New Beginings

Today I decided to delete my Facebook account, yay. Let us celebrate. FREEDOM.

Now I have plenty of reasons for doing such a crazy and wild thing, don't think it was a rash decision.
1. It's a breeding ground for bullies and bad vibes
I got bullied,that's not okay. I'm in my twenties and people still think it's okay to be bullies and I don't need that in my life. Others get bullied, still not okay.I don't want to support a site that makes it easier for people to get bullied, life is hard enough as it is, we don't need people bringing us down 24/7. People spend their time on Facebook complaining when they could be doing something about it.
2. It's bad for me mentally
Like I said before, bullying. Also, seeing what everybody else is doing at almost every moment of their life it becomes easy to compare yourself to others and that is unhealthy. I live my own life and it will never be exactly the same as anyone's. Though I may not do it consciously I compare myself to others and stress myself out and I'm already a stressed out college kid that works and goes to school full time.   
3. It's not a necessity, there was life before Facebook.
There is no creation story that begins "and Facebook came into being and from it sprung humanity and all the creatures of the Earth." There have been lots of people who never had Facebook and have done pretty well. 
4. It will free me from the time waster that it is.
No logging on to Facebook=more time to decrease World suck. And time to read. 
5. I can focus on what is really important.
Facebook creates a lot of fake relationships, with the click of the button you are friends with someone or if you are a majority of the Facebook community, 500 some friends. In all honesty you can't have that many friends, acquaintances, yes, friends, no. I have my few close friends and that is all I need, not delusions of hundreds of so called friends that you met that one time and that one place. The world is already riddled with lies, I don't need to lie to myself about who my friends are and what qualifies them as friends.

I can also focus om doing good. Facebook is very good at creating a false atmosphere of helping, all the "like this to save that"  "follow this to create awareness." That's just lazy and insincere, though I know people have the best intentions liking a post isn't really going to save the world.

I would also like to spend more time on this blog and post whatever awesomeness I am up to and be able to document my adventures more freely.
So here's to new beginnings and the wonderful journey ahead! Allons-y!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone

BOOK ONE! DONE! That rhyme was completely necessary. Rereading the first book was such a delight. As with rereading any book I was a little afraid that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered it, but it was fantastic. Dare I say, better than I remembered.I have fallen in love with the characters and story all over again and it is quite a wonderful feeling.  Rowling's writing is just so good,especially for a book aimed at children. Her writing is not super complex, but at the same time it is not condescending which is very refreshing for children's/young adult literature.

I have become so well acquainted with the movies that I had forgotten the differences between the two.  I think that overall the film is a great adaptation of this book as films cannot portray every detail of the book they are based on or the film would be some twenty hours long and unbearably boring at times. I think that the films are wonderful and add a great element to the Harry Potter universe.

Back to the book...rereading it has given me some insight on the characters that I didn't have before and also questions about these characters. I think that despite what some would say, none of the characters in the Harry Potter universe are purely good or purely evil. Rowling does a great job at making it seem so at a surface level, but when looking past this facade the characters are a lot more complex. My main concern is Albus Dumbledore. I have heard many people say that Dumbledore is bad because he is just using Harry as a sacrifice and that he has no real compassion towards Harry or care about Harry's safety. I think that Dumbledore is much more human than we give him credit for. We as readers would love for him to be this godly character, omnipotent without imperfection, but he isn't. He is flawed. While Dumbledore is very aware, giving Harry the invisibility cloak, watching him at the mirror of Erised, he is also flawed, flying to the Ministry of Magic when he should be at the school. I shall continue this rant later as I continue the books and figure out more about Dumbledore's character.

I do really enjoy spending so much time in the Harry Potter universe, it seems that it is on to Book Two. Allons-y!

Rediscovering Harry Potter

It's been awhile since I've read the books and I have decided that the summer is the perfect time to become reacquainted with them. I am almost finished with the first book and happy to say that I love it just as much, if not more, now. I shall write more later. Allons-y!

10 Reasons to Watch Doctor Who

Not necessarily the top ten reasons, but still ten reasons.
1. It's the longest running running science fiction television show in the world.
So you can watch history. That is pretty awesome.
2. It's funny
The dialogue, the situations, the characters, all can be so funny.
3. It's also sad
The opposite of what I said before, but in a good way. It creates multifaceted characters and keeps the storyline interesting.
4. It's a very smart show
The dialogue is wonderful, the continuity from episode to episode is fantastic. Each episode is connected in some way and you can always learn something from watching an episode. 
5. British accents
I'm American and I really enjoy accents. Yep.
6.It shows the importance of imagination
 Every episode takes a lot of imagination to create and each of the companions must suspend their disbelief as they encounter aliens and new worlds. The viewers must also suspend their disbelief at all the crazy things that happen in an episode.
7. It's well written
That dialogue. Witty and creative and beautiful. Love it.
8. It's a good show
By that I mean it's not fluffy and vulgar like all the reality shows that are coming out now. Doctor Who teaches love and acceptance and doing what is right. That sometimes we have to make hard decisions, but it will all turn out right in the end.
9. The fandom is fantastic
All the Time Lord Rock (Trock) songs, the artwork, the costumes are so wonderful and done with so much passion. Just Google it and see for yourself.
10. Fish fingers and custard.
Yum. Watch and you will know ;)
ALLONS-Y!

