Blah blah blah

Beware.

Hi.

But seriously - BEWARE. Below are the ramblings of a highly tipsy individual - though that might be due to the white wine, and we all know what that does to me... well ok me and a certain few individuals might know... but let's save that rambling for below - that is if you dare to attempt to follow the rambling thoughts of a said tipsy individual.

Though there might be some insight - but that's for you to dig for, not for me to clarify. Afterall there is no filter this time.

(There'll be music. On repeat. And you can't stop it. Just a warning ^_^_^_^_^_^_^).

Emotional Shit

Hi.

So as promised, here is the post I had meant to write probably a week ago. But it's still in the month of August so I say I'm still in the clear.

Anyways, I figure it's time to have a straight talk about my body. Specifically changes in said body (and mind), that have given me quite some pause.

Seriously, I think I can cry on command.

Celebrate!

Hi.

THE SHOES ARE COMPLETELY UPDATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basically I got off my lazy ass, took the rest of the pictures, gathered the rest of the data, and posted them all. So just follow the neon green "new" signs to find the latest updates!
[Let me know if you think it's a good method for indicating the newest additions to the collection!]

And for those of you waiting for another serious post, I do see plans for another this month, and maybe even a few more :D.

Bounce baby bounce

Hi.

So, dancing makes people feel happy... Huh. Who woulda thunk? ^_^

Summer cleaning

Hi.

So it finally happened. We cleared out the shoes in the garage. Meaning, all un-used, dust collecting pairs of shoes were removed for disposal or donation. And though all of my shoes did not necessarily fit into the space not taken up by my mother's shoes, I am pleased to announce that now all of my shoes are where shoes should belong - i.e. not sitting under my closet or rusticating in the remains of my belongings while living on my own. (Though this is not including the shoes I keep in my closet because they are precious little things that should never be exposed to the harsh climate of the garage).

By the way, our shoe closet looks kinda amazing now.

I might just take a picture to show you.

But that's not the best thing either.
I've finished posting all the shoes I had cataloged waaaaaaaay back when I first updated Shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(All the quick links are actually links!)

Yes, it is a momentous day it is.

Now all that's left is to catalog and post the shoes I bought in that time... Which shouldn't be too many really...... At least I don't think so...

But moving on... in other news, I've been a bit of a crocheting demon. I might want to brag and share a bit. I might even be cocky enough to say I might actually end up working on and finishing one of my oldest projects... fingers crossed!

And cuz I want to share it, here's a cute little song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmSbXsFE3l8

Rekindled

Hi.

Hey-lo my dears. After so many months of boring dull humdrum, things are getting a little exciting. Not only do I have an opportunity to dance again (for the special 4th of July weekend pujas) but I've also been asked to play the piano accompaniment for a groom's reception serenade!

I mean, of course there's practice to be done (including hours of finger exercises ahead), but I'm really excited!

Now I just have to sit tight and get ready for full speed ahead tomorrow morning... Or maybe take an early start - 1am sounds good to me :P.

Ahhhhhhh so excited!!!!!

A realize of the past

Hi.

I wrote this a while back, when I was trying to figure out how to describe my feelings about a relationship. I can say that I remember the sentiment I was writing with, but I can also say for sure that I would no longer take this sort of kind or considerate approach. Maybe it's the way things happened after it ended that gave me perspective.

But what I did like about this piece is the way I am reminded of the giddy blush of a deliciously wonderful feeling of being precious. It's probably what made me take the path I ended up moving down. Honestly I miss it. I know he's not the one who's meant to give it to me. Yet, having experienced it, I don't think I'll be satisfied with a relationship devoid of it. (Of course I won't get into the cynical mutterings of my darker self that mutters on about how I may have to settle for something less than that, but hey this post isn't one to think about that).

So I hope you enjoy this little excerpt of what was to be the second segment of a ridiculously long "two in one" post.

Realize 3.0

Hi.

Just click to read. I really have no patience for an introduction.

A heads up: music will load/play upon opening this post, and the controls are not readily accessed.

Realize 2.0

Hi.

So this post was the easier of the next 2 posts I planned on sharing. Not sure how easy it will be, but I do have (hopefully a more relevant) soundtrack lined up. These of course are hard because they deal with the matters of the heart and a deeper inspection of the more ignored corners of my brain. Though I have an idea of what I plan to write, I have no idea the directions I will end up taking (hopefully nothing too tangential, because I hate rewriting).

Realize 1.0

Hi.

This post is the easiest. I knew exactly what I was going to write and how I was going to attack it. But it wasn't, because I was stuck on which song I was going to use. Because each time I thought of a song I enjoy that musically fits the mood, the lyrics really didn't work. They REALLY didn't.

So I decided to suck it up and start writing. And well, that led me straight to the perfect melodies.

Question mark?

Hi.

So here's the deal, I know I will be posting about my "conclusions" for your reading pleasure, but I had a question for you all as to how I should present them.

Would you like me to post each conclusion as I finish writing them, or would you like them all in one long haul?

