Diploma in Acceptance

Today, I am going to feed you with the foundation basics if you were to take a diploma in acceptance... What do i mean?


There are laws that are not in the physical realm.
Laws such as the law of gravity, the laws of motion, and even the laws of love, etc, etc..
Basically, those are the laws that keep the earth going round.
All these are good.
But, many of us behave as if we are highly skilled in certain laws.
To be precise, the law that is often abused and the one that i am going to talk about, is the law of acceptance.

Why that?
Because so many of us think that we know about acceptnace so much that we can decide who/what should be accepted and who/what should not.


It is as if we know and understand literature so much, that when someone comes up with a new way to express certain things with literature that we feel is not right, we dismiss it as wrong.
But if you were to understand literature, literature is about personal expressions of experiences being artistically penned down into words, and there is no right or wrong.




let me give you an example.

One day John comes up to you in tears, "Bob... Tyrannosaurus died yesterday. He was a really good terapine (small turtle). He was my best friend whom i always trusted, he had never betrayed me before, never hurt my feelings, never cheat on me, and he's always there for me. I really miss him."

So you replied, "Don't be sad. You didn't really lose a best friend. You still have me."

"But he was really my best friend. He always listened to me whenever i had problems."

"How do you know he even listened? He doesn't even have any ears for goodness sake."

"But.. but.. but... He was always there for me."

"Because he was stuck in his tank 24 hours. Listen John, don't be so sad, he isn't your real best friend. You still have other friends out there."

"BUT HE WAS REALLY THERE FOR ME!!!!"

"He's just a terapine, so what if it died? Come on John, don't think so much about it already, its just a terapine."

"HE'S NOT AN IT!!! HE'S MY BEST FRIEND WHO IS ALWAYS THERE FOR ME!! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION HE DOES NOT LIVE IN A TANK, HE LIVES IN THE TOILET BOWL IN MY ROOM!! AND YESTERDAY HE JUST DIED AND DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR!!"

" He was in your toilet bowl? No wonder i saw something moving. Phew! Heng man, i thought my stomach had worms or something like that."




For those who didn't get it, Bob flushed Tyrannosaurus down the toilet bowl lar.
Anyway, many of us behave like this.
Wait, let me rephrase it.
All of had behaved in the same manner at least once before.
What manner am i referring to?
Bob rejected John saying that his terapine was his best friend. And he even tried convincing John that he was just being foolish.
But the fact is, to John, Tyrannasorous was really his best friend!!


So many of us behave like Bob.
When we think we know certain things, we reject anything that is contradictory to it and neglect the feelings behind it.
Even worse, we continue making people feel bad by convincing them that they were foolish.


I don't mean only in such situations.
How many times have we not accepted people who are different? or should i use the word that we oftenly use to describe them : wierd.

People who not just have physical but mental disabilities too.
People who have problems with their eyesight,
people with speaking disabilities,
people who have problems with their legs,
people who look wierd,
people who are extremely obese,
people with huge birth marks,
people who have a paralyze body or facial part,
people with a funny hairdo,
people who are hyperactive,
people who can't control talking alot,
people are slow in understanding,
people who are super duper quiet,
people who behave differently at times,
people who do not talk in a very tactful manner not on purpose,
people who are not trained to have manners from young,
people who don't look very decent,
people who look too decent (a.k.a nerdy),
people who have a wierd sense of dressing,
people who have "lower class" occupations,
girls who behave too rough,
guys who behave too gentle (a.k.a aqua),
people who are bisexual or homosexual, etc, etc...
The list continues running.

I mean who have not rejected at least one person in his/her life?
or should i say, who had treated everyone he/she know with great acceptance?
And when i say acceptance, i mean "the act of accepting with approval; favorable reception".
not many right.




But, Why do we need to show acceptance?

Because all of us are of the same level, none of us are of a higher breed, even if we think so.
All of us are humans.
So what if John was being foolish to think that his terapine is his best friend?
So what if he sees things in a different point of view?
John is still a human like us who have feelings and Bob (as a good friend) should accept the part of John that loves his Tyrannasorous.


Imagine you were the one who was born with a paralyzed limb or facial feature instead.
How many people will make fun of you in primary school?
How many bullies will beat you up in secondary school?
How many companies will turn you down in interviews just because you look different?
How many people will treat you as their best friend?
How many guys/girls will approach you and talk to you because you look good?

