Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Long & Short of It - Black Swan
Arthur Golden - I'm Still Angry
I'm browsing goodreads.com (and adding thousands of books to my to-read list - yay for relative unemployment!), and I'd like to know - is anyone else out there upset with Arthur Golden? I certainly am!
Haha oh boy, I must have read this at least 4 years ago. But friends, a literary grudge can be held like no other!
If you haven't read it, definitely do. It's really a wonderful book. Hence my hurt...
Stone Cold Failure & Shopping Addiction
Alright kids - a-post-a-day failed.
Failed miserably!
I had good intentions, but I let a few things get in my way: i.e. attempting to access the internet after school hours is marginally easier than getting water from a stone; I had recently discovered Asos.com and spent any time online with a window on Asos browsing through coats and some ugly overpriced bags; I was totally uni-student-on-holidays LAZY!
It is the second reason that really catches my attention though - the shopping thing. I read an article a few Sundays ago in my local paper (The Sunday Mail - getting a bad rep from every corner these days) about people that had changed their lives by doing something for a year. An example was Julie Powell of Julie & Julia fame, there was one lady/girl/lady-girl who wore the same dress for an entire year(theuniformproject.com - and may I say, woah. Have a look & get yoself some inspiration!) and in doing so raised enough money for 200 underpriviledged children to go to school. The article focussed on one woman in particular, who admitted to having a shopping addiction and had given up ALL shopping for 365 days.
I realised - I don't need these ridiculous things in my Asos shopping bag (I'm sorry Asos, you're wonderful, but I need to see other hobbies). I don't need a new dress for the party this weekend (I had actually been considering spending $70 AUD on getting a $40 dress to me for said party). I do not need to be shopping for a new dress for the next party I go to either!
... I will admit that I bought a fabulous skirt the other day. But! But! It was fifty per cent off! (Who pays $74 for a skirt anyway??)
So, here I am. I admit, I am not completely cured of all shopping. I feel like the next step toward that would be volunteering overseas and having the absolute shock of my life.
I'm definitely again on that inspired path again. I just need a little nudge every few days or so to remember to stay on it and not get so distracted by the lupins on the side of the road. (Lupins are these MAGNIFICIENT flowers in New Zealand that grow by the thousands on the side of the road).
So! I'm setting some new goals. I apologise, I'm probably going to keep doing this. I figure it's ok if I alter some of them if they really don't work, so long as I'm not just procrastinating in changing them.
Goals for 2011:
- Read 100 books by 2012 (holy crap)
- Do an international internship (I'm a dazzling PR graduate if anyone's interested :)
- Figure out something meaningful for this blog!
- Write an article for publication in print/online media... and get it published!
The book thing stems from my friend telling me how many books she read last year. If not for the extremely large fascinator adorned on my head, my eyes would have popped out of it. If I am to be serious about writing then I need to spend less time Asos-ing (sorry dude, you've been totally bagged in this post) and more time strainin' the ol' eyeballs!
Books read so far in 2011:
- It Had To Be You, Susan Elisabeth Phillips (awesome)
- Heaven, Texas, Susan Elisabeth Phillips
- Bet Me, Jenny Crusie
- Rose Madder, Stephen King (woah NELLY)
P.s. check out goodreads.com. Addictive!
Failed miserably!
I had good intentions, but I let a few things get in my way: i.e. attempting to access the internet after school hours is marginally easier than getting water from a stone; I had recently discovered Asos.com and spent any time online with a window on Asos browsing through coats and some ugly overpriced bags; I was totally uni-student-on-holidays LAZY!
It is the second reason that really catches my attention though - the shopping thing. I read an article a few Sundays ago in my local paper (The Sunday Mail - getting a bad rep from every corner these days) about people that had changed their lives by doing something for a year. An example was Julie Powell of Julie & Julia fame, there was one lady/girl/lady-girl who wore the same dress for an entire year(theuniformproject.com - and may I say, woah. Have a look & get yoself some inspiration!) and in doing so raised enough money for 200 underpriviledged children to go to school. The article focussed on one woman in particular, who admitted to having a shopping addiction and had given up ALL shopping for 365 days.
I realised - I don't need these ridiculous things in my Asos shopping bag (I'm sorry Asos, you're wonderful, but I need to see other hobbies). I don't need a new dress for the party this weekend (I had actually been considering spending $70 AUD on getting a $40 dress to me for said party). I do not need to be shopping for a new dress for the next party I go to either!
... I will admit that I bought a fabulous skirt the other day. But! But! It was fifty per cent off! (Who pays $74 for a skirt anyway??)
