Hard to believe it’s been 13 years. Even harder that the case is still unsolved.

Post Title Download: 2Pac -- “I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto” from R U Still Down? (Remember Me)

Most alien films portray humans as victims and aliens as evil beings hellbent on destroying Earth and all its inhabitants. But District 9 is not like most alien films.

Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, the film is inspired by historic events that took place in District Six during the apartheid era using the non-aggressive alien refugees as metaphors for the 60,000 blacks who were forcibly removed from the area when it was declared “whites only”.

One can’t help but empathize with the aliens in this one, as it’s not their fault they’ve been stranded on Earth for the last 20 years and forced to reside in refugee camps. Although the two species adapt to each other’s cultures and languages over time, they never truly understand each other. How could they? One is determined to exploit the other while the other tries to survive the one.

Shot in a pseudo documentary style, the film is without question one of my favorites of the year for both its message and its visual appeal.

Post Title Download: Björk – “Human Behaviour” from Debut

Here I go again on my own
goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known.
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.
An’ I’ve made up my mind, I ain’t wasting no more time.

How apropos that my senior class song, marking the end of one chapter in my life, would be used to mark the beginning of another! During the time in between, I’ve shared my thoughts at a myriad of online spaces. That has since changed, though.

My sites have always documented my life, but this one is more of a portfolio of my work as a writer than a narrative of my life. This highlights where I’m headed and offers a glimpse into who I am, both as a man and a writer.

When I first began writing online, I never imagined that it could turn into a profitable career. In fact, it was nothing more than a hobby. Over time, though, it transformed into something more. It became a part of me, forcing me to write for the college newspaper, accept the offer to contribute to ConcreteLoop and eventually launch my own blog, N-Retrospekt.

I’m not that same teenager I once was blogging about mundane life in suburbia or the microcosm of suburbia that was my institution of higher education. I’ve grown, not only as a writer, but more importantly as a man. I now revel at knowing that everything I’ve endured, both good and bad, has brought me to this point in my life. I’m now well aware of my own personal strengths and weaknesses; I’ve examined my limitations and will continue to learn as long as I live.

In retrospect, I’ve done some things I’m not entirely proud of; I’ve done some things I suppose I should be ashamed of; however, I regret nothing, knowing that everything I’ve done in the past has made me who I am today. I ask that I be forgiven for said things, as that is all any of us can do.

Post Title Download: Whitesnake – “Here I Go Again” from Saints & Sinners