day twenty - a hobby of yours

this is slowly turning into a weekly blog, i apologise - i blame my little pal called year 12...

anyway, so about a week ago i wrote about music, and how my life pretty much revolves around it... but believe it or not, i actually do have one hobby in particular that does not involve music...

welcome to the world of scrapbooking.

throughout each year i collect photos from any important events - from shows, (onstage and backstage) to school, to holidays, to parties, to overseas trips (although these end up with a scrapbook of their own..), to practically anything where a camera is handy.
then, at the end of each year, over the summer holidays, i create an annual scrapbook. i select my favourite photos from each event, get the photos printed, spend christmas money on supplies, and off i go.

if you're not 100% sure what scrapbooking is, here's an example - these are two pages (act 1 and act 2) with selected photos from a show i was in last year...

i have been doing this every year since 2007 (year 8), and looking back on those scrapbook it's probably one of the best things i could have done. i mean, seriously, if i'm looking back now, only 4 years later, and reminiscing about the good times i find lay out on the page, imagine how special these books are going to be in 20, or 30 years time?


this year i have no idea where my summer went, so i still have one section of my scrapbook to go, and after that i plan on doing an entire scrapbook on my trip to Japan - there is no way i could possibly have chosen just a few photos out of the thousands taken!

i don't really know why i find scrapbooking so relaxing, but i can spend hours on a single page. i can sit in my room, for hours, music blasting, phone off, no internet, and just enjoy something that is not only fun, but actually really productive as well.

speaking of productive, i better wrap this up and go write this english essay...

remember to keep being creative!
it's in everyone, you just need to find your own way to express it.
xx

day nineteen - a talent of yours

i'm not the kind of person to generally acknowledge that i am actually 'talented' at something - i more look on things like that as the idea that whatever it is that i am doing, i am doing for enjoyment, because i love it, not because i am any good at it. what's the point in living life and using your talents when you don't enjoy them?

so that brings me to what is probably my biggest passion in life, and i guess i would say the area where i bear the most talent - music.

it's been a part of my life for as long as i can remember.
when i was a baby mum would sing to me whenever i was upset, whenever i needed to be calmed, and almost every night she would stand by the piano and sing while my dad accompanied her.
by the age of 3, i could stand up and sing you most of the songs from the musical "Annie" (yes, i used to wish i was a little red-head with a head of curls...).
i began piano lessons in prep, with my sister already 3 years ahead of me.
when my sister began to learn clarinet, i joined the choir.
since then, the music in my life has only grown: i now play electric and double bass, piano, guitar, and to me most importantly is voice.

it's like the theory says, that we start off our lives as a 'clean slate', and from there we are changed by the environment we grow up in. music is something in your environment, and for me, a very important part of my childhood, of my life, and it seems to be where my so called 'talent' lies.

however, talent is often defined as: "natural abilities or qualities"
although this is true to a certain extent, if we did nothing with our talents then they wouldn't grow, and wouldn't be being used to their full extent.

i believe that talent is a combination of three things:
natural ability, hard work and passion.

yes, i have been told that i have a certain amount of talent when it comes to my vocal ability, but it would not sound anything like it does today if i hadn't have done any work to improve it.

but you know what? enough of that.
i don't care about how 'talented' people are at certain things, all that i care for is the enjoyment that you get out of whatever it is that you are doing.

i found my voice because of music.
i immersed myself in my school life through music.
i met my best friend through music.
i listen to music when i am happy.
i listen to music when i am sad.
and this music can have the power to make me feel these emotions, plus so many more.
and as a result, i express myself through music, and i can't imagine it any other way.


so i will leave you with something to ponder. it's my opinion and you don't have to agree but...

sometimes, passion is more important than talent.
and without hard work and passion,
what's the point in even having a talent?

xx

day eighteen - whatever tickles your fancy

Japan.
such a beautiful country.
i can't even begin to imagine the destruction caused by the recent earthquakes and tsunamis.

but, there is some good news sometimes.

today i received an email from a friend who lives right in Fukushima - where the earthquake occurred. up until today, we didn't know if she was okay, we hadn't heard from her.

so in this blog, i choose simply to share her email...

