— Cristina Deptula

Luis Romero shares thoughts that go beyond the average professional motivational guide and cause readers to evaluate their lives. For example, he points our the difference between the deep joy that comes from being at peace with ourselves, living out our values, and momentary pleasures that can become addictions. And the need to harness guilt as a motivator for positive change rather than just getting stuck with that sense of regret.

His tone is simple and earnest, conveying insights in a set of observations, each about a page or two long. The ideas are very accessible for a quick read, but I know I would benefit from deeper consideration of all he has to say.

Some of the phrasing can be slightly awkward, likely due to English not being Mr. Romero’s native language. Still, readers can grasp the points of each chapter without too much trouble.

The author relates that he came to these realizations after a deep study of both ancient Eastern and Western philosophy and modern business and psychological insights. I was very interested in his thought process here, why and how he came to the conclusions that he did, and would have liked more background here. The distillation of past and present wisdom is certainly ambitious and admirable!

Overall, this is an accessible and thoughtful read, with many points expressed in fresh, original ways. Much worth considering here, and I would recommend it.

Luis Romero’s You Are the Opportunity You Have Been Waiting For is available for purchase here: http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Opportunity-Were-Waiting/dp/0988692678

As people continued to move through the base corridors, there arose a public disturbance concerning two elderly men who were known for spending their time cooped up in a corner. The reason for their stationary lives was a mystery to the population.

“At last we are free! Humanity is free from all that plagued us before we took to the stars! I might have not seen it then, but now I do! We need nothing other than the means to survive. All the want, power, and corruption, we are free from it. All is perfect! Can’t you see that?” said one man to the other.

“This? What, living inside a bubble on a planet that moderately meets our needs? We have lost all connection with what makes us human. Let’s preserve this!” The other man contested, this one with longer hair.

“And for how long? It’s just us two right now. We tried to spread our message. We tried to pass on our ideas and beliefs to this new generation. We tried to save America, but we failed. It’s over. America is over.”

“Don’t you dare say that! They have corrupted you! You are confused!”

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The Lost Weekend

He celebrates on mountains
And swims in the valleys
He dances on rooftops
But drowns in the alleys

He remembers the view
But forgets what’s below
He envisions what could be
But he struggles to know

It’s an unsolvable puzzle:
He sees me in this dream
As I trip on fractured pieces
During my weekend routine

It’s always half-full
When it’s going down
Yet, it’s only half-empty
Waking nowhere midtown

I struggle to celebrate
During the dawning hour
About to lose another week
Like the two days prior

He’s back once again
Feeling quite complete
Celebrating the moment
Or is it, my defeat?

Harold Picked a Winner
Standing in line at a Starbucks with you
after a night of uncharacteristically heavy drinking ––
scotch on the rocks and Jägerbomb-dessert.

Your friends are with us and keep talking about
how your one sorority-sister has a big nose
and looks a bit like Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants.

But with you by my side, I don’t mind the gossip.
I don’t even mind that the cashier is openly picking his nose;
I don’t imagine brownish-green boogers, floating in my latté.
So long as you’re laughing, I feel just fine.

There’s just something about you, sweetheart.
I saw it last night, and even now, when I’m sober.
It’s like your smile has a sound
that fills my inner-demons’ ears ––
and they can’t even hear when the summoner calls.

While standing in this line, I don’t mind it’s slow pace.
I’ll stand here all day long, listening to you laugh
at your friends’ cheesy jokes (stolen from Twitter
or some popular movie about college partygoers).

The line moves up; it’s almost our turn.
And the cashier –– “Harold,” according to his nametag ––
is still digging for gold (or maybe itching his brain).

I look back at your face ––
such little makeup, such natural charm ––
and I take out my wallet, happy to pay
(despite my usual reluctance to spending).

***

At the register, Harold just picked a winner.

And for once in my life,
maybe I did, too.

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-Ryan J. Hodge

For someone who enjoys a great story, is there anything better than a narrative that engages you from the very start? Imagine a world so rich you can almost smell the scents in the air, a delivery so clever it forces you to think in a way you never thought you would. I’m Ryan J. Hodge, author, and I’d like to talk to you about…Video Games.

Yes, Video Games. Those series of ‘bloops’ and blinking lights that –at least a while ago- society had seemed to convince itself had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. In this article series, I’m going to discuss how Donkey Kong, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty and even Candy Crush can change the way we tell stories forever.

What videogames teach us about heroism

Understanding what makes a hero and what makes a villain is something that’s been impressed upon us since childhood. The hero does ‘good’, the villain does ‘evil’. The hero will save the princess where the villain will lock her up.

Tale as old as time…

While you may see the narrative waters muddied a bit by having a hero with a checkered past, or a villain with a tragic backstory that led him on the path to what he became; it’s usually very clear who the author hopes the audience will root for. However, this can create its own set of problems. At times, characters can be presented as so infallibly good or so irredeemably evil, that the audience cannot even relate to them.

In The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins, 2008), ‘proper’ society has found it acceptable to pit children against each other in annual death matches and, for some reason, does not view it as a despicable thing to do. Now this is, perhaps, somewhat explicable (the ancient world hosted similar events, after all); but what is more troubling is the fact that many of the ‘participants’ (whom are chosen at random) are not only adept but eager to be thrust into mortal combat –going so far as to mock those who plead for mercy.

This creates a situation where the animosity surrounding the circumstances of the Hunger Games so bogglingly unrelatable, that we as the audience are forced to immediately seize upon the only character who isn’t cackling at all the bloodshed. However; what we find in Katniss (as well as a large amount of ‘Young Adult’ genre heroes) is, despite her ‘hero’ status, situations are more likely to happen to her rather than because of her. She never truly embraces the culture of the Hunger Games (she fights defensively, she allies with weaker participants, and does not even consider winning the way she’s ‘supposed’ to), yet she still emerges the victor in this violent, decades-old tradition. In effect, she is able to emerge from this harrowing experience wiser, nearly unchanged as a character from the point we, as the audience, met her.

And she wasn’t exactly an ocean of complexity to start either

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Brahma’s Maze, A Review

–by Bruce Roberts

In the Hindu religion, the god Brahma is the creator, the god Shiva the destroyer. One must know this to begin to understand Brahma’s Maze, a novel by Immanual Joseph. The main character, Tarun, begins the story as a creator, having seemingly found a cure for cancer while earning his PhD in the USA. Unspeakable horrors, however, on a return visit to India, weigh on his mind until he begins calling himself Shiva, and launching a mission to destroy those who have harmed himself and his family.

This is a book of strong black and white emotions. Gray areas do not exist.

When things are bad, they’re very bad. His family is not just annoyed by bullies. They are raped, slaughtered, annihilated. Tarun, acting as Shiva, does the same to the bullies, only in incredibly worse ways. As a cancer researcher, his knowledge of drugs and medicines becomes a vengeful force, as those who destroyed his family are themselves destroyed by exotic chemicals that cause insane acts, splitting headaches, and their body parts literally falling off. And there’s nothing they can do about it.

The extreme measures of Tarun’s revenge show the depth of his love for his family. He does nothing halfway, whether loving or hating. Similarly, Sangeetha, a young researcher at his university falls head over heels in love with him. But his love for his slain family is just as strong, and can’t be tempted by a beautiful young lady who loves him just as much. Again, love or hate, there is no in between.

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