Scholarly Fashion: daily shots

This Thanksgiving break has given me the breather I need. These pics are from a while back and I'm so glad I can finally post them. These peers of mine really know how to strut the college runway, Smiles and giggles really do make the outfit complete.

'We Can Change Things'

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Twenty-five years ago today, we celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall that separated West and East Germany in the conflicting age of communism and confusing period of post-war tension. People climbed over, wrote on, chipped away pieces of the wall and ended the giant division. The energetic vibe that passes from

Scholarly Fashion: everyday

Before              &             After... 

The annual English Department picnic. 

Scholarly Fashion: Shoes

Music Theory Class

Scholarly Fashion: Faculty, Staff, and Alumni

Music Professor for my Music Theory Class

This year I've introduced professors and other adults to the mix because they have good fashion, too. I always enjoy coming in to class everyday and being able to give a compliment to my music professor for his choice in shoes and style in tops. The photo above is one of his most calming fashion selections. This professor has come in crazy, funky, colored shirts calling for individuality.

Scholarly Fashion: Part Two

                             Relaxed walking to class in CFA.

I've gathered enough pictures to post for this entire semester, probably. But the fun part of this blog is the actual picture taking where I can see the style come alive in how people walk in their clothes. I still need to figure out how to have them model for 15 seconds before they rush off to class.

  
Outside CFA                                                                 Across the CC

Scholarly Fashion

Crowe Unplugged

College scholars really know how to strut the collegiate runway. In between classes and after college events allowed me to capture the great styles so many people at my alma mater have. Their great tastes really brighten up this all-nighter work place and allow our creative juices to flow.

"Every day is a fashion show and the world is your runway..."

What most people tend to do is dress up mainly on Mondays. However, the real stylish people have their vogue on all the time. These students and professors I captured in my photographs have that great sense of class that never fades (no matter what day of the week it is). In my search of models for my blog, I now notice different clothes and new accessories people use to spice up their look of the day. And this not only allows me to spot people with cute outfits to take pictures of, but also lets me give an extra compliment or two to a random person walking by with a great sense of style.  

Fiction and Poetry Workshop: Professor

Reflections: Mothers

A mother: beautiful, hard-working, compassionate. 

My mami reflects these three and many more characteristics, but I never noticed until just recently. I had lived most of my life under my dad's influence. Listening at his philosophical feet, practicing soccer with him in the early mornings, having a political debate every now and then. Yet the hard work of my mom had been hidden by my dad's presence and smile. He was, mainly, a stay-at-home father. He worked, but my mom spent every night and day under the rock of nursing school and jobs at different medical facilities, while he took my siblings and I to our gymnastics practices and cello recitals and soccer practices. 

Past poem

This was written on the first day of the world cup this past year:

Ole to the world Cup today.
Let all futbolistas go play.
But protesters pout,
they all say, "get out"
Cuz government stops the pay day

In the neighborhood

I usually walk around the neighborhood pond with only my grandma. We would slowly go down the steps of the house as I immediately would extend my arm in offer of support. And we would take about an hour to slowly walk and sit down and walk and sit down once around the pond and sharing stories of our life and looking back at our past.

Global Issues

Net Neutrality

Apparently, I received the news late and just NOW found out about the issue of net neutrality versus the FCC's desire to put a price on the internet.

The Internet is important to me because, as an English major college student, I need to know that there will not be barriers to learn about new ideas and services, or to maintain the ability to contribute to the educational environment of the internet. If ISP (Internet Service Providers, such as comcast and Verizon) subscribers have an easier time loading websites of existing companies than my current blog, video, or other internet posts, there’s no way that I will be able to compete or succeed.

The biggest thing I have against this, though, is the issue of money taking over the people's freedom of speech and ability to communicate without the suspicion that our internet is being censored by those who hold the money.

..At least, that's what I was going to write in my petition letter against the FCC's new rule. But after it asked me for my address and after a little bit more research, I decided I was too ignorant to really put my name down on something I don't completely understand.

If what I read is correct, all those who have the most money will be able to use the internet more freely and have a better chance to upload their content than the rest. However, my confusion lies in the fact that people already pay for the internet and advertisements to get the word out. How is this new FCC rule changing anything?

Hopefully with more research, I'll be able to understand more of what's going on in these troubled times.

