Saturday 3 October 2009

Τι είναι αυτό

A short film directed by Constantin Pilavios.

We should always remember what our parents have endured for us.

click What is that? to view.

recent success

For the past two months, my journey to discover if I have a story worth telling has been both exciting and earth shatteringly introspective.

Recently I submitted a short story (fleeting moments) to The Times for their “An affair to Remember” column. Last week I received an email stating that it would be published in their Times2 liftout. The news couldn’t have come at a better moment.

My mood has been erratic to say the least. I spent most of my energy fighting of the questions that have become my demons.

Will this journey actually lead me closer to understanding myself? Is my goal to be published born from a passion of writing or a passion of self-gratification?

I also felt a sense of selfishness and guilt. Are the changes I have started to create in my life necessary to help me cultivate and develop as a writer?

I still wrestle with the thought of reducing to a part-time workload. Why? Simply because I enjoy my time in the classroom but realistically, if I am to realise my dream to be a writer, I need to be brave enough to commit real time to it.

On a lighter issue, an article of mine (Can games have a political narrative?) was printed on an online website (bitmob.com) and mentioned in another (gamepolitics.com). This success did bring a smile to my face; despite reading some heated and negative responses left by certain readers.

I understand my last paragraph was emotive, but I never imagined so many readers could focus only on the end (which was meant to be bathos) and forget what the piece was really exploring. Yet, what matters was that the editors of both sites understood the piece and therefore my message couldn't have been that misguided.

In hindsight, the title should have been "should games have..." rathar than "can". It might have helped the readers understand the concept better.

Sunday 27 September 2009

keep your eyes on the ball.

The question “do you know what you are doing?” often springs into my mind.

I would like to think my answer would be “yes”.

But when I look at my current situation, I realise I have often turned my eyes away from what I have and always looked towards what I want.

Is it normal to do so?

One half of me would call it ambition but another half of me claims it as fantasy.

To have security and success in my profession, to have a roof over my head and allowance to buy what I desire is wonderful, yet it is still not enough.

In the back of my mind, I still wrestle with the inner dream of being a writer.

If only I never had this dream!

I certainly wouldn't be plagued with the thought that I have not done all that I had set out to achieve in my life.

Aptly, Babes recently sent me a quote from the American Journalist, Hunter Thompson:

"Security...what does this word mean in relation to life as we know it today?... by this term, I mean a man who has settled for financial and personal security for his goal in life...Turn back the pages of history and see the men who have shaped the destiny of the world. Security was never theirs, but they lived rather than existed. Who is the happier man? He who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed on shore and merely existed?"