Imagine you were the one who was sexually abused when young and thus when you grow up you lost trust for the opposite sex and only are attracted to the same sex..
After so much abuse, you grow up thinking it'll be better but now you continue getting rejected by society.

Imagine you were the one born with a very low metabolism rate and could not shed weight no matter how little you eat. You have this physical problem, and instead of encouraging you, people around you laugh at you for being fat.


Its not just these extreme cases that deserve attention.
Even the minor ones such as behavioral problems and stuff.
Some people just do not know how to behave "normal" even though they want to.
Instead of helping them, we condemn them and judge them.


I admit that i am guilty too.
But i realized that those people are suffering enough already, and they deserved to be loved as much as i deserve to be.
In fact, even more!!
Why do I, a person with not much problems or difficulties recieve more love than people who have so much problems and difficulties just because i am well recieved by society?
It is not fair ot them.
How many times have they cried out thinking how unfair life is to them.

It is not life that is so unfair, it is people who create and add in to the unfairness of life!!

Whether you are part of the cure or part of the disease (like in the coldplay song), it is our choice. Those who choose to be the cure continue reading. Those who still don't feel a need to be part of the cure, please keep reading what i've written above until you feel a need to be part of the cure.

Or you could try asking your friends and family to help you by not being accepting to you for one week. By the end of the week, you'll understand how it feels.
So let me give you two enlightening points on how to accept people easier.
How to "force" your unsympathetic hearts (many of us have pity on people at times, but we don't know why we just can't show it) to become accepting.



1. Do Not Judge!!! measure...

Judging is one of the killers of relationships, be it with friends, strangers or close ones.
Measure instead.
What do I mean? For example, maybe you have to take the waist line of an obese person. So you measure her waist and tells him that her waist line is 45 inches. That is called measuring and is okay. But, when you tell her "you are fat", that is judging!

Judging doesn't care about how people feel, judging is just making a general statement, and that is what hurts people. Things like "you are always like that", "you are like this everytime", "you are never so good", etc, etc.. Avoid speaking in general because speaking in general is a part of stereotyping and judging.
When people ask you how his hairstyle look, (no matter how terrible it is) don't tell the person that your hair sucks or something like that. Give an honest answer but do not neglect his feelings. You could say "hmmm.. I feel that it'll look much better if its neater, or you could cut your hair shorter because i don't think long hair suits you", or something like that. I'm sure none of you want to hear people saying that your hair sucks. So avoid speaking in general!


2. See people as "perfect enough"

"I am imperfect yet people accept me. Thus I am going to accept him even though he's less perfect."

That is the mentality to have if you want to become a very accepting and loving person. None of us are perfect, though there are some people whe are way less "perfect" than us. Remember what i talked about in "Dream Girl... Dream Guy part 2"? We fall in love because we start seeing a certain person (be it opposite or same gender) as perfect, neglecting their flaws. This is how we can love others too!! As in in terms of friends.

Though many people have much more flaws and are many times irritating or scary to be with. But we just have to remember that we are on the same level as them, we are all humans. Thus if you want to love someone, see the person as "perfect enough" for you to love him. No one is too imperfect to recieve your love.






This post have great value in view of time and in view of eternity.
Because with more accepting people in this world that we live in today, it will be a much better place. The people who get rejected by society will be able to see and feel hope, and love.

The suicidal rate in this world is ever increasing, 1 out of 3 deaths in China is because of suicide. And i believe that the main reason is because they do not have hope, because they were not accepted.

Thus, i ask that those of you who read this be more accepting today. Start small conversations with the "wierd" people that you know whom not many people talk to. You'll never know how much impact these small things that you do with acceptance have.

Dream Guy... Dream Girl... (part 2A)

From the Board of Directors of I-V-O-E : If you have not read the previous post "Dream Girl... Dream Guy... (part 1)", i encourage you to read it first before you read this post. It'll be better and you'll get more out of it.


The post that you were waiting for.. is finally here!!!
Its been sooooooo very super ultra super extra very duper extra long man. haha.
Sorry readers.. I've just completed a major project and am now in an industrial attachement, thus the delay in the delivery of this post. I promise i'll do my best to not get delayed for so long in future. Probably an update every week.