Comment and let me know!

Realize

Hi.

There come moments in your life when you reach conclusions that affect your sense of the world - your sense of your own being. You can call them epiphanies, and on occasion I might agree with you.

But what I refer to are the thoughts that bring you to certain crossroads, whereupon you find satisfaction or strive to gain it. These aren't necessarily major life decisions. It could be the actual enactment of a resolution to say change your wardrobe or to hold to a dietary guideline. It could also be realizing that you are truly happy without a high ranked job position or the recognition of what you truly believe in.

I think it is freeing.

Our brains are very astonishing organs, and have the capacity for multitasking that we probably never think to realize - probably because we end up thinking so much in general (not that we necessarily think upon profound philosophy and research). But when we reach one of those conclusions, it almost seems as though we have collected and unified thousands of insignificant thoughts and observations into a single bodied summation. By doing so, we are relieving our brains of the strain caused by having such thoughts occurring regularly.

In the same way, any actions we take also relieve that strain. Sure physiologically, actions are achieved through "labor" which requires the effort of the muscles and so releases hormones that soothe the neurons. But I mean actions are relieving because an action is a way of manifesting our thoughts, or transmitting them into the external world. And by doing so, we are removing the "weight" of them from our minds.

Therefore, through either method, we are able to reach a calm or balance within the realm of our minds.

Of course there is nothing scientific about these conjectures - in fact I could simply have forced this theory by fitting the supporting arguments to suit my need. After all this is my own understanding (having come to certain conclusions of my own), and you are all so kind to even acknowledge their existence (in case you missed it, I am saying thank you for reading, I appreciate it).

But I have no doubt that what ever conclusions or resolutions have occurred, I do note that a sense of relief. After all, they do say that stress affects the body's physiology, and any decrease in the harmful brand is only a good thing. And though the manifestations of stress can be observed, how stress affects them is a complex and not very well understood mechanism (it's not as if the complexities of stress we experience in our lives can be simply observed in an experimental setting - there are too many variables!).

So until the time when stress can be quantified and qualified, I shall remain happy with my theory. Because in the end, me being happy with this theory means I am more inclined to share, and in this case, it definitely means sharing my own conclusions. And this little blurb here, is my wonderfully long segue into those.

Obviously though, there is more than one, and as it is, I am currently reaching the end of a series of thoughts. So as you might guess, these conclusions will appear in a separate post. But fear not, you will know them when you see them, and this time I won't lead you on with a second attempt at introduction. You'll just get it raw ^_^.


So anyways, too-da-loo for now. I'll leave you with a cheesy sorta song, which really just has a keyword in its title, but hey feel free to make inferences on how the lyrics might be applied to the content of this post (I might already be... argh, my brain...). Tschuss!

P.S.: I might actually be in the mood to write thanks to having just finished reading The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. An integral part of the text is a repeating motif of biographic writings - journals or personal diaries if you will - all with a prophetic kind of voice to them, as they believed or came to understand their own martyr-like roles. It's a great series, and I definitely recommend it as an awesome read.

Glued to the Tube

Hi.

Aite. This post needs to be written. There has been occasion upon occasion for me to write this but I just haven't had the patience or really any clear idea of how I planned on organizing this post.

So let's see, the last few landmarks that could have been used as alternative introductions... Well there was the "winter premiere" of the USA network shows back in January (you know, when the rest of the popular broadcasting companies like ABC, NBC, and CBS had a huge hiatus on all their fall shows). Then there was the time I watched all 3 seasons of Downton Abbey - though it was interesting that I didn't realize that the Christmas specials were actually bridges between the seasons at first... (I actually made an effort to write an intro for this, you can find that introduction at the end). Then of course there was the premiere of one of my favorite USA network shows, Psych.

But of course as you know, these all have gone by, so what encouraged me to finally make the effort? Well, rewatching the entirety of Veronica Mars. And considering how much time I shouldn't have on my hands to make that happen, well I guess should consider talking about it? ^_^

Nostalgia

Hi.

Just press play! ^_^

It's odd just how much today made me miss being an undergrad. Ok, well maybe not odd - maybe it's more of a "how did I not see that glaringly obvious fact" feeling.

Today was one of those quirks of winter, where the sky was cloudless, the wind a gentle breeze, and the sun was the embrace of a long lost friend. It led to a mutual commiseration with my brother, bemoaning our distance from a college campus.

It's days like this one that all you want to do is soak up the sunlight, letting the breeze cool the harsh rays - the fickle warmth of spring amidst the winter snows. And somehow a university campus feels like it is just made for that kind of quiet observation. As if a park, every where is your bench or cot, any path is yours to stroll - it is being alone but comforted by the passing, indifferent presence of those with their own schedules to follow.

For me it's a time to empty my head, and just recharge on the sunlight. Pop in my iPod, leave behind all my bags at home and either pick a spot, or just follow a snail's pace where ever fancy leads me.

