Annie Q Syed » social media

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:03:44 +0000

May 20, 2012.

Today: New Moon; Solar Eclipse.

It almost feels predetermined but Albert Camus’ words came to mind nonetheless: “benign indifference of the Universe”.

It is not a surprise that I woke up thinking about Albert Camus since I fell asleep while reading his words last night.

This Sunday morning’s energy is some light in water that doesn’t move quite as you expect.

Due to travels I have been mostly unplugged. I haven’t even had time to “tweet” that I have no time to tweet. This amused me. How strange is this social media trip that constantly makes us feel as if something is happening when nothing is happening?!

Writing today feels like it once did: only a few ...

A Human Sunday

annie — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:56:50 +0000

Still Sundays.

April 15, 2012.

It wasn’t until this weekend, last night, when I felt there really is something distinctive about this time of the year, particularly April 15th.

In 1865 on this day Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

The Titanic sank.

In 1927 a great American asset, the Mississippi river, became a tremendous liability when the sky fell down in the form of non-stop rain causing the river to burst and cause one of the greatest floods in American history.

In 1986 on this day American warplanes bombed Tripoli in retaliation of Libyan terrorism.

2012 seems packed with events but time is passing in slow motion. It is only April 15th and so much has happened all across ...

Stillness is a peyote that shows what is real.

annie — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:57:32 +0000

March 25th, 2012

STILL SUNDAYS

New York City can’t make up its mind whether to continue enduring pain and stay in winter or finally move forward into spring and summer.

Stillness is a peyote that shows what is real.

You can’t jump into stillness, you work your way into it and realize it is a fusion of all sorts of coming together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was in Paris when James Baldwin was first able to come to grips with his explosive relationship with himself and America. Of course that is not why I went there in 2001—I have never followed in the footsteps of anyone—-this is not a boast, just a fact, just how things have turned out ...

My father on Sharia law & art; Social Media, the snake oil of our times

annie — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:34:33 +0000

February 26, 2011

Still Sundays.

There is fair weather, great weather, and then weather I simply categorize as Wrath of the Universe.

New York City’s weather yesterday was some Wrath of the Universe.

The weather in New York City feels like a curse from the Universe right now. Did winter come late this year?

I know my mother is right and I am not supposed to take it personally. It is just winter. It doesn’t have a personal vendetta against me. It will pass like all the years before. But I do take it personally. In my vocabulary the word cold doesn’t suffice…only wrath of the universe makes sense. I know there are those who love winter ...

Still Sundays

annie — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:14:01 +0000

February 19, 2012.

I ate a lot of Internet this weekend. I justified it because I ate healthy and kosher. The meat of the articles was halal. Fresh sources, great nutritional articles, lots of juice for thought. And I usually don’t eat meat: I had not browsed through any of my feeds or online journals in over a week. As is often with most things that happen to me, I had tapped in to the momentum exactly at the right time.

The right place, the right time, the wrong me.

I gathered that social media is going through some mid-life crisis. I thought Internet was only a baby. Don’t you first have to grow up, live (or more accurately not ...

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:58:42 +0000

February 5th, 2012.

The super bowl of social media and creativity.

I woke up thinking about Wednesday this morning. As if Wednesday was a person I knew.

This last Wednesday was a chaotic morning and no amount of breathing was going to lift me out of the mushroom of frenzy.

Usually calm and steady, on Wednesday morning I was agitated and hyper sensitive to noise. I always try to see what is the longest amount of time I can go without plugging into music with my headphones. This time even music didn’t help. People rushing to some grand nowhere. I joined them to head to one of the most dilapidated parts of New York City. Poverty has a smell ...

Practice, Practice, Practice; Emerson on Experience & Surprise

annie — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:35:44 +0000

Still Sundays.

January 15, 2012.

Last time I wrote fiction was June 2011. It wasn’t even a story but a sketch of words. Prior to June, regularly putting down drafts of fiction, however incomplete, was March 2011. All in all, last time I wrote fiction every week, be it a paragraph for the novel or some story shared on this web space, was December 2010. It would be fair and accurate to state that I consistently tackled the craft of fiction from March 2010 to March 2011 regardless what was shared here—and it was a lot that was shared in this online space. In fact, every Tuesday, come rain or shine or travel. I wrote in planes. I wrote ...

