thought into things than I usually would because I’m not the most politically interested person.

Best Asian American post

 - The beginning of some heavy introspection about my heritage and background (hence following three posts).

Best gender post

Further proof that money doesn’t necessarily equal happiness… - My inner feminist makes her first appearance in the blog. It definitely wasn’t her last appearance either.

Best sports post

Mariners baseball is in an upheaval - This is where my determination to become a well-informed baseball fan was born. I’ve just got to work on my follow-through, though.

Movies Lie: Minority Report Part 3 (Unspoken, Spoken Word Edition)

Movies Lie

You eat a bowl of tea.

I’ll drink a cup of rice.

And once we’re all done

we’ll see if the girl

standing here before you

is really all that nice

and neat, ready to

drop at your feet

and give in to your demands,

but I think you’ll soon learn

I’m not the type to be

eating out of your hands

the crap you’re trying to feed me

’cause I don’t need you

nearly as much

as you need me because

I’m not a timid or obedient

little Lotus Flower

who will sit there

and just cower

as you try to tower

above me and

lord over me with

your so-called “power.”

No Apologies

No Apologies

Not that sweet, but still pretty short.

Without straying:

Not to be underestimated.

 

A quirky personality

and easily frazzled,

but not one to back down.

 

Size has nothing to do with it.

Size has everything to do with it.

 

Not always thinking

before speaking or taking action

but ready to deal when shit hits the fan.

 

If it’s worth the trouble,

why take it back?

Spanish Memories

With all the talk about Barcelona in my previous post, it reminded me of this poem that I wrote for my creative writing class last quarter. Enjoy!

Spanish Memories 

When the flamenco is soaked in sangria

I’ll go to Barcelona.

I’ll go to Barcelona

with churros con xocolata

and a side of paella.

 

I’m graduated! Now what?

So last week my career as a college student at the University of Washington came to a bittersweet end as I graduated (Thursday, Department of Communication; Saturday, UW). Starting out as a freshman back in 2004 (good lord, has it really been four years?!), I didn’t really know where I was going or what I would be doing. Okay, so maybe that’s only a partial truth. Since middle school I knew that I wanted to go into journalism–print, not broadcast because public speaking and the thought of being on camera do not sit well with me. It’s possible that this all came to me earlier, but middle school was my first concrete memory of actually saying, “I want to write for newspapers.” That dream has been amended slightly from newspapers to magazines in the long term, but in the short term I’m not overly picky and plus, that’s besides the point.

The impact of technology on our lives through song and spoken word

This quarter has been all about how technology is taking over traditional newsrooms and extending it out into the general public. I got a little curious about how technology is affecting people in other places besides the newsroom. So, being the typical college student, I went on YouTube to see what I could find.