For more information, Google it yourself and find articles like these: NYTIMES

And to comprehend a little more what net neutrality is, check this out:

        The "Open Internet" is the Internet as we know it. It's open because it uses free, publicly available standards that anyone can access and build to, and it treats all traffic that flows across the network in roughly the same way. The principle of the Open Internet is sometimes referred to as "net neutrality." Under this principle, consumers can make their own choices about what applications and services to use and are free to decide what lawful content they want to access, create, or share with others. This openness promotes competition and enables investment and innovation.

The Open Internet also makes it possible for anyone, anywhere to easily launch innovative applications and services, revolutionizing the way people communicate, participate, create, and do business—think of email, blogs, voice and video conferencing, streaming video, and online shopping. Once you're online, you don't have to ask permission or pay tolls to broadband providers to reach others on the network. If you develop an innovative new website, you don't have to get permission to share it with the world.

~Open Internet, FCC

http://www.fcc.gov/openinternet

*Veritas*

Thumbs up to Truth!

Cooking Attempts

Spaghetti con Pollo e Porto

Starting at 7:30 P.M. my friend and I commenced on the search through the 100 WAYS TO BE PASTA: Perfect Pasta Recipes From Gangivecchio to find a pasta dish we could cook with chicken, spaghetti, mushrooms, and cooking wine. Soon, I was passionately engaged in the recipe instructions as I chopped green onions and tomatoes and poured sugar and wine into the Italian mixture. Now, 3 hours later, my tummy is full; yet, my taste buds are down in the dumps, as is my self esteem. It seems that red cooking wine is different from red cooking wine vinegar, and that following guidelines results in less creative juices flowing and higher expectations for a dish that might not turn out so great.

Thumbs DOWN to low results, but thumbs UP to passionate attempts.

Day of Independence

 

Like after any sugar rush,

 the morning after the 4^th consisted of my friends and I slowly waking up one by one in a sick-like manner. We prepared our breakfast of blueberry pancakes as we talked about the night before that was full of friendship, family, fireworks, and freedom to celebrate.

We spent the day at a park, walked down Bardstown road, smoking some hookah, window shopping at the most unique stores. On our walk, we stopped at this one second hand store that had the most amazing brands. The store even had my favorite: Free People. And Yana bought the perfect little black dress for the Heaven and Hell theme party at our college. And I found this perfect long white toga looking dress that I could see myself meditating in, giggles.

Then the rest of the night was spent at my aunt’s with ceviche, Peruvian soap operas, bonfire-cooked s'mores, and Meijer brand fireworks. 

Eventually, the excitement died down, card games stopped, and our drive back included the starry night that signaled the end of our day. 

 We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. ~William Faulkner

This 4th, we practiced that freedom.

Thumbs up to college summers. 

Standing

My self can't take it. I stand so close to the edge of defeat that if one knee bends, i will fall. But I stand. And my fight continues with every single decision I make to not give up. 

My story, is not an exciting one, but it is one full of emotions. Tears have fallen, smiles have endured, but my anger has vented out through the written word or weak shouts of reprimand. No verbal joust has occurred, only thought out debates. As if my mind decides that i have no backbone and no quick wit in any inch of my body. 

Once upon a time, a girl in desire of forever devouring knowledge, went to college and got her heartbroken by friends, her brain destroyed by the evils of deflated energy for the arts, and her own weak stand on staying awake on the road. This girl lavished on her first year and fed on the concerns of the world at each moment she spent time with those she thought close. Then as her second year began, she had no dorm to call her own, a car she trashed with all her possessions, work that kept her sane, friends that stabbed her in the back, papers that only felt half finished from her dreams but fully finished in her physical state. But as the summer arrived. the worst kept mounting. She fell asleep at the wheel, literally and metaphorically, and damaged her car enough to take away her paycheck meant for her school, to now head towards the seller of her next chance of transportation. Why continue? She wanted to change the world. Has she? I don't know. Will she? If she continues fighting. Therefore, there is no happily ever after, because the difficulties go on and the fight occurs with different battles.  

Keep standing: if you're at the bottom, there's no where to go but up.

Goals: be a voice for the victims. Be a light to this shitty, broken world. Stop cussing, it sounds bad on you. Stand. Stay in college.

Tai Chi: a soft spirit

Before, there was wo-chi. After, there was Tai-chi. Therefore, before, there was nothing; and, after, there was movement. A flow, some type of change.

From sunrise to sunset, there's a constant flow of motion.

We have a Tai chi teacher here at Hanover visiting from ...actually, I don't know where. But he's come to Hanover to talk to the Tai Chi class and I happened to visit the class the day when this guy came and was so in awe.

