drifting to a new way of thinking

we watched the Seasonal Seas episode of the film The Blue Planet by BBC in my wildlife issues course. it had beautiful shots and it was incredible how they captured all the underwater creatures. when i was little, i hated jellyfish, well maybe not jellyfish themselves but the jellyfish bites or attacks. they stung pretty bad and one time i had one get me all over my legs. in spanish jellyfish are "aguamalas", a compound word of "water" and "bad". so, throughout my life i haven't really been a big fan. but after watching the film, all i wanted to do was sketch a jellyfish or paint a watercolor. that's on my mini creative to-do list. sometimes we associate something with an emotion, and it's incredible to look at it in a new light. we sometimes take things for granted from experiences we've had or how we've been brought up. but it's really intriguing to have that concept challenged. jellyfish are beautiful creatures, and although i still don't want to have a physical encounter, i have a new found appreciation for them. they float so peacefully and almost seem angelic in their tranquility. i put together the above jellyfish mosaic with pics from flickr and the youtube vid below is jellyfish in Hong Kong Ocean Park that i just found kinda cool. they apparently have lights in the tanks that change colors and makes the jellyfish look amazing.
i'm gonna go try to draw some jellyfish, but i hope you have a sweet holiday weekend. be back soon,

-Genevieve

heading down happy avenue

ok, so i just want to say that if you are even remotely interested in the 60's hippie revolution or Woodstock itself, 'Taking Woodstock' is something you should go check out. it was incredible. the focus is placed more on the main character's journey to bring the festival to his town and his struggles and successes, but it shows so much cultural and historical insight that it really captured the time and place that Woodstock was. they didn't show music, just played it in the background, but they showed the long backed-up line of people and the hills full of all the spectators. there's so many little details that made me smile and laugh about the time period and what was groovy back then. demetri martin was impressive and i loved emile hirsch, as well. so basically, good reviews all around, if you like time pieces and especially if you like the hippie era. go check it out, it's far out man.

now i just have to go see 'Paper Heart' with Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera. looks like a really adorable and intriguing documentary/story. i saw the trailer for it and was hooked. it's showing in a theater near campus so maybe i'll go see in the next few weeks. here's the trailer, hope it sparks your interest.

if you do go see it, let me know what you think. no spoilers though, please. that's just not cool lol, but a general yay or nay kinda thing. hope your week got off to a good start. peace,

-Genevieve

to judge or not to judge, a book by its cover

before coming back to school, i read Tweak by Nic Sheff. it's an autobiographical book about Nic's addiction to meth and then his recoveries and relapses. i was walking around border's one day during my break from work and i picked it up because the cover looked interesting. (yes, i did judge the book by its cover) i opened it, read the first page and was instantly hooked. his account, in somewhat a journal layout, is addicting (no pun intended). the way he writes is realistic, he writes as if he's speaking to you. he doesn't try to make it politically correct or try to make himself sound like someone else. it's real. and rarely do you feel like you're reading something someone wrote in first person in such an honest account. he's inspirational. he opened up completely, and it was like a therapy for him. he has many problems, but i admire his strength and his constant struggle to stay clean. maybe it's just me that likes books in a journal/letter format that simultaneously have drugs in the storyline, like Go Ask Alice or Perks of Being a Wallflower. nonetheless, if it sounds interesting to you, i definitely recommend it.

i'm now currently reading The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea for my cultural diversity in the u.s. course. it's the true story about Mexican immigrants/border patrol/immigration issue, written in a very informative and eye opening, newspaper article type way. you don't feel like you're reading a sad and long story about the difficulties of the desert, but you become sucked into this intense journey that many take and not all come out of. it has made me think a lot about the issue in a new light, putting myself in their shoes by knowing the entire story and journey that they undergo just to cross into the u.s.. i never new that it was this extensive and how many people there are just trying to trick them out of money or have them tortured or deported. i'm half way done, and it's not like it's a happy story. it's pretty grotesque and honest about the realities that go on. Urrea doesn't try to clean up other people's actions, he tells it like it is. but that just makes it even more impressive. so, if you're into the whole nonfiction and issues books, i recommend you go check it out.

i'm going tonight to go see Taking Woodstock and i'm super excited. i've been waiting for this movie for it seems like too long. i shall be back to let you know how it is. hope your weekend is going well,

