One of Those "Peek Into My Life" Posts...

You can count on summer to provide ample opportunity for appreciating life's simple joys. In general, I tend to value experiences, and if it came down to spending my own money, I'd rather pay for a delicious meal or tickets to see a play or musical than buy a new dress. I have a great memory, and I relish in reflecting back on certain scenes from the experiences I've had, mundane and extraordinary. That's not to say that I'm impervious to the happiness that material goods can bring, contrary to the fact that in 8th grade, as part of my school's IB program, I wrote a paper about consumerism and its negative ramifications. I'll admit it: I love my stuff. Your clothing, the furnishings in your room, and even the books you read reflect who you are as a person, the nuances that make you you. Thus, I'll take a few minutes to expound upon some recent purchases I'm particularly smitten with. Here, take a peek...

  

Jonathan Adler for Barnes & Noble Ampersand Bookends: My mom spotted these vibrant ampersand bookends just as we were about to leave the store. I've admired Jonathan Adler's designs since I saw them for the first time, and I can never force myself to walk past the display table at B&N without perusing the newest stock of items. I've been looking for a cute pair of bookends for a while. At school, all the books on my desk have a tendency to fall over if they aren't balanced just so. In the meantime, while I'm at home, I thought I'd put these fanciful-meets-practical desk accessories to use, while simultaneously showing off my latest library haul (and the book covers just happen to match my bedspread!).

   

A Trio of Comfy T-Shirts from Target: When I was at Target the other day, I couldn't resist picking up these t-shirts. They were all on sale and are quite comfortable. I'm a big fan of striped shirts. Two years ago at Target, I bought a magenta shirt with white stripes. Another favorite is a navy-and-white striped Land's End t-shirt that I actually bought to wear as part of a Halloween costume (I was a French girl). Both of these shirts have become a bit worn out, since I wear them so often. I figured my wardrobe could use some fresh stripes. Plus, the new shirts are v-necks. As for the blue-green "Sea Island" shirt—I found it in the men's department when I was helping my mom shop for my cousin. I imagine it will become a new favorite sleep shirt or lounge shirt.

 

Graphique Paris and New York Notecards: HomeGoods (and on a similar note, Marshall's and T.J. Maxx) are like Forrest's famed box of chocolates. You never know what discounted wonders you'll discover inside. I've picked up the bargain-hunting habit from my mom (though I usually just tag along when she goes). I found these beautiful notecards in the stationary/notebook aisle. Since I love all things French and go to school in New York, I couldn't resist. Plus, I want to get in the habit of writing hand-written notes and thank-yous more often. What better excuse to pick up a pen than having these cheerful cards handy?

When It Rains: A Survival Guide

It's been an abnormally rainy June, and all that dreary weather can make anyone feel, well, blah. Whether you're stuck indoors all day, or you have someplace to be (work, an internship, a family gathering), sometimes you can't help yourself from feeling a little down. It's summer—you should be frolicking in meadows and having picnics, right? While it's normal for seasonal changes to alter our moods, the most common form of seasonal affective disorder manifests in the winter months. However, that's not to say that weather-related mood changes are isolated to when it's cold and snowy outside. I'm far from being an expert on depression or psychology (any knowledge I've gathered has stemmed from reading an article here and there and watching the news when there are medical specialists on for guest segments), but I've felt a bit off lately, and I feel that the weather could be one of the factors. It's easy to get tired of all those torrential downpours and changes in the air pressure, especially when you live in a region with a more temperate climate. Although a look at weather.com informed me that it will be mostly sunny this week, I thought I'd compile a short guide of things to help make the best of those times when you've got the rainy-day blues. (Well, some of these ideas depend on the power remaining on...or on venturing to a market or convenience store if you don't have, say, flowers lying around or gummy candy hiding in the cabinet. )

As they say, laughter is the best medicine. Read the funnies in the newspaper (or find 'em online). Watch your favorite comedy (romantic, slapstick—it's up to you). Tune into The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. Look up clips of old sketches from Saturday Night Live. Google some jokes. Memorize them, and tell them to your friends and family. Have you heard any good jokes lately?

Make origami. (I know most people don't have origami paper handy, but you could always cut construction paper or computer paper.) Look up tutorials online if you don't know how. Create a whole paper menagerie. When you're done, get some string and hang up the animals to make a mobile.

Take out that sketch book you've abandoned. Or some watercolor paper. Or a blank journal. Or computer paper, if that's all you've got at home. Draw or paint whatever comes to mind—beautiful bouquets of flowers, unicorns and dragons and knights, all kinds of sea creatures. Don't worry about how good or bad you may be. Make a series of illustrations and tell a story through pictures. Display your work when you're done.