His name is Deng Ming Dao.

We bowed to the teacher, bowed to the guest, and then Deng Ming Dao introduced himself and led us in a stretching routine. Almost like a whole yoga routine. And after showed us his own version of form 24 in Tai chi. It was so different from the one our professor taught us but the concept was the same: "You want to save your energy." You want to keep an ongoing rhythm of breath. After he showed us some rel cool steps and gave us some lessons, Deng then sat us down for some question/answer time.



What's the connection between tai chi and meditation?
-"Meditation should be the objective of Tai chi," "the movement of martial arts with the understanding of meditation," and the goal is to "couple them [tai chi and meditation] together"

What are your favorite ways of gathering your chi?
-Sleep, diet, and don't be stressed

What role do you think technology plays with tai chi?
-The internet gives you more available information but it's not natural to spend eight hours a day in front of your laptop. It should not to be used as if addicted. I want to get a house someday that turns the electricity off during the night, you'd be surprised to how quiet it'd get. There's something of awe to that kind of quietness.

How do you incorporate tai chi into your daily life?
-Mornings, I stretch and do some forms. At night, I practice drills, stances, on the punching bag, and lastly meditation

How would you describe a Scholar Warrior?
-Can you be a person of study and sport? You have to have both skills of action and rest.

Other comments he made:
-Key to my philosophy: can you improve yourself? Can you learn more?
-"I believe in this ideal of cultivating yourself"

The class of 1 hour and a half ended faster than I anticipated. It was a great experience.

In the words of the great Bruce Lee, "Be water, my friend."

Two thumbs up to this spring term Tai chi class, online it's spelled Tai Ji but that's the first time I've seen it that way. Seems like a very beneficial class. And I loved taking specifically's today class, Deng's teaching.

On the Road to Appalachia

Finals week now over, Spring Break becks the free spirit into the wild.

And when I got an email about a service trip to Appalachia, I immediately filled out the application.

It took me a while to decide because I wanted to spend break with my grandma (Mamita), but she died the day the application was due and I knew I could not spend the break at home where I would be reminded of her each day. It was really traumatic for me since I never had anyone close to me die. The trip to Appalachia was my only choice, and I'm glad I chose it.
 Food stops Chipotle and Starbucks in Lexington. And while eating only took us about 10 minutes, the group talked on for about an hour, helping our random group connect even more.
Our group consisted of a few acquaintances and some strangers from my college that I did not even recognize, and my school's a small one.

I wish I could describe the scenery. The road just seemed farmland most of the ride until mountains started popping out of nowhere and the rolling hills captured everyone's undivided attention as my leader and driver and school chaplain (all one person) talked about the mountains and the kind of place we were looking at.
                 
The picture on the right, shows how the mountains of Appalachia contain the black layers and layers of coal.

 And of course, the road trip consisted of the usual rest stop, with a beautiful night sky to remind us of our future adventure.

When we finally reached the cabin where we planned to stay at, we were all worn out from the ride itself. The couches provided a pretty comfy resting place before we once again stood up to figure who has which room and bed. I didn't care, but I did want to see the rest of the cabin. The restroom was normal, kitchen was quaint, then when I looked further into the kitchen I saw a door that I thought led to a closet. However, to my excitement, the door led to one of those dark basements in which to turn on the lights, you had to pull the string from a small bulb hanging overhead. I was the first one down, and the last one to go back up. And when the group leader followed in she told me how there used to have been a bed all neatly made and a small shower with a see-through shower curtain around it. It was all bizarre and she told me that it was pretty freaky when she first saw it a few years back.

This would be our home sweet home for the next week! The excitement within me grew.

Hello Appalachia!

But before we could go to bed, our leader had us gather around the living room to have orientation. Some of the questions below were questions she told us to ask ourselves and figure out throughout this trip we were on:

• What are people proud of?
• What are the important/enduring parts of the culture?
• Who is God/Christ to each person? Where do they believe God is working? (And our group leader made it very clear that 'God' is different to every person. God could be a deity, or nature, or the spirit within us. Whatever it was to the people who lived in this Appalachian region, we would try to figure out)
• What are people passionate about?
• What frustrates them about stereotypes outsiders have?