Anyway, before i start officially blogging about "Dream Girl... Dream Guy... (part 2)", i want to share how i feel about the response on my blog. Firstly, i'm happy because i really enjoyed blogging and the comments you people gave.
I recieved encouragements, praises, hate comments, and even confessions from a guy who thinks he's a girl.
On the other hand, i was wondering, who really reads my blog? Because only 5 different people left comments on my previous post even after much persuasion. Hmmm.. Actually i know quite a number of my friends -at least more than 5- who read my blog. I guess you're just shy lar, so i shall forgive all of you, haha..
Okay, commercial break time is over. Time to touch back on to my main topic.


The theme of my blog is doing things in view of eternity, yet enjoying life on earth.
But have you wondered why did i include a post about having a dream guy/girl/animal/object?
I mean, having a dream guy/girl/animal/object give us joy and pleasure only in our minds, in our fantasies. But usually, the great expectation leads to a greater disappointment. Needless to say about people who having dream guyS or girlS. Yes, to me, having a dream guy or girl will make us more miserable. UNLESS, we know how to handle it...

Here comes the serious stuff...

Let me show you now, what the words "dream guy" or "dream girl" mean to the average person.

Your dream guy or girl is a person who appears in your fantasies the way you picture your perfect spouse to be. - Rickson

Of course that is not a perfect defination, or something i found in the dictionary. I believe though, that that is how most of us would think when the words "dream guy" or "dream girl" are mentioned. I found this quote by anonymous (as in the author is unknown, i'm not referring to any anonymous who left comments on my blog, haha)

“Infatuations: This is the stuff of 'falling in love,' living in a rosy magical glow, etc. My beloved has no faults and is perfect. We shall live happily ever after. This is denial, overlooking many things all too obvious to those around me. Infatuati”

What the author mean is that infatuation causes you to live in your own fantasy. You do not think by logic or common sense when in an infatuation. One more last quote.. I couldn't find it on the net, either i forgot the words, or it never existed. Because it really seemed like there is no such quote around, must've been something thats always in my mind and feels so real that i thought i read it somewhere..
Anyway, here goes..

We fall in love when we start seeing someone who is imperfect as perfect...



If you noticed, there is one word which is common in all the quotes/defination mentioned above: perfect. So what point am i trying to make here?
That, like what i mentioned above, we fall in love because we start seeing certain people as perfect. And the most important question here is that..
Why do we see certain people as perfect?

I'm sure i've whetted your appetite right now, but i'd like to have another commercial break. I want you right now, to think about a girl or guy that u have an infatuation on.
For those who do not know the meaning of "infatuation", please read my previous post.
Anyway, choose one of the infatuation that is more recent or the most impactful one.
Take one minute to think why do you see the person as perfect?
DON'T continue reading, just take a one minute break to think about it. Because i believe that by doing so, the things that i am going to share with you later will make more sense.

So, go take a break right now, look out of your window and start thinking. Not only does it benefit your brain, it benefits your eyes too. Staring too long at your computer can give you asmagtism or cause myopia, haha.
Come back in a minute~

I see your true colours
Shining through
I see your true colours
thats why i love you
So don't be afraid
to let it show
your true colours
true colours
so beautiful

like a rainbow.

The average age of females having eating disorders... is 15..

COMMERCIAL BREAK OVER!! haha.

Lets get back to the main topic.
So why did see that person as perfect? Because she's so cute? Because he's so sexy?
It might sound stupid (or it might sound like you're stupid if that is the real reason), but that MIGHT actually be the answer to why you see that person as perfect.
In fact, the answer to why we see the person we have a crush on as perfect because... He or she fits in the description of our Dream Guy or Dream Girl!!!

Put on your safety helmets, here comes the good stuff..
Having a dream guy or dream girl is like placing a recruitment ad on who you would like to be with. We have limited space to write what we want, and thus many of us will just post the main points such as "have beautiful eyes", "a very happy person", "have a great sense of humour", etc, etc.. AND... when the person comes along with all these good points that we are looking for, we instantly HIRE them!!
Even if they have many other bad points, we'll still hire them.
And, the thing about infatuation is that we see people as perfect when we look at their good points (the ones that we want). BUT, we neglect that fact that the person have many other bad points too. and thus... your infatuation for that person develops!!

let me give you an example.

