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.)

So selfish, two words that could describe, oh actions of mine

It's always nice to gain perspective in life.

Around the holidays, it's the time when most people attempt to see what they really have.

And yet, when the holidays are over, it's back to being self-absorbed with our daily lives as ever.

So there I was on a Sunday night, struggling to come up with what to put on my Christmas list.

I started to complain that I couldn't decide what exactly to put on it, since

everything was either too expensive or there was so many things I wanted. 

And then I really sat there, absolutely disgusted with myself. 

I mean, there are kids out there who would kill

for like, a Christmas colored ribbon scrap and I'm complaining that I have too

many options to choose from.

Wat?

It just goes to show you how first world our problems are. We're so caught up in our technologies

and frivolous little activities that we don't realize how much we truly have. It's always

been every man for himself, but nowadays I think we, as a whole, have

taken that to the extreme. Would it really hurt to try and consider

others for a change? Or is it natural in human nature to

ignore the welfare of our fellows? Maybe, maybe not. There are some people

out there who are in touch with their philanthropic side.

Take for example, my mother. She is perhaps the most self-less person I have 

ever know. I'm not kidding, she would do anything for me or any of

my siblings. She gave up her life in another country; she completely left her family,

not to mention her job, education and worldly possessions, all to fashion a new life 

for the kids that didn't even exist yet. Then she had to endure the journey to America itself,

a grueling week-long boat ride with no more food than some stale bread and water.

And here I am. Perhaps this is why I am also a little ahead of my years, since 

there is no way I could think of gambling my mother's sacrifice by doing something really stupid.

So that's a tiny little story about a third-world (sort-of...was Vietnam third-world in the 1960-70's?)

person and their struggle. Here's a video demonstrating many people's current "dilemmas"...

Thanksgiving time

There's seriously something magical about this time of your. 

Without fail, there's this spark of excitement in the air when you realize it's holiday season. One of the best things about Thanksgiving (besides the carb-overload) is the fact that it serves as a landmark till the next biggest holiday: Christmas.

But this post isn't about Christmas; it's about the fourth Thursday of every November and why on this day we feel the need to give out gratitude and astronomical turkey portions! Thanksgiving is the national holiday honoring the early settlers and their harvest feast known as the first Thanksgiving. You can read up on the origin here:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/

I really love everything about this holiday. The sense of family union and festive thanks

is what it's really about. This year, I am more than thankful for my crazy but lovable

family, my health, my education and of course my cat.

       

                       I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season! :3

there's art in our blood

 “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
― Pablo Picasso

I was just thinking about art in the everyday world. I always feel a respect for artists, probably because I'm not the most creative person myself. Things like wall murals, graffiti, and street art are what I think of as "outdoors art". I was just Stumbling and I came across some borderline amazing street art (one of the coolest ones, IMO, on right). I also loved (and still do) to count the number of carts a train has as it goes by. The highest one I ever counted was 97. And usually I would spot some graffiti on the carts, some decent, some phenomenal. To me, graffiti presents a story behind the actual spray-paint. Every time I saw it I'd just ponder about who actually did it.  Honestly, some people just have that flair for art.

It's also interesting to think about how graffiti artists have a negative connotation: usually people associate them with people who come from grungy neighborhoods and bad social etiquette. But of course, we all know it's bad to generalize..
Art is incredible in the way that there are endless ways to convey it.
It really is in everything, and despite the fact that I called myself inartistic earlier, I know that everyone has the ability to create their own art.

Candy is veddy veddy good.

So, due to Chris Christie's executive order to post pone Halloween, today I am passing out the finer things in life: high fructose corn syrup and smiles. The thing about candy, it connects people. It will remain a favorite treat for people of all ages from cradle to grave. Apologies for making that sounds morbid, but hey, when in Halloween :D

I always have exceptional difficulty when asked to pick a favorite of something, but for candy especially I suffer from a brain aneurism. Just kidding. My favorite candy is anything that has caramel or chocolate-mint in it, like those Andes after-dinner mints that don't actually count as candy but I'm still going to anyway. I also like Milky Ways, Life Savers gummies, Kit-Kats, gummy bears, Butterfingers and Whoppers holla. I'm going to give you a brief history on the Andes mint candy though, because it truly is my favorite.

Officially, they are called Andes Creme de Menthe Thins, a candy with one mint-green layer sandwiched in between two chocolate-brown layers. It's also wrapped in this signature green and silver foil.

In 1921, Andrew Kanelos opened a small candy store in Chicago, Illinois. Andes Mints got their start in the North Side neighborhood, and were a local treat for many years. While Kanelos initially called his store "Andy's Candies" in reference to himself, he quickly found that men did not like giving boxes of candy with another man's name to their wives and girlfriends. As such, he changed the spelling of the business to "Andes Candies". In 2000 Andes was sold to the Tootsie Roll Industries and is still popular to this day. 

In the US, Andes mints are a popular after dinner mint, which can be found at popular restaurants, including Olive Garden. The mint used at Olive Garden is a special flavor manufactured exclusively for the restaurant chain, but it is taste-wise similar to the Mint Parfait flavor; containing the same layers, but at different ratios. The common size Andes mint is 1.5 x .75 x .25 inches, weighs 4.75 grams and contains 25 calories. A larger size is available, measuring 2 x .75 x .25 inches, weighing 9 grams and containing 47.5 calories. 

(src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_Chocolate_Mints)

Halloween just reminded me how much I love candy in general. But I'm going to end my post here because currently there is a very impatient Peter Pan and a banana banging at my door for some Reese's. Odd how trusting we are on this one holiday. Excited for a stranger's hospitality. Mmmm, Anthrax.