Within the orientation, the group leader shared this wonderful theory that the best way to serve other, was to worship them, not like actually get down on our knees, but to look up to them like how we look up to God, similar to how we serve God. This way, we wouldn't be people who were looking down at people they were helping, but looking up at them. The connection was incredible. I always felt this way, but the Chaplain talked it out to us in ways we could understand. It felt great that this way could be a way to think and live and serve.

The first day passed by so quickly and my phone had died twice already, so I couldn't take the pictures I wanted again. I guess photos weren't really necessary when we're settling in anyways. So I did not scare my group with too many photos, but I probably did frighten them a little when I broke down about my grandma during orientation. I didn't mean to. But my group put up with it pretty well, I'm so sorry group!  

Life goes on.

Definitions

JAILER 
(noun): an official who takes charge of the prison and checks in prisoners into the jail. (Source: Kimmie, from the UG Grill)

So I was working Papa Johns with Sodexo at my college, and talking to one of my co-workers, when I found out that his uncle was a jailer and that he was working up to be a jailer, too. 

It was really interesting hearing this because I just came back from a spring break trip to Appalachia and there were all these election signs and one of the signs my group thought was weird was the 'jailer' election sign. Then after we noticed one, we noticed multiple hanging everywhere we went, in addition to the tons and tons of other election signs. 

Spring Break in 3...

Finals Week this week and tomorrow will be my last final due date. It will contain 3 two-page essays over all the books we've read in early literature and it's due tomorrow at 5 pm. Today, in less than an hour, I will be taking an oral final exam similar to a Socratic circle discussion over our last paper for this Studies in Fiction class, and yesterday I took my final exam for our astronomy class. My Women in Fiction class did not have a final other than our Theory that we had to come up with over at least four of the books we've read.

My Theory: 
Female authors bring in the reader with a welcoming type of introduction and choice of voice in all the novels. Compared to male authors, women feel as though people would not normally listen to them. In effect, these authors create a style of writing that includes the reader in the story.
Examples include: Wise Children, Handmaid's Tale, Carter's The Tiger's Bride, and Oranges are not the only Fruit

Then I have one more paper due Friday because my Studies in Fiction professor gave me a highly needed extension.

Lastly, I get to go to Appalachia on Friday!!!! And stay there a whole week for volunteer service and learn about the culture there and the problem of mountain top removal. I'm so exited.
I'm already wearing my work boots to break into them. They're steel toe so they already hurt a bit, but they're also a men's 6 1/2 while I usually wear a women's 7. So they're a bit too big for me.

I will not have wi-fi over there but I'll be writing down all the daily events as much as I can and will post them when I get back. It will be my goal to both educate and entertain you readers.
I'll include pictures and all necessary to share my awesome experience I'll be able to have.

Ta ta!

Spring break coming up on Friday (3 days away!)

Here's a song dedicated to...

...my fake friends.

Woah, woaoh. Woahhahahohhh. 
You think the little corners are my entire room.
You think the little waves represent our,
entire conversation.

Woah, woaoh.
One dayyyy
I thought you were my friend.
One dayyy
you turned into my. worst. enemy.

(drum and guitar solo)

*singer rocking out and shaking her head back and forth

(drums and pauses)

lala lala la 
(drums and pauses)
lala lala la
(drums and pauses)

Don't smile at me. Looking like a friend.
Show your true colors so I can paint coreectly.

You messed up heart
more
than 
my 
ex's.

You tore me apart,
like i was just your childhood doll

woah, woaoh, Woahhahahohhh. 
don't blah blah blah in my ear
don't "he said, she said" in my ear
I can't keep in this state of confusion
I can't keep following your dead, cold words

One dayyyy
I thought you were my friend.
One dayyy
you turned into my. worst. enemy.

This song is now titled three minutes because that's how long it took to write this and how long I can stand listening to my fake friends tell lies. Thumbs down to fake friends.

Let it go

Disney and Pixar Sings Let It Go

I just finished Great Expectations for my "Studies in Fiction" class and it really made me think about stuff in my life that I place in a pedestal, only to be disappointed and fall back into reality. The book is basically broken up into sections where Charles Dickens labels each breaking point of Pip's expectations for his life. High class society isn't really all that great. At least, Dickens shows that the levels of society aren't equal and do not hold similar standards. 

The expectations I held for college included passionate organizations and genuine friendships and attentive students in classrooms. I guess you could say that college has broken my heart. But it has also shown me how hard I need to work to make it through the rest of my life. 