“Fartists”, Light triumphs, Grow!Grow!Grow!

annie — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:46:28 +0000

Still Sundays.

November 13, 2011.

Stillness is a guardian angel.

That being said, on days where the frozen wind in New York City feels like the wrathy breathing of some evil gods, I do yell aloud, forgetting all I know about seasons, climate, and weather, “God you can’t be real! Because no one in his or her right mind would actually create a day this cold!”

Yet so far November feels like early spring. Will March then be like early winter? Maybe winter has never been that long after all? Climate change is changing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do I know without a doubt this Sunday morning as this calendar year is almost over?

Light triumphs. Again and again ...

to really understand is divine

annie — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:37:50 +0000

Still Sundays.

November 6th.

No matter how many times I write about New York City it is not enough. Not enough for me and not enough for those who just don’t see what I see.

Rage is a bull and I am a champion rider who neither tires easily nor plans on retiring. At best I can tame the beast with humor. But I find cynicism easy and eventually boring; therefore, I take whatever it is that I don’t understand by the horns: the spleen wants to spit.

That being said I never write when I am angry. I can create a fury of words that can dissolve the deads’ bones, but actually write?—never. I don’t even “journal” such thoughts ...

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:02:55 +0000

October 30th.

Enjoying New York City despite the winters. Truth. Social Media and this Age of Inspiration.

The day before yesterday was a golden Fall day in New York City: sunny, bright, crisp, and filled with sunbeams shooting around every other autumn leave.

Yesterday winter came unannounced like an unexpected cavity that really should be no surprise. The snowstorm was not pretty: the sleet a constant sleazy nose drip. The snow was only “pure, pretty, and white” here and there, perhaps to create a fantasy of loveliness for those who are not here via photos taken from mobile devices. Sometimes we are able to alter our reality only if someone else believes our perception of it. If you had ...

The marriage of Storytelling and Writing

annie — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:48:08 +0000

Before social media created the forum which allowed the hijacking of the word “storyteller” as a synonym for bloggers and marketers it was indeed a prestigious art form.

What I share below is from an excerpt to a dear friend and author, over 8 months ago.

I think I am ready to discuss this as I understand it. We are all storytellers. We live our lives in and through stories. At the lowest level of consciousness this is gossip and at another form it can be “motivational speaking,” although for the intellectually evolved such speaking may not yield many new results. We tell stories when we come home to our significant other ( if we have that kind of relationship ...

self-existing magic of things

annie — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:49:44 +0000

Still Sundays

October 9th.

Filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky on “self-existing magic of things” and more. Your talent is a body. Marc Jacobs on innovation.

I find myself intellectually incapable to accept any of the etymologies offered behind “Indian Summer” and google’s curation of history doesn’t satisfy.

October is a solid indigo night, made for returning and leaving at the same time.

Autumn in New York is the muse for so many jazz compositions because only music can capture an indigo night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I saw a film by Nathaniel Dorsky who has been making and exhibiting films within the avant-garde tradition since 1964. His works have bee shown internationally in museums and theatres and are in the ...

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:10:29 +0000

August 28, 2011.

Perceptions that hula-hoop around reality: social media and beyond. Little boy who wouldn’t stop crying on bus. Walter from Verdi Square knows with certainty…

It’s truly a still Sunday here in New York City this morning. Not a sound from a dog, car, child…neither near nor from afar. Usually in order to capture this temperament of quietude I have to be up around 6:00 a.m. given by 9:00 a.m. the seal of stillness begins to pop, someone crunching a bag of potato chips in an empty hallway.

Yet somehow this is the least still it has ever been because of the tropical storm. The leaves are speaking loudly to the wind. I am not allowed to ...

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:26:23 +0000

From London.

I haven’t been in London long enough to specifically share what stillness of London on a Sunday morning tastes like.

However, there was lots of stillness in North London this morning that brought the following:

Something beyond evil. Spirals of Transmutation. Integration is the most demanding creative process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The best compliment I have ever received about my writing is: ‘it can raise the dead.’ It is also the most unsettling thing I have heard about my writing. When the living are more dead than those gone, one better know how to dance with goblins, ghouls, and dybuks—a specialized demon who attaches himself to scholars! I can’t two-step or waltz with another. I am a solo-performer ...

Colorful Masks of Venice

annie — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:59:00 +0000

The Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. Carnival started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes.