-Genevieve

back to school and back to blogging

time. it tends to flash before my eyes at times. i'm very disappointed that i didn't come back sooner, mostly because i missed it so much but also since my friend said something to me today.

friend: "hey, do you remember this thing called 'blogging'?"

did i mention that my sarcastic friend happens to be lise from "head in the clouds" ?

well, here i am interwebz, we meet again.

my summer went pretty well. i worked a lot and took summer courses, but was able to have some creative things in them. i finally finished 'Into the Wild' and watched the movie. let's just say, i fell in love with the screenplay and the artistic direction they took. a watched a couple other films, which i definately recommend: Junebug, Rocket Science, Paris, je t'aime, Volver, (500) Days of Summer, Away We Go, Harry Potter & HBP to name a few. i also finally tie dyed, i'll take some pics this weekend to show you. i sewed a simple cloth purse with the sewing machine and managed to not break the sewing machine. i finally got the hang of it. i usually just sew by hand, but i must say that being able to use the machine is a quicker process.

oh, i forgot to almost mention the reason i have been away so long. i was getting ready to move back to college. i moved in the 21st of august and started classes this week, so i will soon have plenty of time to procrastinate lol. i'm also taking very interesting courses which will probably inspire me with a few blog posts. but until then, i just want to wish everyone a happy welcome back to school or last few days of summer. hope everything is going well, i shall be back soon (very soon) to share something a bit more interesting. i am currently listening to Animal Collective, so here's a little sampling. the vid is super cool in a creepy sort of way.

until we meet again,

-Genevieve

summertime shots

a promise is a promise. here they are. i went to a park near my friends house and took a small nature walk. i felt like i was in the everglades when we were near the swampy areas. hope to be back soon. until then, hope you like these.

-Genevieve

lazy rainy day

today was a day off that i spent at home. the weather has been really hot and sunny in the past few days, but today was thunderstorm after thunderstorm. i was supposed to go to the beach with a friend, but this morning we decided that it wouldn't be such a great idea lol. i've spent the day watching law & order (both c.i. and s.v.u.), it's my guilty pleasure. in my pj's all day, i've been trying to finish reading 'Into the Wild' by Jon Krakauer. i'm liking it so far, i want to see the movie but i thought that it would be better to read the book first. after seeing 'Milk', i youtubed interviews of sean penn and emile hirsch and came across the 'Into the Wild' interviews. so naturally, i was interested and wanted to experience it myself. especially since i find something so compeling about nature. i'm hoping tomorrow's weather isn't too rainy because i'm supposed to go to the park with a friend and take some shots. i love the way the streets look after it rains, especially when it's night time and the lights reflect off the concrete. but i'd like it to be just a little bright, whether sunny or grey, so that the light is good. my poor camera hasn't had a proper day of attention in a while. i can't wait to go to a new place to take pics, it always feel like a small adventure to take shots of a new place. so i'm hoping to be back tomorrow or thursday to share with you the shots.

i was thinking about music i've recently discovered, but i've drawn a blank. i have a long list of music that i want to download. at the top part of the list is the new Dave Matthews Band cd. i haven't listened to the whole cd, but what i have heard, i like. this list was started at the end of spring semester and hasn't been touched much in the past month sadly. and i'm thinking of dedicating a few hours in the next few days to downloading my list and anything else that comes to mind. i'm open to any suggestions, i know i get a lot of inspiration from blogs i follow. but if there's any 'you-must-listen-to-this-it-will-change-your-life' kinda of stuff, let me know.

i hope your week is going well, be back soon,

-Genevieve

kitchen lessons and minor obsessions

here are a few shots i have taken in the past month. hopefully the rain will stop on one of my days off so i can go out and take some shots of a park or something. as you can see, i've spent a good deal of time in the kitchen. my cooking classes are going well, i think i'm finally memorizing some things. nothing has tasted too terrible, and i'm excited to try out recipes in a dorm hall kitchen lol. i have this minor obsession with the cartoon of the girl with the umbrella from the salt container. i find her adorable and everytime i see it, i want to draw or paint it. the last pic is of my flip flop at the beach. i think i've done that type of shot before, i don't remember if i've shared it already, but i just love how the sun reflects of of it and the macro captures the wrinkles in the leather. so, i hope to be back soon with some pics of something i've created. keep your fingers crossed. hope this week is treating you well,

