LIES lies all of it

It seems I lied when I said a "legitimate" blog post was coming "soon".
So much has been going on in the last month or so. I could say I haven't had "time" to blog but that wouldn't really be true. I've had copious amounts of time to blog. But I've neglected this blog for things like tumblr and IRL activities. I know, I know. LAME EXCUSES FROM GEN VERSION 2.0

But seriously folks. Lately in my life, I've gone to Coachella, taken my last ever AP exams, gotten pneumonia, won best in show at my school's art fair, and I leave for Disneyland in two weeks and GRADUATE FREAKING HIGH SCHOOL in four.

I can't believe it either.
I'm just trying to stay afloat in all this madness.
Life is swooshing by like a [insert interesting metaphor here]


So anyway,
to end this meager slice of bloggin' pie, I leave you with some 'recently':

recently:
read: Varieties of the Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search For God by Carl Sagan
-This book has once again reaffirmed in my mind that Dr. Sagan was (and remains to be) a GENIUS. He writes so eloquently and but at the same time his writing is astonishingly readable and enjoyable for casual reading. And I think he brings up enormously poignant and legitiate arguments, most of which I agree with and have helped me form my own views. I want to absorb everything he has said/written ever, which is good considering I also bought Cosmos the same day I bought this book.
watched: The Lovely Bones
-I was very disappointed. And not necessarily because it strays away from the novel. That I could mind. But as a film it was seriously lacking. The flow was choppy and incoherent and in my own little amateur opinion, there were script issues. There were good moments though (Tucci's acting was disturbingly good and Susie and the Grandma were amazazing) but overall it was a big...MEH.
listened to: When I'm Small - Phantogram
-ADDICTED. enough said.

JK Rowling

For one of my local college scholarships, I had to write an essay on who has inspired me most in my life. I chose JK Rowling. I thought it might be nice to share it here :)

*PS: a legitimate blog post is coming soon, complete with anecdotes, recently lists, self reflections and even photos! OH JOY! Anyway.

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PERSONAL ESSAY:

Joanne Rowling, better known to the world as JK Rowling, author of the phenomenally popular Harry Potter series, has been an undeniable inspiration in my life. She has been a key part of my life since I was seven years old, over ten years ago. Her inspiration, apart from the obvious influence of her novels, has touched me on many levels and her story still motivates me to this day.

JK Rowling came into my life when I was just seven years old. That was the age when I first picked up a Harry Potter novel. Being so young, I initially had my mother read the first two novels of the series to me as a sort of bedtime routine, but as I grew up and developed my love for reading, I started to read them obsessively on my own. I had never before experienced such a detailed, beautifully written book that wholly captivated my imagination and heart. As the years passed, I enthusiastically gobbled up each novel as they were released and much of my imagination revolved around Harry’s world. I would write stories of my own that connected to JK Rowling’s world, I would search the internet for news and hints about the upcoming novels , draw my own illustrations of things described in the books, attend midnight releases for the novels and subsequent films. Harry Potter even led to me bonding with friends at school who also loved the books and films, and many of those friendships have lasted to this day.

My life was enveloped by Harry Potter, and the series is what ignited my love for stories themselves, and I attribute my current love for reading and writing to the presence of Harry Potter in my life. I’m not sure I would have read nearly as much as I do now had it not been for Harry Potter igniting that initial spark for reading over ten years ago. Had it not been for this story, I might not have the deep appreciation for the human imagination that I have today that keeps me passionate about art, literature and stories.

Apart from the novels themselves being a very essential influence on my life, I think the thing that has most inspired my aspirations in life has been the story of JK Rowling herself. I remember that as I developed my love for Harry Potter, I began to look up biographies on JK Rowling to get a better idea of the person who was giving the world this wonderful and imaginative world. I learned that she had written Harry Potter during a particularly difficult time in her life. She was very poor, living off welfare in a small run-down apartment, trying to raise her daughter as a single mother. She had nothing and no one to rely on and was very lonely. But still she pursued her passion for story-telling, despite the very small chance that she would succeed. She continued writing Harry’s story until she finally got the courage to try to publish her story. It was a struggle still to get her story picked up by a publisher, as ironic as that might sound now. But she persevered until it finally was published. And from there we all are quite aware that the book’s popularity grew enormously to the point of an international phenomenon, and she now is a household figure who is definitely no longer struggling for money as she once did.