But somehow leaning back in my backyard seemed a cheap imitation - maybe because I missed the sound of the breeze ruffling the leaves or the sound of any kind of life in the background. Or maybe it's because I'm used to having a view :P.

Why didn't I realize I missed these kind of days? I think it may be due to the fact that all the factors that contribute to that feeling come up less frequently, and my need for them is satisfied for a long period post-recharge. And over the last handful of months, I've been going through withdrawal - mentally torturing myself with memories of all the campuses I've done just that.

But when it comes down to it, I'll take what I can get - a chance to soak up sunlight. Maybe it makes me a little sad for settling for the glamorous few of the weed filled hill in my backyard (not that I had to look at it of course - sunglasses plus some shut eye does the trick :P). Maybe it should motivate me to get out of the house and enjoy these days like I really should.

Whatever it is, I guess I'll be as content as a baby (who's full ^_^) as long as I take advantage of the opportunites to soak up some sunshine.


P.S.: Today's songs were a few from today's sun recharge playlist ^_^. The last one is my favorite out of the three, so I hope you listen to them all!

Nerdy delites

Hi.

So I had to share this - it's just a really cool article on a different kind of inspiration for art ^_^

Petri Culture

The Big Gulp

Hi.

So the past week's SciFri video actually freaked me out more than impressed me. I mean there was some science to it, that was a bit interesting. But the actually subject of the episode was on the immediate repulsion list >.> .

Anyways, I decided to jump back into the past videos to something much more enjoyable. As you know, I have been going through the older videos. I probably wouldn't have noticed these normally, but because I was shuffling through the videos and browsing the titles, I came across two very similar videos talking about, well, very large eaters.

  

Pack of Rats

Hi.

As I survey the damage that is the state of our basement, I wonder - how they hell did we have that much stuff? I mean, we've barely cleaned out half of the closet and thrown out the trash we wish to dispose of, and  it already covers a third of our basement. [Ok, so I'm not eager to share square footage here, so you'll know what I mean if you've seen my basement.]

And the reason? Well, this storage contains items that have been kept since we moved into the house. And this is after an initial reduction when our basement was re-done. So why do we have so much stuff? Well, I'm guessing it's cuz we're a little crazy with the saving for just in case business :P.

Artfully Programmed

Hi.

Ok. So this last video from Science Friday didn't really pique any real interest or thoughts, but I just thought it was a little quirky and well, I guess I'm really posting it as a sharing method for my friend Codeduck.

Like I mentioned, I'm not really intrigued by this, I just thought it was cool that this artistic display was integrated with programming. It's kinda neat that the animated doll is moved using a sensor that monitors movement in 4 quadrants. And the histogram of the amount of movement controls how much a certain body part of the doll will move (of course the actual movements are not being controlled, but I guess they weren't going that far).

But aside from that, I mean, how do you get into this field of art? I didn't even know it was considered a separate category... Anyways just a look at me sorta video :P

Animated Love

Hi.

So I guess in a way of a late V-day sorta thing, I found this digital short from Disney. It's romantic. Hence the kinda V-day part. And you should watch it. It's absolutely cute and sweet.

Ok. So now that you have watched it - well, I will proceed on the assumption you have... - I have to say aside from the plot line, music, artwork, etc, this digital short reminds me, that I will probably never, ever stop watching animation.

I mean, animation has the ability to capture the hearts of people all ages. And it's not just the movies, whether new or old. There are also the cartoons we watched growing up (ok, remember I am not talking about the current ones, I am fondly remembering things like the original Looney Tunes - the classics). You could even throw in comics like Calvin and Hobbes.

And the reason is, there is a way that they stimulate the correlating level of mental and emotional maturities of the viewers. Maybe it's the memories of childhood, or maybe it's just because I'm a little bit of a kid inside. But whatever the reason, I know I'll still be watching animation till I'm a little old crone ^_^.


Oh and P.S.: Codeduck, at least I'm posting, even if it's about posting, unlike someone... :P

Hooked

Hi.

Ok, so part of the introduction I wrote here had its thunder stolen by my last post, and well, I hate to be redundant, so I'll just dive right in since you know all the background... Aite, so on the very first day of step 1 of this entire process, I uncovered an interesting bundle of goods.

Now, I'm not sure if I explained how I got into crocheting in the first place, but in case I have not, a quick recap:

As a young girl I had interest in the needle arts, but was soon disheartened after the tribulations of a first attempt to learn the craft of knitting (the number of stitches kept increasing, the yarn I was using got knotted in the skein and I couldn't work further, plus a whole load of other things). But that desire to learn had not quite died in my soul.

Running late to a homework session, I came upon my partner packing away a skein of yarn and a work in progress. In that instant, I could see my desire being fulfilled, and dove head into the world of crocheting. And lo and behold, to aid me in that journey, the woman who gave me life, gave me the tools of this practical and artistic trade: a how to crochet beginners kit, complete with needles and accessories, and a skein of worsted weighted yarn.

Ok, flashback complete. Anyway, back to the present.