So you have this female friend of yours.
She's pretty, has a good attitude, shares the same interest as you (for example basketball), and even able to shoot a hoop from halfcourt. But when she raises her hands to shoot a basketball, the sight of the numerous cylindrical, keratinized, often pigmented filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal (hair) found at the hollow under the upper part of the arm at the shoulder (armpit) does not affect you at all.
For those who do not get what i mean, i mean "the sight of the uncountable hair at her armpits does not affect you", haha.

Why? I mean, a woman having armpit hair (especially if found in large quantities) is a chracteristic labelled as "unhygenic" or "lazy" or even "disgusting" in many parts of the world. But why wouldn't it affect the person who has a crush on her?
Because he sees her as perfect!!
Her good qualities "blinded" him so much that he could not see her bad qualities.

So, all his friends would talk behind her back about how unsightly it was to play basketball with her. How wasted it was that such a pretty girl happens to be pretty "disgusting" too.
BUT, the guy who has a crush on her would feel otherwise.
The thoughts that will come into his mind might be something like this:
"WoOahH!!! she's such a rare beauty!! she has such a strong character man!!
she's so brave to not shave her armpit even though society calls it as unsightly..
WoOahH!!! She's pretty, she loves basketball, and now she's sooooo brave and daring!!
She dares to make a statement.. oh.. and she dares to break wind (fart) in front of a lot people too... i LoOoOoVe courageous women!!! She's not afraid to be who she is... she's just so.. so.. sooo... unique!!!"

hahahaha..


oh btw, I (Rickson) did not know that women have armpit hair and that they shave them until the age of 18!!! Shocking.. As in no one told me. And society managed to conceal it from me for 18 years!! Amazing.. Or maybe i was just naive in the past, haha.. anyway, lets move on from here.

So let me summarize what point that i was trying to make.
Having a Dream Guy or Girl leads to having an infatuation.
And why would i blog about something that sounds so common?
Because, having an infatuation leads to many other things and some might be dangerous.
On the good side, infatuation helps love blossom. It gives you a desire to know someone more and to love the person more. Infatuation itself is not bad, but it may lead to many bad things.



Anyway, take a break for awhile to digest everything i touched on 1st, then continue reading on "Dream Girl... Dream Guy... (part 2b)"
Here comes the trailer..


Have you had an infatuation before?
voom*
The 3 bad points of Infatuation..
voom*
that has been stealthily affecting you.
voom*
voom*
voom*
Unwanted infatuation..
voom*
Learn how to get over it today...
voom*
voom*
voom*


(to be continued)

Dream Girl... Dream Guy... (part 2B)

Continued from Dream Girl... Dream Guy... (part 2A)..

please read that post before reading this in order to digest better.

Now let me give you 3 bad points that Infatuation has.

1. Infatuation leads to Lonliness & Disappointment..

Yes, you finally found out why you feel lonely so often.

Although it is not the main source nor the main cause of loneliness, having an infatuation contributes to it. Especially if the person whom you have a crush on does not feel the same way for you. I do not need to emphasize so much on this point, because most of you could agree on the many times of lonliness you felt when this girl or guy does not feel the same way you feel for them. And many times, this lead us into getting disappointed in ourselves, having thoughts that we aren't we good enough for others. In fact, the lonliness generated from having a one-sided infatuation might lead us into depression.

For a two-sided infatuation (meaning both parties have a crush on each other), lonliness might be released in times when you are unsure of how the other party feels or you misunderstand the other party.

The lonliness generated is an exceptionally high amount because your expectation for a person when you're in an infatuation is exceptionally high; perfect.

As in the things they do, not who they are, because you are already seeing them as perfect, thus certain actions that you did not expect from them might cause a great amount of disappointment.

2. Infatuation is a glutton.

Now what do i mean by saying that?

I mean that infatuation eats up your time, energy and even your joy, like a glutton.

It really does take up alot of our time. When we have a crush on someone, we spend a large percentage of our time thinking of the person.

Remember my goldfish example in the previous post?

We will think of the person we have a crush on to the extent that we are giving up hours of quality fellowship with our bed. We end up rolling on our bed, thinking about the person we like, thinking about how to impress the person, thinking about the countless different ways you would bring you and the person together if you were God, thinking about how you would "coincidentally" bump into each other or how "fate" will bring the both of you together.
If you have gone through this before, you don't need to feel so guilty, because almost all of us have been through it (except for those who so far only had crushes on their goldfishes).