What has struck me most about her story is her determination despite all odds. To me, that is a quality that speaks true to my future goals. My passion has always been art and creation, ever since I became so enraptured with fantastical worlds like Harry’s. Creating worlds and stories through visual mediums, be it if I work as a conceptual artist for films or as an illustrator for stories of my own, is what I am determined to make a career out of. But this is an unconventional career path that is not known for being particularly successful and financially stable. But it is what I want to do more than anything in the world, and I will continue to pursue it no matter what. And Jo’s example, though extremely lucky and exceptional, has been a driving force in my passion ever since I heard it for myself. Her story has showed me that even if you come from the humblest of beginning and have nothing to your name but an imagination and talent, there is no limit to what you can achieve. As cliché and idealist as that might sound, it is something I believe is essential and true. Her overcoming of odds by using her imagination and passion is an inspiration to people like me, who plan to follow in her footsteps and use my own creativity to my advantage. She has showed me the importance of staying motivated in your convictions and passions, and to never give up on your dreams. Though I have a long way to go before I am anywhere near as successful as her, I believe that if I stay passionate and determined through all challenges as she did, I will be able to overcome any hurdle and make my mark on the world.

what i did today

(Kaya Scodelario)

* EDIT: here's the finished version:

creativity challenge: update

So far so good on my vow of daily creativity!

Mostly I've been sketching, painting and drawing to fill up my daily quota but I'm going to try to incorporate more photography (I just finally got a lookbook after all!) writing and filming, too.
So far, I've:
-finished a painting (it's a present for Brendan, for our 1 year so I cannot reveal the subject here)
-finished a pastel portrait (posted on deviantArt under 'little blue')
-started a pencil portrait of Kaya Scodelario
-planned out a painting of The Little Mermaid for my sister's birthday present (shh don't tell)
- and I still have my painting I'm working on at school for my art studio class

I think having written my creativity-promise on this blog, it makes it more official and I feel more obligated to do it, oddly enough (even though like, two people read this blog anyway)...there's a slightly absurd pressure associated with actually writing out goals, you know? Like now that it exists tangibly in some form, I will be ashamed if I don't follow through. It's a slightly silly thought, but effective nonetheless!



On another note: it was sunny today so I went for a 4 mile run with my sister around town (and while I say that casually, I assure you I'm TIRED) and the blossoms are really starting to come out now. I could just SMELL SPRINGTIME which I love. Sun and spring in itself make me more excited about everything. I just want to go outside and walk around and enjoy my day instead of staying holed up inside, wasting the daylight hours.

It also makes me excited about fashion because springtime/early summer is my favorite time for clothes. I lvoe floral dresses and sandals and light sweaters and...and...everything. I can't wait to go thrifting on Friday with Brendan to find some cheap and unique springy things!


<3


recently:
watched: I Heart Huckabees
-This is one of the zaniest, funniest movies I've seen in a while and I really liked it. Jude Law is fantastic and my god, it made me adore Jason Schwartzman even more if that were possible. I really liked the light tone it had despite the deep existential questioning it addressed. All in all, a great film that I recommend!
listened to: Another Sun by Malakai
-I've had this song on my ipod forever (I think it was on a LSTN download?) but I relistened to it today and remembered how much I loved it.
and Tonight by Smith Westerns
-I love their lo-fi sound and their studio recordings are ALMOST as good as seeing them live was.

xoxo

I have spontaneously decided to set a daily goal for myself. and that is to be directly creative in some way every day, no exceptions. Be it drawing, sketching, painting, collaging, filming/editing video or writing for my long-since-forgotton Nanowrimo "novel"...I have to do SOMETHING. I've been wasting so much time online or lazing around my room after school lately. I need a turn around!

all for now,
<3

of baths birthdays and frogs

So, it's Tuesday and my eighteenth birthday is in TWO days. Whaat? I'm slightly not ready. Even though every year, it usually takes a couple months for my new age to really set in, I'm still feeling very much like a seventeen year old. And to be honest, I'm not ready to let this age go yet! Seventeen was probably one of the best years of my life. So much happened, so much changed and I had so many firsts. How can 18 possibly live up to that? But maybe I'll just take it in strides? Sigh.