-Genevieve

change is the only constant

wow.

i'm speechless. that's a first. i don't even want to think about how long it's been since i've blogged. i'm just going to focus on the fact that i'm back and i'm really going to try my hardest not to desert my blog. i'm very emotionally attached, even though i seem to have put it on the back burner for a while. i'm terribly sorry to anyone who was following. i haven't died....yet. i'm still kicking. and mostly working. i started working as a cashier at a store the week after i got home. i wasn't expecting to be so quickly employed to be honest. but now i go and give up most of my days to ringing up people and processing returns. sometimes i'm surprised at how many angry and rude people there are in this life. i work for a store that is a corporate chain. it will not be named, but let's just say my dream of one day owning my own store is even more ingrained in my mind. i am truly a wanna-be hippie that believes in mom'n'pop places and treating people the best way possible. life is too short. why be rude and distant? sometimes i think i should have existed in another time. anyway, enough about that. i'm going to try writing in a journal in my small free time between work and my one night class and then go online and type it out here.

let's see how this goes. time just doesn't stop zooming by for me. and i think i'm needing this outlet more and more each day. i feel bored many days. and i blame myself because i seem to just do what's expected of me and then sit around all day on my days off. it's becoming exhausting to do nothing. i need to drink some creative juices and bounce back. sorry for keeping you waiting for a month and a half. now, i'm going to try and catch up on all the blogs i follow. this is going to be interesting lol.

change is truly the only constant in this life. remember to take a few seconds and enjoy the present because it will soon be the past. hope you are well and that you are enjoying your summer. til next time (which i promise will be really soon),

-Genevieve

yummy, yummy for my tummy

i'm in the process of learning how to cook on my own with the help of my very wonderful mum. i know how to make certain things on my own and i enjoy cooking. the freedom of creating things your own way is exciting to me. but i'm trying to learn how to look at what i have in the fridge and pantry and whip something up. so i'm in charge of the kitchen, cooking and cleaning. all my mum has to do is help me brainstorm what to make, tell me how to cook it and teach me the variations. i'm enjoying it very much. i'm trying to cook as healthy as possible so that the bike ride every day pays off in a few weeks. my energy levels are pretty high with all the time to organize and create. i'm starting my new job this week, although i thought that i wasn't going to start until next week, i'm ready to start. things are organized for the most part, so i'm happy and at peace. and i decided that one day i'm going to learn how to make sushi. i have an obsession with it, i need to be able to make some homemade sushi rolls and sashimi. 

i liked the girl's winter hat in the pic above, she had a cool style and captured my sentiments at times with my fridge. hope your week is going well and that you are eating yummy things too,

-Genevieve

and i drink cups of creativitea

i have finally returned to the cyber world. and yes, it does feel great. thanks for asking. i'm sorry for not being present in...i don't even remember how long it's been to be honest. it's been more than hectic for me the last week. i finally finished finals last wednesday, and moved back home on thursday. i'm still in the process of unpacking the large amounts of possessions i was unaware i had made fit into a small dorm. and trying to find somewhere to put them all. my room doesn't seem to have a floor anymore, and at this point i can't remember if i have carpet or tile. ok, maybe that's an exageration. or is it? heh. ok, i'm done i promise.

 

anyway, moving on to what i've been up to. i started going through my closet to reassess my wardrobe. i want to organize my clothes so that i wear the things that i forget i own. this has given me a surge of creativity in creating some pieces. i love scarves but i need to devise a plan to wear them more often. and i feel like picking up some needles and knitting. i also took some old baggy t-shirts and went a little crazy with scissors. it was lots of fun. now i want to learn how to properly tie-dye the spiral design. so i'm going to go search for some plain v-necks and dyes. i'm excited. the two pics are some i found on flickr and caught my eye. 

this song captures my current mood. Kate Nash has an incredibly adorable style and haircut and of course an awesome voice and lyrics. i'm hooked and i love driving with the windows down, blasting this song and singing at the top of my lungs. it's very invigorating. the feeling of being free is completely bliss. i'm hoping to pay the beach a visit this week. maybe i'll take some pics to share with you of my current state of affairs. i'm really hoping to blog as much as possible, but we'll see how it goes. i hope you are doing well and that you are enjoying your week. be back soon,

-Genevieve