Check out this quote i found:

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” - Dr Seuss

3. Infatuation might cause you to end up with the "wrong person".

Now this is one of the most important point that people tend to miss out on.

Why do i say that?

Because when we have infatuations, we set a certain standard that the person we want to end up with has to be. And, when such standards are met, we will begin to see them even more perfectly. We recieve a sense of confirmation that he or she really is THE ONE from the standards that we place.

Chim.. Let me break it down so that you can digest it better.

Lets say Jane (fiction character) likes cute guys who are at least 1.8m tall.

So she gets to know this cute 1.8m tall guy, and her heart then tells her that this might be THE ONE. Jane also likes guys who has a good sense of humour, and it happens that this guy has a good sense of humour too. Now, jane also likes guys who can play the guitar well.

Coincidentally, this guy can play the guitar well too.

WOW!

Jane's getting excited. Is this THE ONE for her? She keeps that thought ringing in her head.

Last of all, Jane likes romantic guys. And this guy is not only romantic, he is SUPER romantic.

So the idea that this guy is THE ONE now concludes into a fact in her heart.

And the fact stays in her heart even though later on she finds out the guy smokes, is a flirt, or maybe he was born a girl!!!

So that is how it works.

We set certain requirements THE ONE must have. And when someone comes along with such qualities, we take is that he/she/it is THE ONE!! Neglecting the fact that we might mislook on the things that we do not want our ONE to have because of our blindness (Infatuation blinds).

There are certain bad qualities that we cannot overlook if we want to find THE REAL ONE.

Let me give you two of the most inmportant qualities your THE REAL ONE must have.

a. Filial Peity

Why that?

Because, if a person is not filial to his/her parents, it means that he/she is not a committed person. And if the person cannot be committed to someone who raised him up with unconditional love for years, you cannot expect him to be committed to you.

This pattern is reflected in our society too.

Compared to decades ago, the respect that parents recieved from their childrens decreased.

Honoring and respecting our parents used to be a commandment that is highly valued in most societies.

But the IN thing now... FREEDOM.

A freedom that teaches us that there is no need for commitment, and what we want is more important than what we must do. The consequences...

A rapid increase in divorce rate. Now 1 out of every 4 Singaporean marriage, 1 out of every 3 American marriage, 1 out of every 2 French marriage, suffered divorce.

So find someone who will do what he/she must instead of what he/she wants.

And if you someone who is not filial, start practising it today.

Be grateful to your parents, they raised you up, feed you, cloth you, work their lives out dry for you, and what do they gain?

A taste of our adolescence and teenage attitude, all the rebellion, etc, etc..

It is as if they owe us something. But in fact we owe them our lives, so be grateful and practise filial piety.

b.Anger Management

If you know anyone who has never been angry before, GOOD NEWS!!

You've found a martian!!! haha..

Because humans are bound to get angry no matter how good their temper is.

The problem is..

How FREQUENT do they get angry and what do they do when they get angry?

People who get angry quite frequently but do not release their angry through physical means are quite alright. Of course, they must release it, if not they'll end up with tonnes of grudges.

The dangerous level is people who release their anger physically.

Even in small amounts, it is very dangerous.

For example, they beat their brother-in-law's dog with a broken bamboo stick, or do other stupid stuff empowered by anger. These are the people you should watch out for even if they do not abuse you physically. Because with such practises (releasing anger physically), one day he/she might start abusing you.

I'm sure you've heard the term "practice makes perfect". That is true for our attitudes too.

So by constant giving in to anger, constantly "practising" anger, they master the skills of abusing people. So watch out for such people.

Anyway, before all my friends start turning into monks and nuns or practice celibacy, i shall not add any more bad points of having an Infatuation. Personally, i feel that having a dream guy or dream girl is not that bad, its just that we do not know how to handle it.

After addressing so much about this issue, i want you to question your heart again.

Are you having a crush on the wrong person?

Or worse, are you in relationship with the wrong person?

You wonder why you feel so sad with him/her, and now you realise he/she is the wrong person.

Think about it now, do you really want to be with THIS ONE whom you like now??