Thank you for your message!

I'm sorry that an answer becomes slow.

Under the influence of the earthquake, the Internet was not usable.

I'm OK.

Yes. It was really terrible earthquake and tsunami...

My family and my house are OK.

But, I don't know how about my friends and their family.

A lot of houses were strolled around by a tsunami.

My hometown was gone...

There are no houses, no people, no foods, no wear no water, no light...

It's awful...

In addition, a nuclear power plant was attacked by a tsunami.

So, we can't go out or must go other places.

There are few children in my city...They go to other places.

They have to live and study apart from their parents...

We are afraid of exploding every day...

But I alive. We alive. Japan alive.

I believe that this situation improves.

Surely children will come back our city.

Thanks to you, I got well.

I'll get over these days.

Thank you so much!!!

xoxo,

Mizue

to each and every person affected by the earthquakes,
my heart goes out to you.
xx

day seventeen - an art piece

i'm not a big fan of art. i appreciate it, and am in awe of it, but i don't really understand it or remember an specific art works.
so i'm going to mix this up a little, as i believe that photography is an art all by itself.

i have a friend, a very talented friend, who is an extraordinary photographer.
if you are interested, check out her blog - amazing...
http://lizamills.blogspot.com/

and so, for my "art piece" i have simply chosen the first photo on her blog at the present time.
i think the photo and the caption speaks for itself...


"you are not as fat as you imagine."

check out her blog, she's incredible.
xx

day fifteen - a poem

This year in English, we started off studying the poetry of Judith Wright.

I honestly didn't enjoy the unit that much, as I generally struggle with poetry and understanding it, but I also studied this particular poem in Unit 1 Literature two years ago, and I still love it, even though it kind of makes me angry...

The poem talks about these women, (who are obviously restricted by not only their social class, but more importantly their gender and the role that women were expected to play in society at that time), who are just expected to be the perfect little housewife, and as a result, quite literally must fold up their dreams just like a sheet, put it in the cupboard, and close the door.

So here it is.


Smalltown Dance by Judith Wright.

Two women find the square-root of a sheet.
That is an ancient dance:
arms wide: together: again: two forward steps: hands meet
your partner's once and twice.
That white expanse
reduces to a neat
compression fittin gin the smallest space
a sheet can pack in on a cupboard shelf.

High scented walls there were of flapping white
when I was small, myself.
I walked between them, playing Out of Sight.
Simpler than arms, they wrapped and comforted-
clean corridors of hiding, roof with blue-
saying, Your sins too are made Monday-new; and see, ahead
that glimpse of unobstructed waiting green.
Run, run before your're seen.

But women know the scale of possibility,
the limit of opportunity,
the fence,
how little chance
there is of getting out. The sheets that tug
sometimes struggle from the peg,
don't travel far. Might symbolise
something. Knowing where danger lies
you have to keep things orderly.
the household budget will not stretch to more.

And they can demonstrate it in a dance.
First pull those wallowing white dreams down,
spread arms: then close them. Fold
those beckoning roads to some impossible world,
put them away and close the cupboard door.


xx

a few days behind...

this week = ridiculous.
concerts at school, house aths trials, parents teacher interviews, and the list goes on.

in other words, no blogging has been seen since monday...
but am starting up again tonight.
will catch up 2 days, then everything should be back on track. i hope :-)

xx

day sixteen - a song that makes you cry

It was several days before Christmas......

It was several days before Christmas.
The sisters sat about the parlour and grumbled about their fate.
Meg, the oldest and most romantic said, "It's not fair some girls have pretty things while we have nothing."
"And it won't be Christmas without presents!" said Amy, with her usual pout.
"And we haven't got Father to read to us," said Jo, who yearned to travel and write great books.
Only Beth, sitting contented said in a tone so sweet even angels would have listened...

"But we've got each other."


I'm not sure how many people know, but in 2005 Little Women was made into a musical, starring Sutton Foster as Jo March.
At the end of the musical there is a song called "The Fire Within Me"
It is after Beth's death, and Jo is grieving, finding it very hard not only to continue with life, but to find anything to write about.