So, here I am. I admit, I am not completely cured of all shopping. I feel like the next step toward that would be volunteering overseas and having the absolute shock of my life.
I'm definitely again on that inspired path again. I just need a little nudge every few days or so to remember to stay on it and not get so distracted by the lupins on the side of the road. (Lupins are these MAGNIFICIENT flowers in New Zealand that grow by the thousands on the side of the road).
So! I'm setting some new goals. I apologise, I'm probably going to keep doing this. I figure it's ok if I alter some of them if they really don't work, so long as I'm not just procrastinating in changing them.
Goals for 2011:
- Read 100 books by 2012 (holy crap)
- Do an international internship (I'm a dazzling PR graduate if anyone's interested :)
- Figure out something meaningful for this blog!
- Write an article for publication in print/online media... and get it published!
The book thing stems from my friend telling me how many books she read last year. If not for the extremely large fascinator adorned on my head, my eyes would have popped out of it. If I am to be serious about writing then I need to spend less time Asos-ing (sorry dude, you've been totally bagged in this post) and more time strainin' the ol' eyeballs!
Books read so far in 2011:
- It Had To Be You, Susan Elisabeth Phillips (awesome)
- Heaven, Texas, Susan Elisabeth Phillips
- Bet Me, Jenny Crusie
- Rose Madder, Stephen King (woah NELLY)
P.s. check out goodreads.com. Addictive!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Also... I WANT THESE
Don't tell Buddha
GAH!
So dreamy, it's the new aviator jacket I've been mooning over ... but in FOOTWEAR FORM
The Long and Short of It: Value Yo Momma
Afternoon blogerinos!
Well here I am, day one of my self-imposed challenge and after a spot of procrastinating I stumbled upon a nugget of an idea.
It all started when I was feeling bad for being a bitch to my mum. I know, I know, horrible. There she is, giving me life and dinner and ironing & I'm being mad at her for something ridiculous. It got me thinking of the Amy Tan novel The Joy Luck Club. Aside from my mum having introduced me to the movie, and later the book (which I stole moments after her purchasing and read voraciously - again, Bitch Daughter haha), I always come out of it feeling like I should really value my mum better.
It got me thinking about the books I read and re-read. I re-read a lot, and there's a reason to it. So today marks my first The Long and Short of It. The Long will be an in-depth review (I suspect some of these will be in progress, like todays as I'm seriously in need of checking my eyesight), The Short will be short :)
Well here I am, day one of my self-imposed challenge and after a spot of procrastinating I stumbled upon a nugget of an idea.
It all started when I was feeling bad for being a bitch to my mum. I know, I know, horrible. There she is, giving me life and dinner and ironing & I'm being mad at her for something ridiculous. It got me thinking of the Amy Tan novel The Joy Luck Club. Aside from my mum having introduced me to the movie, and later the book (which I stole moments after her purchasing and read voraciously - again, Bitch Daughter haha), I always come out of it feeling like I should really value my mum better.
It got me thinking about the books I read and re-read. I re-read a lot, and there's a reason to it. So today marks my first The Long and Short of It. The Long will be an in-depth review (I suspect some of these will be in progress, like todays as I'm seriously in need of checking my eyesight), The Short will be short :)
The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
The short of it: Read when you've had a fight with your mother, or if you miss them. Read for hope, for laughter and for joy.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Epiphany? Sorta. Lil gold man got in my mind-grapes
Did I spell that right? Epiphany. Ever look at something so long you freak yourself out?
Anyways;
Do you think society is a dream killer?
I watched the Oscars today (side note, I cried. A lot. Natalie Portman wins! Cry. Natalie Portman's little pregnant belly! Cry. Clip of Toy Story 3, weep uncontrollably whilst yelling NOT THE FIRE!). It occured to me that society may pretend to encourage public dream followin', but underneath that thin little silver layer is a blueprint of the pyramid of dream fulfillment. Not everyone can win the lottery (don't believe it? Bruce Almighty baby). Not everyone can be an actress, a singer, a rock star. God forbid. Who would clean the hotels and serve a deliciously greasy yiros at 4am?
So a few people get to be deliriously happy and a lot of people don't?
Eh?! That sounds pretty shit. But here's the kicker of all the crap - the people that have achieved their hearts deepest desires did something about them. People with unfulfilled dreams sit at home shelling peanuts, waiting for someone to knock on the door offering them the dream opportunity.
When I started truly thinking about it, I realised it's laziness or fear of failure. If you need a haircut you don't sit yourself on the porch hoping a kind scissored stranger will soon arrive. You get out there! Or, if you're the quirky type, buy some scissors of your own! I'll get off the scissor metaphor before it gets out of hand, but the point of this story is that though I've never been the kind to think that a career is the be all and end all, I am having this awful niggling feeling that if I don't get up off my butt and do something that works towards doing something that I love, I'm going to be in big trouble.
