Just the stirring in my soul.

I'm not that much of a game player. Sure, I love my Beatles Rock Band more than anyone else I know, but when it comes to games like first-person shooters, or non-linear third-person adventures, I'm a spectator, not a participant. I don't like the pressure of completing missions or the fear of getting killed by a bad guy in a game. I panic and freak out about it. But I love getting engrossed in the intricate storylines.

This is where my brother comes in handy.

My fantastic older brother has the utmost patience and determination when it comes to these things, and for that I am utterly grateful. So what I do is I sit down, get comfy, have a snack and a drink, and watch him play games. The game he's currently on is Assassin's Creed II, and it is just fantastic. Continuing from and improving on the first one, ACII has gorgeous graphics, great attention to detail, an engaging story and - my favourite part - SO much real history enmeshed within its intricate web of a story. Ezio Auditore, the main character, meets the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli, and the Borgias. As a history buff whose favourite time period is 1400s - 1600s in England and Italy, you can imagine how much this game pleases me.

So that is what I do. I sit. And I watch. Occasionally, I'll ask my brother questions regarding the intricacies of the game and how it's played, but for the most part, I don't care for those details. To me, it's just like watching a long long movie. A movie wherein the lead occasionally falls to his death when my brother accidentally makes him fall from the roof of a tall building.

...but anyway. I digress. The point is, it's fun. I enjoy being a spectator as much as being a participant in things, but in this instance, the former beats out the latter.

Moving on from that, I wanted to share something with whoever is reading this. The other day, I discovered the amazing talent of this gentleman from Montana named Tyler Knott. His tumblr/blog can be found here. He posts beautiful photography, musings, and some of the most beautiful haikus I have ever read in my life. Aside from that, he and his friend also have Treehouse Photography. You can hire them for weddings, engagements, sessions with children, and all that jazz. They have an excellent portfolio; I'd highly recommend checking out their galleries - especially the fine art one. Every shot is so inspiring, and is such a reminder of the presence of beauty in everything.

On that note, I leave you with TWO of Tyler's haikus which resonated the most with me:

You are gravity
and from the moment I wake
I’m pulled back to you.


If we should get lost,
throw away all of the maps
and stay lost with me.

Have a beautiful day. :)