I know that the March sisters are just fictional characters, but these sisters, in particularly Jo March, really resonates with me. Jo is just so driven, headstrong, and determined - she won't let anything or anyone stand in her way.

So after she loses Beth, the audience is revealed to this whole other side to Jo. For once in her life she doesn't feel like she can just reach up and re-arrange the stars.

The first time I saw this musical I cried in this scene. Especially when Jo begins to write the book of her and her sisters. It's just a moment of realisation, a moment of warmth, as she understands that Beth's memory can live forever in her heart, and in the heart of her readers.

Again, I have seen a recording of Sutton Foster performing this, as she originated the role of Jo March on Broadway. And yes, I am a little bias towards Sutton Foster (who can blame me, she is phenomanal...), but throughout this entire song, I had shivers, smiles and tears. It is truly incredible.

So there it is, the song that makes me cry, every time I see it performed, without fail.

Here's the lyrics (they are a little different to the link... but they are correct to the sountrack); check out the link below watch the amazing Sutton Foster perform what can only be described as utter brilliance.
(note: at the beginning it's black, something must have gone wrong with the filming? but it comes back in at 1:21. besides, you can just hear the emotion in her voice!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c66VhH-V_mM


The Fire Within Me

How do I go on?
Just an empty room
All I have are memories I need a task to do
Someone give me a task to do I need a....

I thought that somehow we would always have forever
I thought the promises we made would have a different end
I thought the love we shared would keep us as we were
It was the fire within me

We dreamed and plotted with abandon in this attic
When we were gathered here the room became our citadel
We were amazing then my sisters and I
They were the fire within me

In this room I knew we were alive
Nothing was too painful to survive
We faced the world together
The four of us forever side by side
Everything I promised was for them
I was theirs no matter where or when
How can that be lost forever
How when I gave everything with all my heart

(spoken):
It was several days before Christmas.
It was several days before Christmas.
The sisters sat about the parlour and grumbled about their fate.
Meg, the oldest and most romantic said,
"It's not fair some girls have pretty things while we have nothing."
"And it won't be Christmas without presents," said Amy with her usual pout.
"And we haven't got father to read to us,"
said Jo who yearned to travel and write great books.
Only Beth, sitting contented said, in a tone so sweet,
even angels would have listened,
"But we've got each other."

Everything I promised them is here
All of us we used to be
We will always have each other
They will always be the fire in my heart

Here I go, and there's no turning back
My great adventure has begun I may be small
But I've got giant plans
To shine as brightly as the sun
Here in all the smallest details of the past
Here in this attic suddenly life is something vast
The four of us forever here at last
As unexpected as can be
Astonishing


and remember, as Jo sings at the end of the musical -

sometimes when you dream,
your dreams come true in extraordinary ways,
suddenly a day can be so amazing.
and sometimes when you yearn, you burn the air.
and then you are not the same.and the world is astonishing.


oh crap, now i'm crying!!
xx

day fourteen - a non fictional book

the only fictional/biographical book that i can ever remember reading is:



'The World at her Fingertips - the story of Helen Keller' by Joan Dash.

i remember reading this book and just being completely blown away at the idea that someone could possibly live without sight or hearing.

for anyone who doesn't know, Helen Keller is an extraordinary woman who, after contracting a horrible fever at nineteen months, was left both blind and deaf - something that many of us would find difficult to imagine.

to be honest, i don't remember the majority of this book, but i recently watched a film that was based on her childhood and how Helen's teacher, Annie Sullivan, taught her to communicate with those around her.
how she did this was by having a hand sign for each letter, and as Helen would, for example, touch her doll, Annie would spell into her hand "D-O-L-L".

i just can't comprehend how someone could learn to communicate like this, let alone be living without sight and hearing.

so the point of this post, is that i learnt a very important lesson after reading this book/watching the film associated with it...

be grateful for what you have!
xx

day thirteen - a fictional book

alright, so i procrastinated yesterdays and todays blog because i'm not much of a reader.
so i have chosen a book that i used to love, and read, all the time.

Ella Enchanted

and yes, incase you were wondering, this is the BOOK, by Gail Carson Levine, and it came out BEFORE the film.

