Here's a regular fixture on the blog...pretty self-explanatory. I post a lsit of my current favorite things at the moment, some that even come with links! Enjoy. :) I'll be back with a deeper, more meaningful post later. It'll be a reflection on how the month of August has been for me and I'm curious to look back on the days of the month and find out what I've learned.
*Savage Chickens. What do you get when you cross cartoon chickens with Post-It notes? This pretty cool comic!
*The dog days of summer leading into cool autumn ones later on. :)
*Five Spot frozen yogurt, especially Very Strawberry. Yummm.
*Surprisingly, some of my teachers, especially Mrs. Timmons. She's amazing!
*The song "Bluebird" from Sara Bareilles's album Kaleidoscope Heart. A girl sang it at the colors-themed chorus show this past spring, and I fell in love with it recently after remembering the show. It's a feel-good song with beautiful vocals.
*College football. Okay, so it hasn't started yet, but I'm enjoying the preseason updates! Can't wait to see the Alabama boys kick around the ol' pigskin this Saturday. ;)
*Blogs about expats--aka people who are originally from one country but now live in another. My favorites are Gringation's Blog (American living in Mexico), Correr Es Mi Destino (Frenchwoman living in Canada), and I Eat My Pigeon (American who's lived in Japan, Ireland, New York, and currently Italy)
*Tumblr. It's the best, and so many pretty pictures! My favorite ones are here at http://octobersweetheart.tumblr.com/
More favorite things another time! :)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Movies and Myself
Instead of typing up a typical post that tells more about me, I've decided to do something different and a bit more creative. I'm going to attempt to detail my personality, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and more through some of my favorite movies. You know how some people read books because they're interested in certain things like history or sports? I am like that; I'll watch something because it appeals to me in some way or I can identify with the character. But enough babbling, here are 6 awesome movies that give a little peek into what kind of person I am.
1. Ten Things I Hate About You
10 Things is probably the only 90s movie I've ever watched that wasn't animated Disney, but I absolutely adore it. It's a modern retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and I love it not only for being an awesome retelling but because I see some of myself in Katarina "Kat" Stratford, one of the main protag, onists. She's witty, sarcastic, and intelligent--just like I am. We're also both vulnerable and tough to open up at first, but then we come around. Kat's a little tougher than I am; nevertheless, she still came off as an awesome character and is only one reason why this movie rocks. The others? Well, there are the obvious Shakespeare parallels that someone who's an enthusiast of dear Will would enjoy, as well as the awesome 90s music, Kat's adorable sister Bianca, an equally adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt pre-Inception/(500) Days of Summer, and of course the late Heath Ledger as likeable bad boy
Patrick Verona. Plus it's set in Seattle, and I love the Emerald City!
My reason for picking this film is similar to the one for An Education : the desire to get away to a new place. Poor Rapunzel has been trapped in her tower the years, which is how I feel sometimes. I'm trapped in my house, stuck for hours at school, confined inside Gwinnett County and Atlanta and Georgia itself. I also love a good fairy tale, and the fact that Rapunzel gets to kick some booty (not that I don't mind the non-action heroines like Belle, but this is a refreshing change) alongside the cute and charming Flynn Rider on an adventure together makes the film all the more appealing. I like movies, TV shows, and books that defy normal expectations for entertainment and deliver something new and exciting, which is why Tangled is probably my favorite Disney movie right now.
4. Limitless
So I didn't take some crazy drug in order to become a boss at everything I do. But like Eddie Mora, I am an aspiring writer with a desire for knowledge. I admit I envied Eddie's new and improved skills after using NZT, because I've always wanted to be able to write easily and parla italiano (or any other language) flawlessly. I know that I can't be the perfect girl who does everything, but Limitless brought out the part of me who likes to imagine...and who's also trying to be as cultured and good at writing as she possibly can.
I don't seem like the kind of girl who likes action films, but as I said before, the atypical plot drew me in. Who knew that the man who Knew Everything would cause so much trouble? Also: Bradley Cooper is a hottie. Of course I'm gonna watch him in a film.
5. (500) Days of Summer
(500) Days of Summer has two things I like: unconventional viewpoints on love and good music. I'll admit it; I'm a romantic and think that stories about couples who like each other are cute. However, this is the real world, and things aren't always happily ever after like Prince Charming and Cinderella. Relationships fall apart and couples break up. (500) Days of Summer is so groundbreaking and original because guess what? Tom Hanson does NOT get the girl in the end. He and Summer had a good run and some fun times, but they aren't going to meet up again like Savannah and John and possibly rekindle their romance. So it's a story with love, but not a love story.
The music is pretty cool too. I haven't heard any other song by Hall & Oates, but "You Make My Dreams" is happiness and awesomeness and just plan fun personified. You also have The Smiths (a band Tom and Summer mutually enjoy), Regina Spektor, and a bunch of other great artists including Zooey Deschanel's own band She & Him. Long story short, this is a great film for me even though I haven't been in love before.
6. Midnight in Paris
I'm a budding Francophile who adores, of course, all things French language, culture, food...you name it. Of course, that meant I fell in love with Woody Allen's latest film, which also has the most wonderful French jazz music as a soundtrack. I'm also a fan of the whole writer protagonist shtick, because that's what I am: a writer who's the star of her own story. I could sympathize with Gil, the American writer who fantasizes about the days of 1920s France, a literary and cultural dynasty in its own right. I often feel like I was born in the wrong time period--that I should be lying on a rug listening to records in the 1960s, or sashaying in a trendy 20s gown, because things seemed cooler and better and less like the annoyingly fast-paced world of today.