Operation dream salvagery.
Dreams? A little voluminous but mostly stemming from writing and publishing: to myself be, well, not written but published! Ice-cream taste tester also up there.
Action? I'll start out small - I'mma spruce up my blog. Finish the unfinished posts, mend the holes, patch up that crack! I'm getting a little Sound of Music but hell, I'm building up to my new goal - a post a day. I'll trial this for a week since I have a feeling that shared internet access with a 16 year old monster'll be tricky.
Let's do this O-girl!
Please note: I have a pretty bad memory so I'm going to need a little help reminding myself of this, hence this public pep-talk post.
If anyone is reading this, firstly, sweet Bluebeard's leg are you ok? Google a hobby ... or a good blog hahaha but seriously, don't do that. Secondly, what's your dream? Join the dream bandwagon, help a sister out in the inspiration stakes!
In closing, I leave you with a quote I was spoon-fed in my senior year of highschool but is only today truly getting me right in the guts:
I coulda sworn this was followed by:
'Begin it! Begin it now!!'
(Mebbe it's just me :)
Inspired Ophelia out dudes!
Anyways;
Do you think society is a dream killer?
I watched the Oscars today (side note, I cried. A lot. Natalie Portman wins! Cry. Natalie Portman's little pregnant belly! Cry. Clip of Toy Story 3, weep uncontrollably whilst yelling NOT THE FIRE!). It occured to me that society may pretend to encourage public dream followin', but underneath that thin little silver layer is a blueprint of the pyramid of dream fulfillment. Not everyone can win the lottery (don't believe it? Bruce Almighty baby). Not everyone can be an actress, a singer, a rock star. God forbid. Who would clean the hotels and serve a deliciously greasy yiros at 4am?
So a few people get to be deliriously happy and a lot of people don't?
Eh?! That sounds pretty shit. But here's the kicker of all the crap - the people that have achieved their hearts deepest desires did something about them. People with unfulfilled dreams sit at home shelling peanuts, waiting for someone to knock on the door offering them the dream opportunity.
When I started truly thinking about it, I realised it's laziness or fear of failure. If you need a haircut you don't sit yourself on the porch hoping a kind scissored stranger will soon arrive. You get out there! Or, if you're the quirky type, buy some scissors of your own! I'll get off the scissor metaphor before it gets out of hand, but the point of this story is that though I've never been the kind to think that a career is the be all and end all, I am having this awful niggling feeling that if I don't get up off my butt and do something that works towards doing something that I love, I'm going to be in big trouble.
Operation dream salvagery.
Dreams? A little voluminous but mostly stemming from writing and publishing: to myself be, well, not written but published! Ice-cream taste tester also up there.
Action? I'll start out small - I'mma spruce up my blog. Finish the unfinished posts, mend the holes, patch up that crack! I'm getting a little Sound of Music but hell, I'm building up to my new goal - a post a day. I'll trial this for a week since I have a feeling that shared internet access with a 16 year old monster'll be tricky.
Let's do this O-girl!
Please note: I have a pretty bad memory so I'm going to need a little help reminding myself of this, hence this public pep-talk post.
If anyone is reading this, firstly, sweet Bluebeard's leg are you ok? Google a hobby ... or a good blog hahaha but seriously, don't do that. Secondly, what's your dream? Join the dream bandwagon, help a sister out in the inspiration stakes!
In closing, I leave you with a quote I was spoon-fed in my senior year of highschool but is only today truly getting me right in the guts:
"Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius and power and magic in it."
- Goethe
I coulda sworn this was followed by:
'Begin it! Begin it now!!'
(Mebbe it's just me :)
Today's message: Grab the sun? It's only our life source - have a play.
Inspired Ophelia out dudes!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Hi. I'm Sara, and I wish Harry Potter was real.
I'm fresh home from the cinema - face fully dry of tears for the first time in a few hours - and all I could think on the way home was, I am in love with that world.
I have this terribly passionate way of falling wholly in love with something and completely losing sight of everything else. I love losing myself into my favourite book. There are a few, but Harry is an old friend. He's a lifelong friend to me, and I await the release of part two of the Deathly Hallows with bated breath.
I want it now!
I have this terribly passionate way of falling wholly in love with something and completely losing sight of everything else. I love losing myself into my favourite book. There are a few, but Harry is an old friend. He's a lifelong friend to me, and I await the release of part two of the Deathly Hallows with bated breath.
I want it now!
 |
| Bloody hell Harry, it was good. |
.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
If only...
