It's a work in progress, so there will be changes. In fact, the nature of it means it will probably be forever under construction. When you go through it, don't think of it as a blog. It is not. There are no published dates. There's no RSS feed. There's no email subscription. The URLs to specific notes will probably change every week. It is really a digital garden/personal knowledge-base.

Matt shared this wonderful website on Mastodon. What an amazing find! It allows you to watch, what looks like dashcam videos, from all over the world. In an age where travel and road trips are put on-hold, this website lets you experience virtually driving in another country. It's a mesmerizing and very interesting way to see what other countries/cities look like.

Power outages and water shut-offs all across Texas. People have died in accidents on the road and at their own homes because of the cold. It's extremely disheartening. We've been extremely lucky to not have lost power or water at all. But that wasn't the case for everyone else. Last week's winter storm really showed how the state of Texas is just not ready for this kind of weather. I'm hoping that the state can learn from this and be better prepared for the next one.

I finished reading How to Take Smart Notes – One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking by Sönke Ahrens last week. Here are the last set of my literature notes for it:

It is not possible to think through things deeply, without writing down your thoughts. — page 95

Connecting thoughts and ideas to other thoughts and ideas can help us remember them in the future. Again this is what the Zettelkasten forces you to do. Which is why it can be considered a tool for thinking and learning. — Page 103

Ahrens says to add links to other notes, or links on other notes to your new notes when adding a permanent note to the slip-box. I guess this means you can edit existing notes to add links to new notes. — Page 107

Great ideas develop over time. They don’t all of a sudden materialize inside our heads. We would have to have been thinking about a problem and been trying to solve it for a good amount of time, before a good idea dawns on us. — Page 121

When writing down permanent notes, don’t forget to ask questions. Try to see what’s not there, what’s not covered. — Page 126-127

The fewer choices you have, the less decisions you have to make, the less mental resources you have to consume to make a decision. — Page 130

One way to enforce one idea per note is to make sure the contents of a note fit on a screen without having to scroll. — Page 130

When writing, keep a second document open where you can put text that you’ve cut out of the draft you are working on. This allows you to come back to them later if you need to use them. At the same time, it allows you to continue working on your draft without worrying about the parts you cut out because they didn’t have any function in the draft. — Page 145

One thing people don't seem to mention about trying to build a digital garden — it is a tough mental workout. A lot of the things you do as part of it, elaborating and writing notes in your own words, then connecting them to other permanent notes, requires a lot of thinking. And yes, that's the point of the Zettelkasten, to make you think and consequently learn and possibly gain new insight and ideas. But I'm just pointing out, that doing so requires a lot of mental stamina. And when you do it at the end of a long work day, when your brain is already fried, it's tough.

I believe in the end it is still worth it though.

I'm thinking of creating a new blog (yet again) just for sharing photos. Like an Instagram replacement, but as a personal blog. I want to keep Above the Earth and Seas as just a photo-blog for sky photos in the future.

I would have just gone with Instagram for this, but they made some changes that really annoy me. In the past, I could block all notifications on the app. But now, they've added notifications for people or accounts to follow. And I cannot seem to find a way to block those notifications. It is annoying and I don't want to deal with it. There's also the likes/hearts component of it that messes with my head. That said I still use Instagram to find great content that can only be found there. I just don't want to use it to post new photos.

Yes I know. I keep telling myself I need to cut down on the number of websites I have to maintain, but I also keep wanting to try out new ones. I've been trying to find a replacement for Instagram for some time now. And knowing myself, my brain won't shut up about it unless I try... something.

A personal blog can be thought of as another form of a notebook or paper to write on. It allows you to dump down your thoughts, so you can think through them.

Faith is an attitude of trust in the presence of God. Faith is openness to what God will reveal, do, and invite. It should be obvious that in dealing with the infinite and all-powerful personal God, we are never in control.

This is why we say that faith goes beyond reason. If we can figure it out, calculate precisely, predict with complete accuracy, we’re in charge—and by definition, we are not dealing with a person. Would you use any of those descriptors in talking about your relationship with your husband, wife, or best friend? Instead, you enter into an ever-increasing rapport of trust with such people.

One of the most fundamental statements of faith is this: your life is not about you. You’re not in control. This is not your project. Rather, you are part of God’s great design. To believe this in your bones and to act accordingly is to have faith.