"That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift. When I cried inconsolably through my first hour of lie, my tears were her inspiration. Shaking her head sympathetically at Mother, the fairy touched my nose. "My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying, child." I stopped."

that's the first paragraph of chapter one, and i used to recite it by memory. in fact i had almost the entire of the first chapter off by heart.

now, although you may have seen the movie, i'm going to go right ahead and explain what this wonderful book is about.
as you can see from the first paragraph of the book, Ella is a young girl who has a "gift" of obedience. in other words, she must do anything that anyone tells her.
at any time, anyone can order her to top on one foot, cut off her hand, betray her kingdom, marry a prince...
her quest is to find Lucinda, the fairy who gave her this gift at birth, and convince her to take the gift back so she doesn't have to kill the man she loves.

don't get me wrong, the film is great, it has musical numbers, and anne hathaway who i adore and does a great job at ella, but as any fictional book made into a film - THEY MISS SO MUCH! i remember the first time i saw the film i was SO disappointed. especially with the character Mandy - they made her such a small role in the film, whereas in the book she plays a huge part.

so that is my choice for my fictional book, and i guess just to point out that the saying "don't judge a book by it's cover" definitely applies to this book, but perhaps even change the saying a little...

don't judge a book by it's film!
xx

day twelve - whatever tickles your fancy

this topic seems to be appearing quite a lot...
anyway, so i was thinking today of what i was going to write about, and it dawned on me.

VCE

i get so frustrated with the whole concept sometimes!!

i'm not someone who hates school either, ever since i can remember i have loved it. yes, of course, there have been off days, and fights with friends, or just days when you can't be bothered because you haven't finished that assignment, but in general i love it.
i love the people, i love the music, i love the feeling of being 'home' when i'm there.

my music teacher always tells us:
"i'm teaching you music for life, not for the exam"
and i totally agree with her. the things on the exam are so simple, that being extended keeps us interested and wants us to learn more.
but what about other subjects?

like english for example. we've learnt our basic english skills, but we are studying a certain context. we are studying certain books, certain techniques, certain authors and films.

maths. we learn formulas, do specific topics, learn equations... and unless we study maths at uni, are we really going to remember all these formulas in 2 years time...?

i have friends who do history, and yes they love the stuff that they learn about, but sometimes there might be something off-topic, not in the coursework that you want to learn about. but because the course is so jam-packed of things you need to learn to pass the exam, there's no time to cover other things.

i guess what i am trying to say is that my one huge frustration with the whole concept of VCE is that all year we study hard and work our butts off just to pass the exam. all we are learning is so we can pass the exam. to get a number. to get into the course we want.

but then again, there is so much that happens in year 12 that i guess VCE is a little price to pay for all the enjoyment i have had over not only the past 12 years of schooling, but the enjoyment i hopefully will have in the coming year.

keep learning, even if it's not in the course.
oh, and 33 weeks until exams... thanks VCAA.
xx

day eleven - a photo of you taken recently

for starters, i am posting two blogs today because my best friend came over last night and we were jamming for 5 hours. hence no time for blogging.
all good though :-)

so back on track, todays blog is
a photo of me taken recently
i don't exactly have many photos of me that are NOT in costume, so i have chosen this photo from the Easter holidays last year :-)



it was one day on the holidays, and with some friends, we ventured to central gardens in glenferrie for a picnic. fully set with picnic rugs, food, drinks, and of course a guitar.

the afternoon was beautiful, sunny, warm - perfect!

one of my friends bought her camera, and this photo seems to keep recurring in my profile pictures, it's a bit of a favourite.

so there you go, i haven't changed much in a year - dyed my hair black, then mahogany, so that's the only real difference.
the music geek part hasn't changed !