Firstly, I apologise for having left at least two of my blogs in limbo - to be continued is such a wonderful cop-out - but dammit, I'm a poor student working two jobs, suffering from an extreme case of laziness with a bookshelf full of never-been-reads!
I'm currently reading my first non-Sevenwaters piece of Juliet Marillier's - The Dark Mirror, and I cannot really understand why it's taken me so long. I first discovered Marillier's writing in my local library as a thirteen year old. I was drawn to Daughter of the Forest because of its gorgeous cover. Ladies and gents, it blew my mind. It was beautiful, complex, and contained one of the most wonderful love stories in my reading history. It remains to this day one of my most favourite of all favourite books. It's position in my bookcase is considered before all others, like the Queen or a dear elderly relative.
And yet, I have had a friend's copy of The Dark Mirror since I left highschool. That's three years - oh GOSH I'm a terrible person. Don't worry! I'm returning it the minute I finish it with a thousand dollars in late fees. Maybe I'll get my Martha on and bake something to (minus the scariness). That was a joke. Please don't kill me Martha. I adore you; I baked your giant skillet cookie and it was a-mazing.
But back to my original germ of a thought. Why has it taken me so long? Why have I still not finished Gone with the wind? Perfume? The Constant Gardener? I've never read any Austen! I adored what I've read of George Orwell (Down and Out In Paris and London), but haven't made time to read more.
I guess what I'm saying is, dear Universe: I would like a job in which I write every now and then - being a published author could be nice - and then divide the rest of my time between reading glorious books at all hours of the day, baking giant delicious things in skillets, and idolising Liz Lemon while watching hundreds upon hundreds of wonderful episodes of 30 Rock.
Can't wait!
Here's a picture of the wonderful skillet cookie. Make it with kids - so easy, so delicious and such a novelty!
I'm currently reading my first non-Sevenwaters piece of Juliet Marillier's - The Dark Mirror, and I cannot really understand why it's taken me so long. I first discovered Marillier's writing in my local library as a thirteen year old. I was drawn to Daughter of the Forest because of its gorgeous cover. Ladies and gents, it blew my mind. It was beautiful, complex, and contained one of the most wonderful love stories in my reading history. It remains to this day one of my most favourite of all favourite books. It's position in my bookcase is considered before all others, like the Queen or a dear elderly relative.
And yet, I have had a friend's copy of The Dark Mirror since I left highschool. That's three years - oh GOSH I'm a terrible person. Don't worry! I'm returning it the minute I finish it with a thousand dollars in late fees. Maybe I'll get my Martha on and bake something to (minus the scariness). That was a joke. Please don't kill me Martha. I adore you; I baked your giant skillet cookie and it was a-mazing.
But back to my original germ of a thought. Why has it taken me so long? Why have I still not finished Gone with the wind? Perfume? The Constant Gardener? I've never read any Austen! I adored what I've read of George Orwell (Down and Out In Paris and London), but haven't made time to read more.
I guess what I'm saying is, dear Universe: I would like a job in which I write every now and then - being a published author could be nice - and then divide the rest of my time between reading glorious books at all hours of the day, baking giant delicious things in skillets, and idolising Liz Lemon while watching hundreds upon hundreds of wonderful episodes of 30 Rock.
Can't wait!
Here's a picture of the wonderful skillet cookie. Make it with kids - so easy, so delicious and such a novelty!
Until next time I leave the couch to post,
Lazy Ophelia
Monday, June 14, 2010
Wed me Regina?
And with this wish having barely completed its imprint on my psyche, I flipped to a delicious full-page ad of Regina's tour dates in Australia. I have never been as happy in that building as I was then, (the day they asked me to build a paper mache` Mr Potato Head is a close second). I was so excited that the next day I rushed out to buy my ticket without asking anyone else if they'd like to join me.
And so on April 23rd 2010 I sat alone at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, wearing an enormous smile in a section separate from my friends.
Reader. If she ever comes to your town - RUN to the nearest ticket outlet without consulting your friends, because Miss Spektor delivers the best live music performance I've had the honour of experiencing.
I laughed. I cried. My ear to ear smile was only ever swapped for painfully exquisite gasps of utter awe (these stemming from what I suspect is a severe case of affection).
to be continued!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
One Fine Day
Amazing book? Check
Perfect weather? Check
Adorable/hairy companion? Check
Splendid :)
[Said amazing book is Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier, second in her successful Sevenwaters trilogy. Another love story? You bet yo sweet bippy. Stay tuned - once my friend & I finally give up on this uni nonsense watch out for the Sevenwaters puppet show tour soon to be gripping the nation]
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