I've recently struggled with hypocritical friends. They say they want to be there but then don't seek you out to hangout or talk about you behind your back and say they're just trying to "understand you and only talking about what they're trying to figure out." Cut the crap, please. But now I know I need to let it go. Not my stance; my emotions that get in the way of my success. Yes, my friends and acquaintances hurt me, but I need to still be me. I shouldn't be brought down by them. 

“Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.”
― Deborah Reber, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 101 Stories of Life, Love and Learning

College Thumbs.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to my favorite director, artist, animator, producer, and screenwriter of all time:

Hayao Miyazaki.



Recently, I've heard the news that Miyazaki might have made his last film and it's being released nationwide this Friday (the English version).

"The Wind Rises"
 I found information on this film from The Wall Street Journal: Speakeasy where it also contains a small clip from the movie that really makes the audience want more. I wanted more; this was the website I immediately thought of: IMDB. The film received an 8.1! Whereas, the average movie gets a good rating of 6.5. Therefore, I KNOW it's going to be good. Even though I don't really need any persuading since it's a Hayao Miyazaki film.

Plot, cast, trailer, all can be found on imdb.com. I can't give my own review yet because I haven't seen it yet. But readers should expect much praise when I do write on it. From the preview, the story seems like it's going to be a nice love story.
  

However, with the good news of this film, I also read somewhere that it might be the last film of Hayao Miyazaki. But the news might be incorrect. This website I just found might shed some light to all those interested: Miyazaki Retires?

My favorite of these include Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, and hopefully The Wind Rises.

What I'm worried about it the fact that it'll be a historical fiction in 'The Wind Rises' and usually what attracted me a lot to Miyazaki's films was the magic. It filled my child-like hunger for fairy tales.

...

As I'm writing all this, it makes me curious. Who is Hayao Miyazaki? What kind of person is he? How tall? Is he introverted or extroverted? How did his childhood influence his career? Maybe I could interview him. I'm so used caring only about him as a director, I didn't think of him as a complete person. He has a wife and two sons. But other than that, I need to do more research.

Ta ta for now.

Through the camera lens

 I'm not photogenic. And I think it's in part due to my face's inability to express myself well. I may be the happiest person in the world but take a picture of me and you get a person looking really high or sleepy. I don't know how people keep up with making sure they look just right for pictures. For some reason, I can't just look plain happy. I can make a cute kid face and a try my hardest to make my eyes big, but me trying to make a sad, mad, frustrated, annoyed, tired, or angry face all look the same. 

But I'm gonna work on it. My goal for this month will be to be gain the ability of making every facial expression. I'm going to copy every face in the emoticons below:

Of course, this is a drawing exercise. But if artists try to depict human beings, that means the facial expressions are what the common way people can tell a person is feeling some way. 

Therefore, I will look in the mirror every morning and practice each facial expression. When the end of 4 weeks pass, I will take a photo of each expression on this picture. And I will strive to make a pose for each.

I admit this is a silly challenge. However, I think my desire to do this stems from the selfies my friends and I take. Every time they say a pose to strike my mind goes blank and my body doesn't know what to do. Maybe this means I don't show my emotions enough on my face. Anyways, when the picture is taken, my face looks like halfway attempt of a pose. 

Wish me luck!

Kisses :*

Is the above too sappy?? sorries :( I tend to talk about my relationship on this blog more than when I talk with friends. I think I feel like if i mention my boyfriend to my friends and family they will get annoyed.

Skype

I can't imagine how couples did it back in the old days without Skype. I'm getting better at being away from him, but it's always really really nice to be able to talk to him and see his face just like that. Here's a picture I took of us talking last night. He felt weird with his shirt off therefore I blurred his nipple, lol. But I just love looking at him.

I think he's the only guy in the world for me. He can even deal with me when I'm emotional, and that says a lot. I know my friends must be tired of my rants and emotional outbursts, but this guy can deal with whatever I throw at him. 

 

Even if it's paint. Thanks to the dream photography Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mydreamsphotography 

We had a paint fight with the art club at my school and even though we had plans of going out for our anniversary, he still went to the paint fight with me even though it meant getting covered in paint and looking absurd for our planned dinner. 

Last night on Skype though, was great since we're on school break and he's around 3 hours away right now. But even without skype, he never fails to text me that he's thinking of me.

Which reminds me of a poem I heard a few days ago:

I'm Thinking About You by Mike Taylor

I attended a post-Valentine's event at an English Theme house in my college and heard this poem and I thought it was great.

Anyways, this is my spiel about Skype...kind of. Thumbs up to Skype!