We also stopped by this man’s shop in Venice, Italy who makes masks. He was a character! He started acting in the masks he makes!

Thereafter, it was only natural that a discussion related to twitter should follow…are our avatars our masks?

Since social media is a ...

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:42:46 +0000

March 20th.

A conversation with mama about Twitter relationships. Stranger-friends. The Invitation by Oriah.

If you would like to know what Still Sundays is about, please take a quick gander here and just read the third paragraph. Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I once met a woman on a subway a few years ago on my way to yoga.

She looked at me and said, “Forgot your keys?”

I laughed and replied, “How did you know?”

She said, “The way your mouth moved and eyes rolled and hands reached into your purse to form the silent expression: oh shit!”

We had a good laugh and she was surprised to ...

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:38:57 +0000

December 12th.

Truth is a rabid dog. Plato on ‘kosmos’. Pythagoreans on ‘Harmonious Principles’. Emily Dickinson on Truth. Ignorance is not a matter of not knowing. Kerouac-’just a human being.’

If you would like to know what Still Sundays is about, please take a quick gander here and just read the third paragraph. Thanks.

Last night’s midnight drizzle has turned into icy javelins this Sunday morning in New York City. I moved aside all the curtains in my windowfull apartment so as to pretend it was a beautiful morning. That’s what one does on beautiful mornings, right? Walk over to all the windows and slide away the curtains for sunlight. Why do I think that? ...

Still Sundays

annie — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 17:04:41 +0000

A man who chants God. ‘Human desire for a response.’ The voices in your head. Creative Potager. You are the poet.

October 3rd.

If you would like to know what Still Sundays is about, please take a quick gander here and just read the third paragraph. Thanks.

New York City was so very still this morning that I cocooned in a silken sleep longer than usual. Undisturbed by dreams, but never words. Like one’s children, I can always feel them near and can’t help but keep an eye out. It is now later than when I usually begin writing, yet a swan-floating silence prevails. Maybe because the wind is chillier and it is indeed cooler. ...

These 5 Questions Made Me Reconsider Twitter & I even more…

annie — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 02:49:00 +0000

Sometimes a question is more important than an answer….

“Why am I on Twitter” has been evolving for me every day since I made my account. I have only been on Twitter publically since end of March, 2010. Prior to that I had minimal use of less than a year old private account which was made for myself only—not kidding—as a texting-notebook while driving cross-country to transport my car from NYC to California with my mother. Some friends signed up as well to follow my updates. I didn’t follow anyone but my real life friends and vice versa. I got on there without an agenda, without knowing there were celebreties on here, without knowing much really.

I am feeling ...

A Sense of Meaning & Purpose In Social Media

annie — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:37:41 +0000

There is no question for most of us if we are going to live a connected life, use cell phones, read blogs, and engage on social networks. The real question is how are we going to do so?

Shared by Soren Gordhammer, author of Wisdom 2.0 Conference

The Tale of the Zen Master and the Chess Game

There once lived a young man who was very sad and unsatisfied. He went to visit a Zen temple, thinking this may help.

“You must know that I am quite useless,” the boy explained upon meeting the Zen master of the temple. “I have never committed myself to anything for any length of time, and I have no real skills. But ...

How did you bypass Facebook altogether and start gliding on Twitter?

annie — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:57:00 +0000

How did you bypass Facebook altogether and start gliding on Twitter?

This has become my third most frequently asked question; therefore, I decided to formally address it in this space so I can provide the one asking a link if a quick drive-by answer does not suffice. This is not a debate, please. I have just been asked this way too many times. If you like both, good for you. If you like Facebook better, good for you. Do you. I do not like to reinvent the cyberspace wheel and don’t want to post something another has already said, especially if it is better researched and/or articulated. At the end of this I will provide you with some ...

How did you bypass Facebook altogether and start gliding on Twitter?

annie — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:00:01 +0000

How did you bypass Facebook altogether and start gliding on Twitter? This has become my third most frequently asked question; therefore, I decided to formally address it in this space so I can provide the one asking a link if a quick drive-by answer does not suffice. This is not a debate, please. I have just been asked this way too many times. If you like both, good for you. If you like Facebook better, good for you. Do you.

I do not like to reinvent the cyberspace wheel and don’t want to post something another has already said, especially if it is better researched and/or articulated. At the end of this I will provide you with some useful links ...