Observation of people - part 1

Recently, I saw a man, and his face looked like it was made of bronze with the flexibility of normal skin. I don't mean it was a bronze-like colour or anything, it literally looked like bronze. It even seemed reflective to an extent. It really was fascinating. Another feature that only added to the peculiarity of the head, was the complete lack of visible hair, anywhere on the head. I did not notice eyebrows either. I have seen my fair share of tanned people, people with various skin colours from all around the world, but this was something quite different. Somewhere in between normal and Talos. There was nothing to indicate that this man was anything other than European, so I cannot really say what the origin of this unusual skin tone is (though being Dutch, there's a chance that his parents/grandparents/etc... were from Suriname).

I generally find it interesting to observe people (and things, also), and I always have. More recently, this has become important for my story-writing, since correct and detailed descriptions of various things and people are very important in most cases. This does not mean that every little details should be described for every single object or person (since some stuff should be left to the imagination), but doing so should be possible if necessary. And that kind of stuff is best put in the "accompanying notes" for the story, in case further work is made on the story. Consistency is important.

The observation is something I do well, and without really thinking about it. What I need to work on, is putting my observations down on paper (or the screen) and wording them properly (in a way that other people might have a chance of understanding). Therefore, with this goal in mind, I am planning on writing several descriptions of people (or parts thereof) as I encounter (or create) them. Description of activities and objects seems to be easier for me, so I will, for the moment at least, focus on people.

Excerpts from Running

“Do not lose your head over all those books. There is a high chance that we won’t be able to stay here for more than a week, maybe not even a few days.” Said Samuel. “You probably won’t be able to look at many of the books so you are going to have to choose carefully.”

“Don’t be such a spoil sport” said Maya, pulling away from him.

“You do know I’m right, don’t you?”

“Maybe it would have been better if I had stayed with my parents.” She said hotly

“You really think that?” said Samuel, raising an eyebrow, trying not to show how much those words hurt him.

Maya shook her head, sensing he was upset. She smiled before hugging him and kissing him on his forehead.

“I didn’t mean that, I’m sorry. I’d rather be with you than any where else in the world” she told him, and it was true. “It’s just I would love to stay with the books.”

They remained together for quite a while, wrapped tightly together.

[...]

They left the airport and got in a waiting cab that was driven by member of a South American gang. Halfway to the rendezvous while they were driving through a patch of jungle, three Jeeps caught up with them. One pulled in front while the other two were at the side and back. Ten men with machine guns jumped out of the Jeeps and started shooting at the taxi. Just in time, Samuel pulled Maya to the floor of the taxi; Jules and Clemence both pulled out guns but they were too late: they were both shot, along with the driver. The gunshots stopped and Samuel could hear boots approaching the car. A man shouted something in German, mentioning the police and 8 of the men as well as two of the Jeeps drove off. The remaining two men came to the taxi and started pouring gasoline over it. Seeing that they were about to set the car alight, Samuel took Jules’ gun and shot the closest man before turning his gun on the remaining one. The man lifted his gun but Samuel was too quick. As the man crumpled, Samuel pulled Maya out of the car with him. Before leaving he took Jules’ phone and gun as well as all their gear and luggage. After making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything he lit a match, retreated a few steps and then threw it on the car. The fire quickly spread and as Samuel and Maya turned a corner further up the street they heard the car explode.

“What did you just do, Samuel?” asked Maya, shocked.

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Update of 1/10/13

I realise that it has been a while since my last post. I also realise that no one has missed my posts during that time. But that's their loss. I write mainly for my own betterment, and if anyone is entertained or amused by what I write, then good for them.

Anyways, much has happened since the last time I posted on this blog, most of which is of no interest to anyone who might read this blog. However, I will say that I'm studying computer sciences and thus learning to program in Java and create webpages with HTML and CSS, so if anyone has questions, feel free to ask. This also means I may write some computer related posts at some point.

In other news, I have started a new blog (yes, yet another blog), focusing on reviews of pretty much everything, from books to films to museums. In case anyone is interested in my perspective on stuff I encounter/experience, check this out: http://pharaoh-joz.blogspot.be/

Finally, someone (presumably NT) with whom I was talking maintains that physical disabilities are different from mental disabilities in more than the part of the body they effect. Thus, autistic person is correct, whereas blind person should be person with blindness (or something like that). Basically, they say that most mental disabilities should be disability-first, whereas physical disabilities should be people-first. One of their reasons for this was that in schools, for example, the facilities for accommodating for autistic people goes beyond the implementation of a set group of resources (such as audio books and text-to-voice software for a blind person). They also argued that a person's blindness does not change their personality, nor the way they should be treated. I will go into further detail in my next post, as well as including my stance on the discussion. Any opinions and additional perspectives would be welcome

Until then and "the case is closed", bye!