Paint your nails a funky color. Better yet, do nail art. Make designs—shapes and swirls or Pokémon or fruits and vegetables. Not into nail polish? Look up makeup bloggers'/YouTubers' makeup tutorials and pamper yourself with a makeover. Have you done any cool nail art lately? Have any favorite beauty blogs?

Unleash your inner domestic goddess and bake something scrumptious. It could be that tried and true, fail-proof (but oh-so delicious) Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. Or it could be something new. Why not try a vegan recipe, for a change? (Especially if you aren't a vegan.) Have a recipe you'd like to recommend?

Eat gummies. Not just the classic bears, but sharks, berries, frogs. Or eat whichever kind of candy suits your fancy. Reminisce about childhood candy memories. Was there a certain candy shop you always went to?

Take out your favorite old toys (if you still have them) and play with them like you did when you were a kid. Let your imagination run wild. Act out crazy adventures. Little People, Polly Pockets, Trolls...what were your favorite playthings?

Brighten up your day with fresh flowers. Buy your favorite kind. Smell them. Inhale the familiar scent. Think about planting a garden one of these days, if you haven't started one already.

If you're at home, step outside for a few moments (if there's not a lightning storm). Without an umbrella—you can always change your clothes. Dance around. Sing, if you feel like it. Don't worry about what other people will think.

After an exhilarating experience in the rain, warm up with a cup of your favorite tea. Green. Chamomile. Mint. What kind do you prefer? Sit down in a comfy chair, open up a book or a magazine, and sip your tea.

...Or, if you don't have anywhere to be, stay in bed for a while. Stay in bed for the whole day, if you feel like it. Grab that book you were reading or the one you kept meaning to finish, or crack open a new one. Luxuriate in feeling cozy. Do you have a favorite rainy-day ritual?

All images found on Tumblr.

The Return: A Resolution of Sorts

I know I've been away from this blog for almost a year. The thing is, even though at some points I was at a loss about what direction I should take it in, the idea of having a "happiness" blog and a place to keep tabs on whatever trends I am into still appeals to me. It didn't hurt that a friend recently pointed out that I've mixed in some sage wisdom along with the happy, happy, joy, joy stuff. Although I've explored other media platforms, being the indecisive person that I am, I couldn't pick a favorite. Prior to creating a Blogger account, I made my Tumblr, which I have primarily used as a place to amass (aka reblog) visual loveliness and express a musing or mundane thought here and there. The reason I made this blog to begin with was as a project for the creative writing class I took during my junior year of high school. Of course, now that I have a year of college behind me, that feels like a lifetime ago! What I'm getting at is the fact that I want to return to this blog, even if I only post when the whim strikes rather than on a regular basis. I've also dabbled in Wordpress, creating a blog on which to post longer, editorial-style pieces (600+ words). Yet the image-oriented format I've been using on here has its merits too. Sometimes I'm not in the mood to write a longer piece and just want to write something short and peppy, accompanied by lovely pictures.

College is teeming with opportunities to explore the facets of your identity, especially when you go to school in a big city—so many places to see (from neighborhoods to museums) and interests to indulge (from journalism to flute-playing). For instance,in the course of the year, I've learned about independence (here I'm not just referring to the absence of parental authority, but the fact that I went by myself to interview people for the college daily, for example), discovered new bands, made memories over cappuccino. In turn, I seek to express the various aspects of myself through the different media platforms I use. After all, my 11th-grade self thought it would be apropos to make the blog title on here "My Voice" in Latin. (English was too mainstream, huh?) Essentially, I've come to realize, ever so slowly, that it is possible to reconcile the many sides of the decagon that is my identity. I can be girly. I can be pensive. Ecstatic. Moody. While freedom can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to social media, there is beauty in the open-endedness of it. In other words, if I feel that I'm being placed in a box, it's a box of my own invention, a reflection of how I think others perceive me. How others sees me should never inhibit me from discovering what truly fascinates and inspires me. People are complex creatures, and I'm willing to investigate what kind of person I am by engrossing myself wholeheartedly in what I'm passionate about.

So...what are you passionate about? How do you define yourself?

Images all found on Tumblr.