Obviously you can't learn a person's whole story from the movies they watch, but hopefully from this small sample of my favorite films, you can see a warm and witty girl with a good ear for music and a plot that truly connects with me.
1. Ten Things I Hate About You
Patrick Verona. Plus it's set in Seattle, and I love the Emerald City!
2. An Education
An Education came out a few years ago, yet is set in the 1960s, a time period that really fascinates me. The cultural aspects in particular pique my interest: the funky new fashions, new rock sounds that emerged such as the Beatles and The Doors, etc, etc. Jenny, played by the phenomenal Carey Mulligan, is a bright student with an overarching curiosity to get more out of her life than just "boring" school. So do I; I'm studious, yeah, but sometimes I want to go beyond the walls of Brookwood High School and even Gwinnett County. Paris, Rome, Amsterdam...so many wonderfully exotic places as well as things to do beckon for me, and I often dream of a life of fun and exploration that whisks me away from the norm.
Jenny actually gets the chance to live out her fantasies, though she gets herself entangled with someone who later turns out to be trouble in the process. So Jen and I couldn't totally be twins, but as soon as I heard about this movie I was instantly drawn to it because we shared similar dreams. (Also, I can't resist a gorgeous period piece like this. I'm such a film and history nerd.)
3. Tangled
Jenny actually gets the chance to live out her fantasies, though she gets herself entangled with someone who later turns out to be trouble in the process. So Jen and I couldn't totally be twins, but as soon as I heard about this movie I was instantly drawn to it because we shared similar dreams. (Also, I can't resist a gorgeous period piece like this. I'm such a film and history nerd.)
3. Tangled
My reason for picking this film is similar to the one for An Education : the desire to get away to a new place. Poor Rapunzel has been trapped in her tower the years, which is how I feel sometimes. I'm trapped in my house, stuck for hours at school, confined inside Gwinnett County and Atlanta and Georgia itself. I also love a good fairy tale, and the fact that Rapunzel gets to kick some booty (not that I don't mind the non-action heroines like Belle, but this is a refreshing change) alongside the cute and charming Flynn Rider on an adventure together makes the film all the more appealing. I like movies, TV shows, and books that defy normal expectations for entertainment and deliver something new and exciting, which is why Tangled is probably my favorite Disney movie right now.
4. Limitless
So I didn't take some crazy drug in order to become a boss at everything I do. But like Eddie Mora, I am an aspiring writer with a desire for knowledge. I admit I envied Eddie's new and improved skills after using NZT, because I've always wanted to be able to write easily and parla italiano (or any other language) flawlessly. I know that I can't be the perfect girl who does everything, but Limitless brought out the part of me who likes to imagine...and who's also trying to be as cultured and good at writing as she possibly can.
I don't seem like the kind of girl who likes action films, but as I said before, the atypical plot drew me in. Who knew that the man who Knew Everything would cause so much trouble? Also: Bradley Cooper is a hottie. Of course I'm gonna watch him in a film.
5. (500) Days of Summer
The music is pretty cool too. I haven't heard any other song by Hall & Oates, but "You Make My Dreams" is happiness and awesomeness and just plan fun personified. You also have The Smiths (a band Tom and Summer mutually enjoy), Regina Spektor, and a bunch of other great artists including Zooey Deschanel's own band She & Him. Long story short, this is a great film for me even though I haven't been in love before.
6. Midnight in Paris
I'm a budding Francophile who adores, of course, all things French language, culture, food...you name it. Of course, that meant I fell in love with Woody Allen's latest film, which also has the most wonderful French jazz music as a soundtrack. I'm also a fan of the whole writer protagonist shtick, because that's what I am: a writer who's the star of her own story. I could sympathize with Gil, the American writer who fantasizes about the days of 1920s France, a literary and cultural dynasty in its own right. I often feel like I was born in the wrong time period--that I should be lying on a rug listening to records in the 1960s, or sashaying in a trendy 20s gown, because things seemed cooler and better and less like the annoyingly fast-paced world of today.
Obviously you can't learn a person's whole story from the movies they watch, but hopefully from this small sample of my favorite films, you can see a warm and witty girl with a good ear for music and a plot that truly connects with me.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A New Beginning: My Intro Post
Hey! Thanks for reading my blog! Tell your friends about it...and your brother, your sister, your dog, even the sweet old lady who lives two doors down from you. School and other facets of life frequently keep me busy, but I'll update when I can!
Why is this blog named My Uncharted Journey?
Well, I was listening to Sara Bareilles's song "Uncharted" the other day, and inspiration for a blog suddenly hit me. I too am cruising through uncharted territory--where are the friends and choices I make taking me through life? Who knows what challenges and joys I'll face next? I figured keeping a blog and spilling out my feelings via keyboard would help me out as well as be a simple daily writing exercise to help me become a better writer!
In this blog, I'll post surveys, pretty graphics I've made myself, lists of my favorite things, and anything that isn't too person to share via the Internet. I'm excited to venture into a new project with (hopefully!) the support of the people I love best. Happy reading, y'all!
Why is this blog named My Uncharted Journey?
Well, I was listening to Sara Bareilles's song "Uncharted" the other day, and inspiration for a blog suddenly hit me. I too am cruising through uncharted territory--where are the friends and choices I make taking me through life? Who knows what challenges and joys I'll face next? I figured keeping a blog and spilling out my feelings via keyboard would help me out as well as be a simple daily writing exercise to help me become a better writer!
In this blog, I'll post surveys, pretty graphics I've made myself, lists of my favorite things, and anything that isn't too person to share via the Internet. I'm excited to venture into a new project with (hopefully!) the support of the people I love best. Happy reading, y'all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)