~ Daily Gospel Reflection by Bishop Barron

A great definition of faith.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

~ From Matthew, Chapter 6

I have always wondered about this in regards to praying before eating meals in public, like at a restaurant. Yes I know we should give praise to God for the blessing of having food to eat. But shouldn't we do it in a way that doesn't draw attention in public? Because otherwise, are we not like the hyprocrites, “who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them”?

Fasting is normally associated with food. But I think it can be applied to digital activities. In which case, isn't digital minimalism just another form of fasting?

Finished watching Spenser Confidential. It was a great movie. Hilarious at times and action packed. Love that a lot of the fight scenes were hand-to-hand combat. Looking forward to the sequel, if they ever come out with one.

Warning to the parents out there. It is a rated R movie, so definitely be wary when watching around kids.

Listening to a My Chemical Romance track and still loving it after all these years. I'm reminded of the time back in 2005-2006, when I was on an mIRC channel chatting with some friends. You know how you could share what song you're listening to in the public chat? Yeah we used to do it then. Someone on the channel noticed what I was listening to and told me to check out My Chemical Romance.

Man, that guy changed my life as far as my musical tastes go. I didn't even know that guy personally. He was just another regular on that channel. I'm so grateful that he took the time to tell me about an emo rock band back then. I wonder where he is right now? I hope he is doing well and still rocking out to My Chemical Romance.

Caleb is now getting better at walking by himself around the house. He's growing up too fast! It happened exactly like what was said in this post. Our baby/infant is gone. He's now a toddler.

When your child says, “Dad look at this”, what they really want is for you to notice them.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLc_d8wpSD9/

I'm finding that Instagram can be a surprisingly good place to find parenting advice.

I'll end this post with a photo of what dad life looked like last week.

Yup, that's Caleb standing and playing by himself. Like I said earlier in this post, no longer a baby. Now a toddler.

Tags: #Weeknotes #Blogging #DigitalGarden #Music #Parenthood #Parenting #Spirituality #Writing #Zettelkasten

First up is the song “Hell Yeah” by Rev Theory. I've only heard of Rev Theory a few years ago, but this song is apparently from way back in 2008. I know musical taste is subjective, but I believe this song has one of the best intros as far as rock and roll songs goes.

Second song for today is “What If” by Creed. I believe one reason Creed made so much good music back in the day was because of Mark Tremonti on the guitars. The intro to this song starts nice and slow, but it comes alive as soon as Scott Stapp starts singing. With the right speakers or headphones, this is pure musical bliss.

This song takes me back to my high school days and to one memory in particular. I was probably in my junior or senior year. I was in a group that was supposed to make a presentation on historical figures from Philippine history, or was it for characters from the Noli Me Tangere novel? Can't remember exactly. Either way, we ended up presenting them as runway models, a la fashion show, and we used the song “What If” as the background music. It was a total riot and our teacher was pissed, but I remember hearing some cheers from my classmates back then. Wow, those were good times.

By the way, it's not just the intro on this song that is good, the whole song is great. It would also make a great Avengers music video. If not for copyright issues, I would have already made one. I can see this song playing in the background while Captain America and Iron Man face off against Thanos and his minions. Would be an awesome music video. Anyway, here's the song, enjoy.

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #RevTheory #Creed #RockMusic

Let's start off with “Hello” by Dayseeker. As you can probably tell by the title, this is another cover of a famous song from Adele. I've heard a number of covers for this song, including one from Lukas Rossi and another from Coheed and Cambria. As far as rock covers go though, this might be the best one.

Second track for today is “I Just Died In Your Arms” by Throw The Fight. This is a cover of the original song from the band Cutting Crew. I was born in the 80s, so the original song makes me nostalgic. Whenever I hear it, I remember my childhood days running around the house listening to this song on FM radio. It also reminds me of the countless nights spent playing the video game Grand Theft Auto Vice City. That video game had the best soundtrack ever. Anyway, back to this song. This is a great rock cover of a pop song from the 80s. If “I Just Died In Your Arms” was just written this year, it would probably sound like this.

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #Dayseeker #ThrowTheFight #PunkGoesPop

First one is “Torn” by Hands Like Houses. This is a great cover of Natalie Imbruglia's hit song from the 90s. The way they did this cover gives it a little more weight. It sounds angrier. A more serious take on the original.

Second track for today is “Someone Like You” by Ice Nine Kills. As you might be able to tell from the title, this is a hard rock, metal, punk cover of Adele's hit song. I love this cover! They even made it sound like their own original song.

Happy Friday everyone!