The Thrill of the Hunt

Yesterday, I made the pilgrimage to the library book sale (okay, so the library's only two miles away, tops). But since books are the topic, in my mind, it was a noble journey. Volunteers crammed numerous cardboard boxes of books into one not-so-spacious room, and placed the boxes upon folding tables and below them. There was some semblance of organization...although most tables were just labeled Fiction. There were considerably fewer tables labeled Sci-Fi, Mystery, and Romance (and Classics, Women's Studies, and Self Help etc.). And if there were YA novels to be found, they were amid the disarray of Children's Books (however, a few copies of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series found their way into the general Fiction boxes, for some reason). Although the process of sifting through the books was arduous and a bit dizzying, it was enjoyable being around fellow book-lovers on the prowl for their New Favorite Novel or Great Summer Read. Ultimately, I came away with four finds...though the sale runs through Saturday, so there is a possibility I might make the journey once again.

The treasure:

Clockwise, 1. New York Days, by Willie Morris. 2. The Love of Stones, by Tobias Hill. 3. Three Junes, by Julia Glass. 4. Ghost Light, by Frank Rich.

On Overcoming Certain Fears (or On Overcoming Fears of Uncertainty)

I, like many people, was not looking forward to getting my wisdom teeth removed. The idea of anesthesia freaked me out a bit because it meant surrendering control of my body/consciousness. While I could have been awake during the procedure (with "local" numbness injection only), the oral surgeon informed me that halfway through the procedure I would regret this decision. Thus, I went through with having the surgery while asleep. In addition to fearing the medically-induced unconsciousness, I worried about the repercussions, such as acting, well, silly afterwards. It turned out that my worries were for naught. While the numbness from the Novocain was not exactly pleasant, I felt like myself afterwards, joking with my mom, despite the fact that the cotton in my mouth muffled the words. It's all a mind game, really. The truth is that story we repeat to ourselves ad nauseum. The unknown is the pinnacle of human fear. While it can be quite difficult to trust implicitly that all situations, no matter how uncertain we may be about them, will turn out okay, it is fear that often holds us back in life. If we didn't overcome our trepidations to explore and to discover the world and ourselves, there would be no great progress. We must find ways to cultivate bravery and garner confidence and trust. Often, this trust comes from within. As I lay on the dental chair, I closed my eyes, breathed deeply, and told myself that all would work out, even as fear manifested in quiet pricks of tears. After overcoming the hurdles (both bumps and mountains) that make up our lives, we realize that the anticipation was the worst part. Uncertainty can be terrifying, but ultimately, we learn that dwelling on the uncertainty is far worse than the actual experience. We recover with resilience, with the drive and determination to live our lives until the next hurdle comes along.

Images of the recovery from this hurdle:

My mom made me Jell-O in adorable ramekins. We had the sunflowers prior to the surgery, but they're lovely as well.

Plenty of reading material - new books and favorite magazines.

The ducky ice pack my mom found at Whole Foods, and antibiotics.

My notebook of story ideas, Hello Kitty pen, and iPod - gathering more ideas for my novel while listening to Of Monsters and Men.

My Adventures, of Various Varieties

 It's been quite a while since I've updated last. But now that the school year (and my high school years) are over, I'll have much more time to blog, at least for the next few months before I'm off to college. In the Big Apple. Let's see...most significantly, aside from the fact that I'll be graduating next Monday (Where have those four years gone?), I went on my first international vacation - to Paris! I'm planning my own travel guide to the City of Lights, so stay posted. Additionally, I've had some adventures within the States, at a local floral garden on an art field trip, and in Williamsburg, Virginia on a band trip. Entertainment-wise, I've seen some excellent films (Damsels in Distress, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom) and I've read an excellent novel (The Radleys). Here's to the sunny summer months!

Travel...

 

 Film...

 Words, words, words...

Spring: The View from the Deck

A lone bunny in the shade.

Gorgeous lighting on the tree.

Pansies.

Crisscrossing branches.

Squirrel.

The neighbor's cat.

More flowers.

There's beauty to be found in every nook and cranny. You just need to take the time to marvel at life's  wonders, big and small. Spring is the perfect time of year to rekindle your curiosity and observe nature's rhythms and patterns.

Weekends Are for Inspiration

What have I been up to lately? Well, aside from all of the end-of-the-semester work that teachers always manage to cram in, I've been reading more, going to the movies, trying on Mom's vintage sweaters, taking pictures... You know - the little things in life one should always make time for, the brief forays into realities other than your own. It's when you find the perfect balance between work and play that you can find beauty, find the infinities, in the smallest, quietest moments. (Pictures don't belong to me unless stated.)

Romance and Rippermania...couldn't put it down!

Tragic. Beautiful. Just incredible.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...go see it!

Poignant and powerful.

There's something inherently magical in realizing how we're all connected.

Sheep sweater from the '80s...apparently others saved this same sweater. Found it on Google Images.

Button-down wool sweater.

An homage to the snow that was...

Taken last Sunday.

View from the living room.

How have you been spending your weekends? And what has been inspiring you lately?