"today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic!"
xx

day ten - a photo of you taken over ten years ago

it was actually quite surprisingly easy to pick
a photo of me taken over ten years ago...



i have chosen this photo not only because i am quite fond of it, but because it reminds me of how much i used to love playing dress-ups when i was a kid.

the costume box is a childhood memories that i keep quite close to my heart. there are a ridiculous amount of photos of me playing dressups - with my sister, with my teddy bear, with my barbies, with my entire toy collection. in places all over the house... (you see, when i was little, i refused to take afternoon naps... instead, mum would find me asleep in the middle of the hallway...)

mum has told me stories of how i used to get all dressed up (including the occasional raid of the makeup drawer), take afternoon tea (quite early in the afternoon), take all my toys, my tea set, and sit in the cubby playing for hours.
i would make sure that everyone get dressed up for the grand tea party, and off i would go, until mum came to get me.

my favourite book as a kid was "A Proper Little Lady" - a book which tells of a little girl who just loved to get dressed up in her beautiful dress, her pearly necklace, her best shoes, and her best white frilly socks, but then loved to play.
each piece of clothing has a sound, and by the end of the book, everything has fallen apart, is completely covered in dirt, or is clunking along behind her.
this books pretty much sums up my entire childhood.

and on special occasions, like in this photo, i got to dress up real special, put red lipstick around my mouth, let mum do my hair, and off i went:
the clown of the party...

so yeah, ten years ago, i was a pretty cool kid.
xx

day nine - a photo you took

i'm just going to put it out there that i am not much of a photographer. of course, i love taking photos and experimenting with different things, but it's definitely nothing special.

the only place where i ever took real care in the taking of my photos, for a whole two weeks, was on my school trip to Japan last year.
however, instead of choosing one of the photos that i took of the landscape, or the beautiful gardens, or the shrines, or any time when the photo clearly demonstrates the culture and sophistication of this beautiful country, i have chosen this photo:



Lisa and Sayaka.
these two girls were my host sisters for 1 week while i stayed in Japan.

seeing this photo, i cannot even begin to describe how the memories come flooding back.
for starters, i took this photo myself, on the evening that we ventured up to see the Kobe lights at sunset; and what a beautiful night that was. completely exhausting, yes, but it was truly the end to a perfect day.

Lisa, my host sister who was the same age as me, spoke a little bit of English. she learns it at school, and knew enough to get by, similarly to how much Japanese i knew.
in fact, our usual conversation of the morning was: "you're crazy!!" "no... you're crazy!" "hahaha no... you're crazy" (we would giggle as we ran out the door to begin the 90 minute monorail/train/subway trip to school...)

meanwhile, Sayaka, my older host sister, didn't speak any English, but somehow i still managed to connect with her as though she was my real sister.

these two girls, as well as my host mum and dad, made me feel so welcome into their home, teaching me so much about the way that they live, and laughing both at me and with me at some of the most ridiculous things.

we only stayed with our host families for just under 1 week, and although there were times of frustration due to a language barrier or home sickness, when it was time to leave for Tokyo, i definitely wasn't ready to go... it was as though i had just settled in with my second family, and now my teachers were telling me that i had to leave them?

tears were shed, hugs were given, and we waved until we could no longer see them. but it's okay, because i know that i will see them again one day. and hopefully my sisters can come and stay here in Australia, and i can welcome them into my home, into my life, just as they did for me.

ありがとう
thankyou
xx

day eight - a photo that makes you sad

second post in one day - so i'm up-to-date now.
todays actual post is supposed to be a photo that makes you angry or sad; and i have chosen...

a photo that makes me sad:



alright, this photo is actually a photo that was part of my friends folio for studio art, her theme being: "3 masks of me - my past and my flowing future."

i'm not going to lie, the first time i saw this photo, it really upset me.
you see, my friend suffers, as too many people do, with depression.

what so many people don't realise is how serious mental illness can be. an illness like depression can take a hold on your entire body, not just your mind, until the things that you are thinking and doing, seem normal to you. this is your reality, and despite all the positive things going on around you, you just seem to take the negative out of every situation.

i have quite a few friends with depression, and it breaks my heart to see them so sad, so self-loathing, so depressed.
however, i have learnt over the past 6 months or so that i personally cannot save them - yes i can support them and tell them every day that i love them so so much, but i don't need to be feeling it myself.