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #HandsLikeHouses #IceNineKills #PunkGoesPop

Let's start with “Sick of Me” by Beartooth. Most of their songs fall on the heavy metal, hard rock side of things, but they have a few which are the perfect combination of those genres. This song is one of them. This is a great song about making the effort and pushing yourself, so you end up in a far better place than where you are right now.

I lost six of my years Fighting fire with fear And it's tearing me apart inside I can point all the blame Try to relieve the shame But I think it's time I took back my life

'Cause I'm sick of the person I used to be So stressed out, burned out, living in my agony Hated all the words that they said to me So I jacked up, blacked out, wasted all those memories

I won't go back ... 'Cause I'm sick of you I'm sick of me I'm sick of the person I used to be

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #Beartooth #ForAllThoseSleeping

The first song for today is “What Would Love Do?” by Scott Stapp. If you don't know who Scott Stapp is, he was the vocalist for the rock band Creed, which was one of my favorite bands back in high school. I don't remember why they've disbanded, but the rest of the band members are still making music in another rock band, Alter Bridge.

Anyway back to the song, this is a beautiful song about the power of love. Not the cheesy corny kind, but the kind of love that stops you from giving in to your rage. I really love the lyrics on this song.

Go ahead and throw it in my face Remind me of each of my mistakes Turn on me tell me I'm wrong that it's all my fault I feel I'm losing control Putting my fists through the wall This is the place that I break I can't take anymore I see the fear in your eyes I'm frozen standing still in time

What would love do? If it were here in this room, standing between me and you. What would love do? It would look in my face and stop me from hurting you. That's what love would do

Next song for today is "Let It Burn" by the band Red. This song is a cry for help, to a God who doesn't seem to be present, who doesn't seem to be doing anything to stop a city from burning. Some years ago, my hometown, the city where I was born, was under siege. Throughout the whole ordeal, this song kept playing at the back of my head. When will He finally show up and put an end to it? I imagine this song will resonate with a lot of people going through a similar thing.

I watch the city burn These dreams like ashes float away Your voice I never heard Only silence Where were you when our hearts were bleeding? Where were you when it all crashed down? Never thought that you'd deceive me Where are you now?

How long can you stand the pain? How long will you hide your face? How long will you be afraid? Are you afraid? How long will you play this game? Will you fight or will you walk away? How long will you let it burn? Let it burn

Last song for today is “There's No Going Back” by Sick Puppies. This is a great song that talks about learning from past mistakes and moving on, hopefully making better decisions this time.

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #ScottStapp #Red #SickPuppies #ChristianRock

First song for today is their hit song “Zombie”. This is one of those songs that defined a generation, a generation that was growing up during the 90s. It was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar so it has something of a sentimental value to me.

This is a great song to learn on an acoustic or bass guitar. The chord pattern is so simple, Em – C – G – D, so all open chords. You could play this over and over again in what would be a fun jamming session with friends.

Next up is the song “Linger”, which is my favorite song from this band. I got so much frisson when I heard this song after a very long time of not hearing it. In my opinion, this is what emo songs were like before emo was invented. Love this song!

Last song for today is another good one, “Dreams”. This song just flows and is one of those songs that I feel like I could listen to all day.

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #TheCranberries

The first song is “Throne” by Bring Me The Horizon. Apparently this rock band has been making music for awhile now, but it wasn't until their 2015 album “That's The Spirit” that I really started to take notice. This track is probably my favorite Bring Me The Horizon song, so I'm not surprised it is at the top of the list. However, there is another reason why this ended up being my top song for 2019.

Early this year, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown came out and I was hooked on that game for months. During that time, I seriously thought about making an Ace Combat 7 music video using this song. I thought that the lyrics in this song, fits really well with some of the narrative in the game. So I kept listening to this song, constructing the scenes in my mind. Eventually I decided not to go through with it due to copyright issues, but I guess I listened to the song too much that it is now my top song for 2019.

This next track is “3 AM” by the rock band Chiodos. I have never heard of Chiodos before, until one day I heard this song playing on my brothers PC. This is a really good song with some lessons to teach about regret and taking things for granted. In other words, don't make the same mistake that the guy in this song made. If you think you've found the one for you, don't let them slip away.

I wish I would've loved you instead of being selfish, And being so obsessed in my dreams. Oh, look at me! I'm surrounded by the lonely. I thought that I could win you back because I've always had it. ... but love is a tricky thing. It's what they never taught, that when you lose what you love, You lose a piece of your heart.