Life is a Bowl of Passion Fruit

Today I was told that I have passion. And I think that's why I get hurt so easily yet I also think it's why I enjoy life so fully. A lot of the time, most of the time, passion is misinterpreted. It gets misinterpreted and people label you as a freak, but it's passion all the same. Being passionate about everything can really open you up to getting hurt because you are putting yourself out there and letting others know what you truly care about, but I personally think that it is much more worth it to take that risk than to suffer in silence and hide how you truly fear. Without passion nothing can change. We live in a world full of empty words and when we live with passion our words become full of meaning. And it can be intimidating to be different. It's hard to stand against something that is so big and powerful, but if we don't then we are letting it happen and just become part of the problem. We need to be part of the solution.

I also believe that some people misinterpret anger for passion. Anger is a type of passion, but it can get destructive if not handled carefully. Anger clouds the vision and makes it all too easy to veer off into the realm of hate. Don't mistake anger for passion it will only lead to destruction.

There is so much fun in being passionate in everything you do. It takes the humdrum out of the day and defies the mundane. So let's continue to be passionate about all we do and take that risk.
Allons-y!

Some Days I Feel Like The Doctor

As in Doctor Who. I really hate this time of year. I love the summer, but I have always found safety in the school year and when summer comes everybody leaves. I really hate goodbyes. I have seen a lot of people go and it never gets any easier.The Doctor is constantly saying goodbye and every time you can still see the pain it brings him. Each and every person is important to The Doctor and I find that each and every person I meet is important to me. Sometimes I wish I didn't care, but then I see all the difference that caring makes in Doctor Who and it gives me hope. The Doctor cares so much. I just wish we could all care like that.The Doctor keeps taking companions even though he knows deep down that it won't last forever. I also find it wonderful that he doesn't have a romantic relationship with every single companion yet he still loves them. People are in our lives for a fleeting moment and in that moment we must make the most of it and show them how much we love them and how important they are. While seeing all these people come and go in my life I feel like a separate entity, something that doesn't quite belong here, but still cares and takes part. Thank you Doctor for understanding me. Allons-y!

Pretty Much...

I am using Doctor Who as a coping mechanism. Healthy? Probably not. But I really don't care.

What is Love? (baby don't hurt me)

The best things in life are not things. What are the best "things" in life? A rainy day, the sky painted pink with the sunrise or deep blue with the sunset, laughter, family, friends, love. So many "things" make life beautiful what makes them beautiful is a deep love. Love has many forms, in a world where romantic love is exploited the other types of love get overlooked. There are so many ways to show love. Love for nature in the appreciation and conservation of it, love for family by being supportive, love for friends in being inclusive and always listening. These are not the erotic, romantic love that we so often see in movies, but a love all its own. A love that is constant and unwavering unlike the fleeting feelings of romance. This is not to say that romantic love is wrong, not at all, this is to say that other types of love are more often than not overlooked and under appreciated.

Love is such a complicated and multifaceted idea that I can't cover it all or even simplify it to a blog post. Instead I'll stick to what little I know of love.   So a list maybe, to simplify the very little I know or think I know about such an enigmatic topic.

1. Love is in all things
2. Love is beautiful
3. Love is hard
4. Love is a double edged sword
5. Love is not simply romantic
6. Love can be blinding
7. Love can be eye-opening
8. Love is easy
9. Love is simple
10. Love can't be broken down and simplified into a 10 point list

Allons-y!

The Magic of Books

The other day I went to hear Connie Willis speak. She is a wonderful Science Fiction author with many Hugo and Nebula awards. The Hugo award is one of the most prestigious science fiction awards while the Nebula award is given for the science fiction or fantasy works published in the United States. She is clearly a fantastic writer. I have only read one of her books called "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and I really enjoyed it. It was well written and just so lovely. Anyway, in her speech she talked about the magic of reading. After so many semesters of having to read for classes I had lost the sense of magic. What she made me realize is that I want to read, I need to read. All those characters I had befriended over the years that I still keep close by are not to be forgotten and the fact that I am reading for school does not mean that I can't enjoy it at least a little bit. I love to read. There are so many books out there and too often I put up a wall and never get to experience that world. For instance John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" was a book I told myself I would never pick up, I had read "An Abundance of Katherines" and "Looking for Alaska" and found them less than great. Luckily I did read "The Fault in Our Stars" because it is fantastic.
Nothing compares to the numerous worlds that I have traveled to and the people I have me thanks to the magic of reading. I hope to never lose that magic. Allons-y!

Listening Closely

So recently I have watched the movie witch is the inspiration for the title of this blog, Whisper of the Heart. It's a great movie about coming of age and self discovery and courage. It is so beautifully made too. It's a Studio Ghibli film and so it just has to be wonderful.