i have had a few friends tell me that i just don't understand, and i used to get really angry about the fact that i couldn't understand what they were going through. but i have come to realise that i don't need to understand. all i need to do is to be a good friend, even if that means being the friend who has no idea what is going on, but instead is there just to distract their friend, have a jam session, go to the movies, go on a picnic, anything that means that the friend can be as happy possible.

i have learnt that although i want to take their pain away, no matter how much i try, i just can't - they're going to need to get help themselves. but sometimes this is a lot easier said than done. which brings me to my next point...

earlier this year i heard from a speaker, Ingi Barr - the author of "Walking the Black Dog."
she spoke about her experience with bipolar disorder and her depressive episodes. it was something that i really took on board, because the whole point of her speech was not only to inform us about the effects of depression/bipolar/mental illness, or how we can help someone with this disease, but to reduce the stigma that comes with speaking about mental illness.

WHY is mental illness not spoken about? it can be just as life-threatening as a physical disease, and if the stigma was reduced then maybe people wouldn't be so afraid to ask for help.

as for some of my friends who suffer with depression, i will admit, i cannot handle their issues all the time. sometimes i just need to take some time for myself, and refocus what's important, so that i am in a better place myself to help them.
but even if i do ask them to back off, that doesn't mean i won't text them to tell them i love them, or that i care any less.

reduce the stigma of mental illness.
so perhaps, peoples "3 masks of me" won't have to involve depression, or covering up how they are really feeling.

i love you.
xx

day seven - a photo that makes you happy

alright, to begin with, yes i did miss doing this yesterday, but to make up for it i am going to do day seven and day eight today. yeah. :-)

so, a photo that makes me happy...



this photo was taken last year, at Tokyo Disneyland.
it was our last day of the trip, and although we were all exhausted, the rain came down half way through the day, and we were all emotional about the fact that we were leaving the next day, we had an absolute ball.

this photo makes me happy because it pretty much sums up my entire day at Disneyland - I spent most of the day with the two girls in the photo (plus myself): we went to countless shops, waited in line for hours to go on rides, got photos together, had inside jokes about way too many things, and just the mixture of their personalities and mine made it a truly hilarious and unforgettable day.

it reminds me so much of the beautiful country that is Japan, and just as a side note my thoughts are with anyone in Japan effected by the earthquake: my heart goes out to you all.

things to do before you die: go to Tokyo Disneyland.
you won't regret it.

xx

day six - whatever tickles your fancy

for starters, the awkward moment when you realise it's 5 minutes until tomorrow, therefore this blog is totally going to be on the wrong day... oops, my bad.

alright, back on track.
todays topic is: whatever tickles your fancy.
i looked at this title and i literally do not know to write about.

but instead of boring you with the ramblings of an almost-eighteen-year-old, i am going to decide on a topic, and write. about something that is really close to home. something that matters a lot to me. and that is; my best friend.

i don't know about other people, but the term "best friend" is so loosely used these days. wikipedia says:
Best friend, someone (singular) with whom one shares the strongest possible kind of friendship

but it's so much more than that. i know i wrote a blog about this in july last year, but since then my feelings on the matter have only intensified.
and if it accounts for anything, that one person that i called my best friend in July last year is my best friend to this day.

she is beautiful (although denies it), she is kind and honest, she knows when to be my best friend and when to be my big sister, she's a good listener but still knows when she needs to intervene, she knows when to sit back and watch me make my own mistakes, and learn from them, and she is someone who i hope i will be telling jokes to and having little sing-a-longs with when we are sitting in our little grandma chairs reminiscing about the 'olden days'.

since last year i have made new friends, and yes i have been very close to them, and hope that i will be for a long time, but there is nobody else that i trust more than my best friend, and nobody else that i can sit down with after 3 months of not seeing her and just pick up exactly where we left off; everything around us has changed, but somehow we haven't.

so say what you like, call everyone around you your best friend just because it seems like the cool thing to do, because you don't want to upset anyone, or because you want to fit into "that" group, but when you're sitting alone in your room crying over something miniscule, think of the person who would come over, give you a hug, and then tell you to get back up again, and that you are the most amazing person in the world. that, to me, is my best friend.

i hope she knows i'm always there for her, even if we don't talk every day, and i wouldn't change the way we are for anything.

