wonderland

This Sunday I found a book in my garage, and it was probably one of the most beautiful books I had seen. It’s this fairly new copy of The Complete, Fully Illustrated Works by Lewis Carroll, with gold plated edges on the pages. It even has this satin ribbon for page marking.

I skimmed a few of the stories and poems because there was so many! Well duh. But seriously, one of the most prominent things about Carroll is his unique style: it’s definitely bizarre. His imagination knew no bounds, and that’s one of the reasons why he’s so famous. There is nothing else like his collection of Alice stories.

 Lewis Carroll employed John Tenniel, an established book illustrator, to bring characters like the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and of course Alice, to life. I was hoping to actually read more of Alice in Wonderland but I haven’t found the time to. I think it’s awesome how universal this story is too; it’s one of the world’s most frequently translated works, available in fifty-five languages. 

And of course the world of cinema has attempted to re-create this story. I’ve watched Tim Burton’s version and it’s quite trippy…but then again so Tim Burton.  Alice and Wonderland has also appeared in one of my most favorite video games, Kingdom Hearts. (But of course that’s because it’s collaboration between Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios.)

Hopefully I’ll be able to read more from this book!

Don't you, forget about me

Can you remember what you ate for dinner last night?

I find it crazy how we can remember the smallest detail from 5 years ago but not remember what TV show we were just watching 5 minutes ago. I always like to imagine that our brains are like a little office with versions of us running around sorting things (lol referencing Spongebob here). Sometimes things just fade to the back of our minds, like how you can listen to a song you haven’t heard in ages yet you know every lyric still. And then some events stand out in sharp clarity…perhaps due to some emotional attachment affiliated with it. Good and bad.

As for me personally, I've always had a very good memory. I can remember things quicker than the average person, and can memorize a lot at once. I don’t even know why; it just comes naturally. I never really understood why some people just forget to attend meetings and things such as that; I’m the type of person who’s always on top of stuff and reminding everyone of that said meeting.

My memory is definitely a gift and a curse. Like I said earlier, there are good and bad memories, and I remember everything. I’m not kidding. I remember exactly what people say to me. Of course, I’m still human and I forget to do things to. It seems like you only remember what you want to remember (i.e. doing the dishes). And then other times, you have horrible memories you want to get rid of….

Assumptions

When I was young, I always made my own assumptions about things. The more I grew up, the more I realized how incredibly narrow-minded I was. For instance:

• I thought Italy was located where New York state was until my family explained the concept of Europe
• I assumed that all "furniture" meant was just sofas and couches. So when someone referred to their bed and desk as furniture I gave them a weird look and said no it wasn't. They reciprocated with their own opinions.
• The best one is that I thought Labor Day was the day when mothers all over the world suddenly went into labor on that one specific day. The worst part was that my cousin (who is younger than me) pointed out how wrong I was. And this was only 3 months ago.

So you see, it's never safe to assume. Of course, I made these conjectures when I was still slave to shows like Maggie and the Ferocious Beast.

In the adult world, the more you jump to conclusions, the more dangerous it becomes. You'll make mistakes if you suddenly think one way; no communication leads to problems. Sometimes people get hurt because you don't stop and actually figure out what it is you're trying to well, figure out. And then you'll get the truth and the truth will be shocking. I don't exactly understand why people just can't tell you straight up what's on their mind? If everyone actually said what they were thinking then there'd be no miscommunications. One thing I hate about society is the fact that it forces us to adopt a verbal filter. Most of the time I say what exactly is on my mind, but according to SOCIETY I'm wrong in doing so. I'd just like to let anyone (if anyone is even reading this probably not but whatever) that I mean no harm. It seems like today, there are people who'll have that sugar-coated visage and a bitter interior. And then you have the people who seem "mean" on the outside but have their heart in the right place. So what to do?

(I know I just went on a little tangent but it's still relevant.)