Anyway, one of the themes that occurs in this movie is listening to your heart. There are so many people on this planet that we call Earth with there own struggles and their own ideas and we get set on the idea that we all must follow the same path in order to reach success. Of course there are ways that are pretty much guaranteed successful and that many take, but there are so many paths that are worth taking that aren't the norm. In one scene Shizuku's (our lovely protagonist) father is discussing with Shizuku her choice to pursue writing and not continue her schooling. he say's something to the affect of, "if you choose a different path than everyone else it will be harder". There is a set way that is so much easier than any other way because it has become the social norm and not many dare to stray. But if you dare to stray wonderful things can happen, you just have to work a little harder and really believe in yourself. There are definitely paths that are dark and dangerous and twisting and you don't want to go down those paths because they will bring about your own destruction, but there are paths that are intimidating and difficult, but those paths can be rewarding if we are willing to put the effort required even if it is more than the "normal" path.

So let's keep going on this adventure we call life, despite all the scary paths we may end up on, and enjoy every moment of it. Allons-y!

Finished

I finished reading The Fault in Our Stars. My first thought was "Dang it John Green. You jerk.". It is definitely a well written book, that's for sure. And though it probably won't end up being one of those works of literature like Huckleberry Finn which gets taught and read and re-read it has definitely made an impression on me. The characters were relatable and the storyline avoided being overly predictable. I like it so much that I just want to read it again and quote it all the time even if no one understands my references. So thank you Mr. Green for redeeming young adult literature for me. Allons-y!

The Fault in Our Stars: A Rambling

I have started reading "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green and though I was very apprehensive at first I love it. It's definitely a book aimed towards young adult readers, but it is very enjoyable, especially all the allusions made. I am only about halfway through and can't put it down. It's a great tool of procrastination for all the reading and writing I have to get done. I just need to finish it and then I can make my final decision. I have heard it is quite good at pulling at the heart strings which I am a little weary of....anyway...Allons-y!

I am a Book Rebel!

Okay. I am done with ranting. For now. Mwahahahaha! Back to my normal shenanigans, Allons'y!
So I have been absolutely swamped with all of the reading I have for my literature courses. One of them has 11 books we are reading, two of which are about 700 pages or more. So. Much. Reading. Which is wonderful since I love to read, but when I get assigned reading it's a little harder for me to do. It's like this switch goes off in my brain as soon as a professor assigns a book that tells me I don't want to read it. A professor could tell me to read Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings (two of my favorites) and I'd probably have a difficult time doing it. I think it's my rebel side. What a rebel, not reading what I'm supposed to! Bad to the bone...maybe. 

On another note I do enjoy the fact that I will have read so many books in such a short period of time. Books that, I may have never picked up otherwise but love since I have been forced to read them. Oh the joys of being an English major.

Cheers and Happy Reading!

Rant Ramble and Preach

I've gotten a bit preachy, but heck I don't really care. So I will continue to rant and ramble. When someone dear to you passes away what are you told? I'm so sorry for your loss...blah blah blah, but the one thing I hate to hear is "you shouldn't cry, they are in a better place". So what? It may be selfish to cry for what you have lost, but that doesn't mean it is wrong. You have lost something completely. There is no getting this person back, That changes a lot of things. And to say that you are not allowed to feel sad, to grieve your loss is complete and utter bull crap. It would be unhealthy not to cry. There are just some people out there who have not experienced such a loss and they will never be able to understand until they do. And I give you my full permission to yell at said person. Scream if you have to. Let them know how you feel, but don't harm them, please and thank you. I do not condone violence, just the use of words. END RANT.

I am planning on going on a little traveling adventure once I finish with university? Where to go...hmmm...

Thinking of You Thinking of Me

Sometimes I wonder what people think of me. And then I decide that might be a bad idea. Not that I am a terrible person, it's just that people can be mean. I hear them talk of others behind their backs and sometimes I am guilty too, but nonetheless it can get pretty mean. As long as I love myself then that is good enough for me. I know that there are things that I need to change, but I am working on them. One of those is not gossiping, even when everyone else is because I know how much I hate it when it happens to me. We all know how much it sucks to have other people talking about us, it brings such negative energy and unneeded drama. We just need to stop it. It really is that easy. Stop it. People will take notice and follow your lead. Let's make change one person at a time and just stop it. Instead let's fill the negativity with positivity. What are good traits about that person? Can you help them with their weaknesses and their problems? I bet the answer is yes to one of those questions. Positive change for the win! Let's do this!

Pondering on Change

It's interesting on how the new year brings about the time when everyone decides to make changes. It makes sense because the old calender is coming to a close and there is a fresh new one beginning. But if you think about it, why not make changes more often? Sure, the new year only begins every twelve months, but there are so many other new beginnings. Every season, every month, every week, every day there is a new beginning and we must give ourselves the chance to start over when we need to and when we want to. We can't always just pick up and leave everything all the time, but we can make small changes that will build up to a big difference. We always have the chance to rewrite our story. So I am going to amend my 2013 new year's resolutions to one simple one that I think covers it all ,albeit a little cliche:
Be happy.
If something isn't making me happy then I can change it. It may seem broad, but it fits.