Its not too late if your answer is no.
Countless books and magazines contain articles about how to love. I strongly do believe in loving others, but if you have feelings with the wrong person, if you have a crush on a person you do not want to be with, you need to know how to "un-love" them. Not to the extend that you hate them, but just to break free from that bondage of Infatuation you are in.

Of course i will still advice you to love the person as a friend.

So now here it is.

After many years of experience and hard work, i've discovered how to break free from an infatuation easily. It took me only one week to break free from the feelings i had for a person (girl, not guy) for approximately two years.

2 Steps To Get Over An Unwanted Infatuation

1. Know EXACTLY what you want.

The key word here is EXACTLY.

Why?

Because the lack of details open room for misinterpretation.

For example...

You tell your friend to buy a ball of blue string for you.

So your friend goes to a shop and realises that there are different types of strings; rafia, cloth, etc, etc. And, there are different tones of blue and different lengths of string too.

So because there is a lack of details, he would not get EXACTLY what you wanted. His brain will just be focused in getting a ball of blue string. And most likely, the material and length will not be EXACTLY what you wanted, but since it is already bought, you decided to just use that blue string.

So it is in our own lives.

We tell ourselves that we want some string (spouse) that is blue (good looking, or any other quality). And we when we arrive at the shop (world), we realise there are lots of blue strings with different material (personality) and length (attitudes). And because of the lack of details we gave to ourselves, we just choose and blue string that seem the most attractive.

And after awhile, we might realise that this is not the EXACT blue string that we want.

But since we have already bought it, we decided to use it anyway.

So BE DETAILED!!

Details Determines your Destiny.

Don't be focus with just one or two qualities that you look in for THE ONE, such as appearance or financial status. Instead, make sure you do not miss out on points such as being filial, understanding, etc. The lack of such characteristics are often the cause of realising that you're with THE WRONG ONE years down the road.

I would rather you use the time to find THE REAL ONE than waste it on a wrong person.

You can save the time of going back to the shop again. But, i advice you that if you realise that you end up with the wrong ball of blue string, go back and change it. Its better than suffering the rest of your life with it.

Knowing EXACTLY what you want is an insurance that secures you from having a crush on the wrong person in future. Of course, the outcome is still base on what you ultimately decide on.

Oh by the way, do not go to the other extreme to expect that you will find a real perfect spouse too. Humans have a fallen nature and none of us are perfect. Be ready to neglect on certain points such as looks, financial status, or certain character flaws. But do not neglect major flaws such as unfilial and angry (very angry i mean) people.

Always be flexible to neglect the minor expectations.

And to see if you are not overdoing it, measure it with yourself.

Your expectations for someone cannot be more perfect than you are.

Because a swine can never attract a sheep.

2. See the person IMPERFECTLY.

This is the GOLDEN RULE to get yourself out of an infatuation.
Force yourself to look at his/her shortcomings. Then weigh it with his/her good characteristics.

Which is more worth it?

Is it worth having a boyfriend who loves you alot but is one who cannot control his temper that might lead to physical abuse in the future?

No its not.. Be patient...

It is not as if he is the only person who will ever love you so much. If he was able to love you so much, someone else would be able to too. So weigh the pros and cons well.
If the person is an extremely good person, but does not look that good, or does not look like the way you dreamed THE ONE to be, he/she is still worth it.

THINK WITH YOUR EYES OPEN!!! -Rickson

Measure it well.

Don't get blinded by the love and care that the other party offers to you.

If you decide that the cons is heavier than the pros, then force yourself to remember the cons and remind yourself regularly that it is not worth it.

That you are worth someone better.

REMIND YOURSELF which is heavier(the pros and the cons).

And do your best not to be wishy-washy, not to be influence by others' opinions.

Stick to the equation you made, whether it is worth it or not.

And i can promise you, if you do it right, in a week or so you will be able to get yourself out of an unwanted infatuation.
Only unless his/her pros outweigh the cons, then i encourage you to continue on.

So thats all for now.

Remember what i'd touched on and do not let yourself fall into uneccessary infatuation.

And don't worry, there is still someone else out there.

This article has great value in view of eternity. It also has a great value in view of time. Because who you marry will determine whether you have heaven or hell on earth. So be patient and don't get blinded. THINK WITH YOUR EYES OPEN!!