Stay Beautiful,
xx

day five - your favourite quote

earlier this year i was lucky enough to take a part in a camp that changed me so much, taught me so much, and helped me develop as both a person and as a team member.

on this camp, we were told a few really important messages, but the on thing that i took away, and was a quote that was said throughout the entire camp, was:
"it's not why you fall, but how you get back up that matters."

i think this quote is something that will work in any situation, and if we just remember the positive things, and handle them in an appropriate way, then things that seem as though they will bury us, may actually have the potential within them to bless us.

so next time you're having a bad day, remember my favourite quote.
no matter how hard it is, it doesn't matter why you fall, people in your life will admire you for the way you triumph over a difficult situation.

it's not why you fall, but how you get back up that matters.

xx

day four - your favourite book

i'm not much of a reader.
i did units 3&4 english literature last year, and it was my favourite subjects, but nonetheless, i much prefer studying a good novel than reading one.
and because of this, i have chosen my favourite book as one of the most amazing novels i read and studied last year.

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.

yes i'll admit, when first starting to read this book it drags on a little. Walton's letters at the beginning don't really make much sense but you realise later on in the novel that they set up and sometimes hint at what will occur.

something i love about this novel is not even the story itself, but the story behind it - the reason why the novel was written... i won't go too much into it, but pretty much what happened was Mary Shelley was with some other writers (her friends), and they decided to have a competition between themselves to see who could come up with the scariest story.
and look at the masterpiece that was created through this!! :-)

i personally love two scenes:
1. the creation scene (chapter 5), where the creature is created!!
and 2. the story of the creature and the De Laceys - although it is sad in the end, it is so heartwarming to realise that if it weren't for his looks then the creature could have been accepted into society. (well i suppose that could have happened if Victor Frankenstein wasn't such a selfish monster, but i won't go on about that...)

now i must admit, i have one pet peeve about this novel.
many people, (due to pop culture), seem to think that 'Frankenstein' is referring to the 'monster' or the 'creature', when in fact Frankenstein is the name of the man who CREATED this creature!
on top of that, if they do know the difference between Frankenstein and the creature, the creature is then called a 'monster'...
HE IS NOT A MONSTER! he has more humanity than Victor Frankenstein himself!

and from there i encourage everyone to read this amazing novel, as it has really views and values in it - in particularly the idea that perhaps some things are better left unknown (re: science).
another note: don't watch the movie; unless you've read the book and are prepared to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. damn pop culture.

yes, i'm a lit nerd.
don't judge me.

xx

day three - your favorite television program

glee.

yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

it's such a feel good show. with important messages. amazing characters. showtunes. drama. and one liners that are always good to use in an awkward moment :-)

glee is the only television show that I have seen every episode of. i have the DVDs, the CDs, the piano books, and even a tshirt... so yes, i'll admit that i'm a bit of a gleek, but we all need something as our time out that we enjoy, right?

meanwhile, if you have never seen an episode of glee (judged, by the way), then you might be thinking that you don't want to go there... look, just watch an episode. there is no way i can possibly describe glee without sounding like a total nerd.
and if you're not into showtunes, maybe watch Season 1 Volume 2 - Theatricality (also known as the GAGA episode) or any episode involving a competition (sectionals or regionals... hopefully soon to be nationals, haha...)

so yeah, glee is my favourite television show. it's just so fun.
oh, and if anyone was wondering, Rachel Berry is my favourite character.
annoying, but headstrong and unbelievably talented. uh-mazing.
"my gold stars are a metaphor. for me. being a star"

"don't stop believing"

xx

day two - your favourite movie

day two, and i have to choose just one of so many movies that i would quite happily sit down and watch every day.
once again, similarly to my favourite song, there are many that i could choose, but i am choosing to go with a classic. a movie that i have loved since i was a child. a movie that i could sit down and watch, forget about the world, and immerse myself into the wonders of disney.