In other news,
today was hot. I mean, not nearly as hot as it gets in the summer. But definitely warm. And cloudless. And blue. And clear. And it smelled like SPRINGTIME outside. I was on a run around the neighborhood and I caught the distinct wafts of blossoms, grass and general non-winter-ness. I cannot fully express how giddy this makes me.
I have a very hard time surviving winter without frustration and longing for sunshine. And I don't even live where it snows or gets colder than what, like 35 degrees? But this January was torture, it rained so much. And February has been mostly the same. The only reason I usually tolerate February is for its shortness and abundance of birthdays! Mine, three of my friends and at least four of my relatives. I always love a good birthday party! (Which reminds me...I have no idea what I'm doing for mine?)

I count down to spring/summer once the new year hits. This winter, I've been going particularly insane stuck inside and compiled a playlist of summer songs in preparation for the months of heat to come. I know, typical me. Making playlists for therapy! If you're interested, I'll attach the list to the end of this post.*

So I have an anecdote I've been dying to share somewhere.
It involves baths. And frogs.
I love baths. I take them whenever I have the time & energy (is that not just the laziest thing in the world? Being too lazy to take a BATH?) I love me a good basin full of hot H2O, some tunes playing on the iHome, bubbles and I even throw in a cute little rubber ducky when I feel like it. It's the epitome of leisure to me.

So this one particular instance, I was laying there in the steaming water, just thinking and soaking. And I recalled this one time when my sister told me that to kill a frog, you must first place them in a pot of water and slowly heat it up, because if you try putting the frog directly in boiling water it will, quite logically on the frog's part, jump out immediately. Now I have no idea if this in fact true but laying there in the tub, I thought how much this was true about me, sans the...death part.

You see, when I take a bath, I lay in the tub as it is filling up with very hot water. If I do it the other way, letting it fill up and then stepping in, I can't stand the heat. I don't know why its different but it is. It's my process. For example, this one time I turned on the tap and was about to step in as usual, but I got distracted with finding a good song on my ipod and by the time I walked back to the tub, it was half full. So I dipped my toe in and retracted it instantly in horror as my poor little curled toes stung and turned bright red. Yeah. So not gonna happen. So I was forced to combat the hot water by turning the tap to the blue side, adding more cool water and slushing it around to try to neutralize the heat, which really didn't work at all. Now the bath water was an awkward, uncomfortable mix of both. So I gave up, drained it and showered instead. Patience is my virtue, yeah?
Yeah. I think the moral of this story if that I am a frog (my Animagus, perhaps?) and if you want to boil me alive, do it gradually!

<3

I've decided to attach a fun little segment on the end of my blogs now, entitled:

recently:
read: The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea
-This book was every bit as riveting and affecting as I expected. We were reading it in my AP Language class, and I have to admit that it's the first book in a while that I've read completely without any "ahem* "summary resources"...*coughSPARKNOTEScough* I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the US immigration conflict.
watched: Food, Inc.
-This documentary has made me consider vegetarianism more seriously than I had before. And has made me want to boycott supermarkets and live exclusively off my own grown crops from a personal garden...neither of which will probably actually happen but STILL.
listened to: Go Do by Jonsi
-I adore Sigur Ros and am ecstatic Jonsi's solo act is living up.
and Lover's Carving by Bibio
-I cannot express how much I love this song. There's something so whimsical easygoing and sunny about it.
created: three new artworks! see them here!




*my summer/spring/sunshine playlist is as follows:

golden skies =
Summertime // Girls
Suicide // The Raveonettes
When I'm With You // Best Coast
Summertime Clothes // Animal Collective
Unforgettable Season // Cut Copy
Lessons Learned // Matt & Kim
Pulling Our Weight // The Radio Dept.
Lust For Life // Girls
Young Adult Friction // The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Your English Is Good // Tokyo Police Club
Two Weeks // Grizzly Bear
Edge of the Ocean (Duotone remix) // Ivy

coastal brake

I cannot get Tyhco's new single, 'Coastal Brake' out of my mind. I loved Tycho before but now...ahh. It has enveloped me.

...have a listen:

Coastal Brake - Tycho