All I wanted was the world. All you wanted was me.

It's only in the end when you were gone, I didn't realize what I had lost. These one night stands are meaningless... But I'm lying in bed, with a girl I just met, At 3am.

My last song for today is “Lighthouse” by Word Alive. I honestly didn't expect this song to be my 3rd top song for 2019, however this is still a pretty good anthemic rock song that is just a pleasure to listen to.

So that's it for music logs for 2019. I hope next year brings more awesome music to listen to. Happy New Year everyone!

Tags: #MusicLog #RockMusic #Music #BringMeTheHorizon #Chiodos #WordAlive

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This is part 2 of the Falling In Reverse music log edition. Let's start off with the song “Fuck You and All Your Friends”. Don't let the title of the song stop you from trying to listen to it. It is a really great track with an awesome build up to the chorus. The reason the title is so negative, is because if I'm not mistaken, the song is based off the fractured relationship between the band's vocalist and his friends from his previous band (before he formed Falling In Reverse).

Next song is “Loser”, which is an awesome track with some really good lyrics. This is one of the tracks where I felt like Falling In Reverse has now started to mature in their song writing. And I don't know why, but I just connect with this song. I love it!

You're always getting me high, then you're pulling me low. Then you beg me to stay, but you want me to go. You're always telling me “yes”, but your answer is “no”. If you want me to guess, I'm just a stranger you know. If you call this winning why do I feel like a loser?

Last song for today is “Keep Holding On”. As you can read from the title, this song has a beautiful message about holding on. In fact the singer directly addresses the kids listening to this song and tells them to keep holding on. I love that.

Also, this song is pretty much the singer's life story summarized into one awesome track. Usually musicians who create really beautiful, meaningful music, are those who went through so much in their lives. This is showcased in this song. I mean just look at the lyrics below, especially the part where he says “They sing my songs and feel my pain, cause pain is what creates my fame.” That's some deep shit right there. This is one of their best songs in my opinion.

I thought I had myself all figured out But I've spent my whole life holding myself down And it seems to be that sort of thing I keep doing constantly Addicted to the pain I cause myself

My head is floating somewhere in the clouds While I'm paid to entertain a lively crowd They sing my songs and feel my pain cause pain is what creates my fame A vicious cycle someday I'll get out

I can't believe I'm standing here at all, I can't believe I made it this far On my way with a smile on my face to the top and I'm not falling off And all I need is a microphone, I'll sing about the things that have been hurting me It's safe to say all the kids I relate to their lives so just keep holding on

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #FallingInReverse #RockMusic #PunkRock

This will be Part 1 of the Falling In Reverse music log edition. Wow Falling in Reverse. I don't even know how to describe their music, other than that it might be the best combination of metal, emo, punk, rock, electronica and rap that I've heard so far. Their lead singer Ronnie Radke has had a rough life having been involved with drugs and going to prison. However he uses his personal experiences and uses it as fuel to write some really, really good emotionally charged tracks.

Note: Most of their songs have explicit lyrics. You have been warned.

Let's start with one of their more recent songs, “Losing My Life.” One of the best combination of rap and rock that I've ever heard in a song. I love how it transitions from rap to rock just before the chorus. It also has this sci-fi movie vibe to it.

Next up is the song “It's Over When It's Over.” This is probably my favorite Falling In Reverse song. So much good lyrics in this one track. The song covers a bunch of different experiences that the singer went through: his time in prison, his desperate call to God and his friends/peers hounding him after he got out of jail. Really good song!

I swore to God that I'm never coming back. Kept my faith when I was clacked. Staring at the wall through a crack in the floor. And these metal doors, they've got me trapped. I gotta remind myself that my mind is strong so I won't lose my head. I've got my demons that I fight with, every little thought in every breath.

I wear my heart up on my sleeve so my soul's exposed. And I carry this disease, the weight of the holy ghost. God, can you hear me? God is missing.

Take it back, take it back, my friend, All the things that you said about the end. This is it, this is me telling you it ain't over til it's over. Give it up, give it up, my friend. The score is settled even if you won't admit. Set it down, final hour without a doubt, it's over when it's over.

Last song for today, is the first Falling in Reverse song that I've ever heard, “Bad Girls Club.” This one is not as deep as the previous two tracks I've shared. It is a funny song, with a catchy melody that sounds more like the playful side of punk rock.

Tags: #MusicLog #Music #FallingInReverse #RockMusic #PunkRock