Beauty and the Beast

how can you possibly not love this movie?
there's a young, strong, determined female lead. who (unlike other disney movies) does NOT change herself for the guy.
there's that guy you want to punch in the face.
there's the sweet guy who is disguised for the whole movie until he is released from the magic spell.
um, hello, there's MAGIC.
because of the magic, there is a TALKING CLOCK, a TALKING CANDLESTICK, a TALKING TEA POT, and the list of enchanted items in the castle goes on...
and of course, who could forget the amazing showtunes found in this movie? you know, those ones that get stuck in your head for hours.... "be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test..." (it's stuck in your head now, isn't it? ;-) )

seriously though, how many movies nowadays give our generation and positive message, especially one as important as "true beauty is found within"?

this movie has taught me some pretty important lessons, and always cheers me up.

so there it lives, and will continue to do so, a 'tale as old as time'

xx

day one - your favourite song

okay, my favourite song... how can i really choose one? i mean, there are so many classics, so many songs that make me happy, and just those songs that are connected with a certain time and place.

but, instead of choosing my 'current' favourite song (which, as seen in my previous post, is waka waka by shakira), i have chosen a song that will never age. a song that will live through time, and hopefully when i'm old and wrinkly in my wheelchair, the youngins can come and visit their granny and together we can headbang to the brilliance of...

Bohemian Rhapsody.

and no, i do not mean any cover of this song. not the australianised version by rolf harris, or the vocal adrenalin version from glee, i am talking the original song by the legendary and never to be forgotten QUEEN.

i honestly have no words for this song.
although i do not listen to it all that often, if i'm ever at a party and this song comes on, i don't think there is ever a complaint - how can anyone possibly dislike bohemian rhapsody?
the harmonies, the piano part, the guitar solo, the falsetto voices, the bass voices, and everything in between, the complete and utter brilliance as the lyrics are sung with passion and fire.

and okay, yes, i do not necessarily understand the song. i'm sure if i researched into it a little i could find the meaning behind the lyrics, but isn't half the fun NOT knowing what the hell you are singing about?

one of my favourite parts of the song - "sends shivers down my spine" *tinkling of chimes*
check out the music video. yes, their hair and fashion definitely HAS aged, but it's brilliant. nobody can deny that.

check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ

"so you think you can stop me and spit in my eye, so you think you can love me and leave me to die..." *headbangs until becoming dizzy*

xx

and the challenge begins...

just as an indicator of what is about to occur, my friend and i will be undertaking a ‘blogging challenge’.
we both have felt recently as though our blogs have been lacking anything interesting, well actually just any posts in general.
so basically, we found a plan online that gives us a prompt for each of 30 days.

keep checking back every day for more posts! this should be fun...

you can find a link to my friend’s blog in the blogroll in the right hand panel – motzie

enjoy, peace & love, xx

this time for africa

so, i haven't posted in a while - but i figure, it's a new year. so my first blog of this year (let's pretend it's not already 1/6 into the year...) are simply lyrics.
although this song was written for the FIFA world cup, (and trust me, i do not follow sport), i think that the lyrics are really important.
this is the one song i can listen to and dance around my bedroom without a care, just like i used to do when i was younger. and why? yes, maybe i have a specific event and certain people and a place linked with this song, but isn't that what makes these songs so special?
so here it is;

you're a good soldier, choosing your battles
pick yourself up and dust yourself off:
get back in the saddle

you're on the frontline, everyone's watching
you know it's serious, we're getting closer:
this isn't over

the pressure is on, you feel it
but you've got it all, believe it

when you fall get up, oh, oh,
and if you fall get up, eh, eh
tsamina mina zangalewa
cuz this is Africa

tsamina mina eh eh
waka waka eh eh
tsamina mina zangalewa
this time for Africa

listen to your god, this is our motto
your time to shine, don't wait in line:
y vamos por todo

people are raising their expectations
go on and feed them, this is your moment:
no hesitations

today's your day, i feel it
you paved the way, believe it

if you get down get up, oh, oh,
when you get down get up, eh, eh,
tsamina mina zangalewa
this time for Africa

tsamina mina eh eh
waka waka eh eh
tsamina mina zangalewa
anawa aa
tsamina mina eh eh
waka waka eh eh
tsamina mina zangalewa
this time for Africa

*dances carelessly around bedroom*

:-) peace out x