[ b o o k ] Stargirl

Title: Stargirl

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Thoughts:

I loved this book when I read it in high school. As with other books I fell in love with, my sister recommended this to me . I had been feeling uninspired lately, so instead of  looking for books in my To Read list or reading crime novels, I went back to this YA favourite.

The pull for me was of course Stargirl’s personality, her individuality. She cheers for the rival team, she sings people happy birthdays, she’s a free person, without the worrying over societal expectations. But it takes great courage or ignorance not to be swayed into conformity.

I also liked the concept of a happy wagon, it quanitifes the state of happiness using twenty pebbles, isn’t that sweet?

This is the type of story that I can read over and over again to remind me things that I can forget as I’m growing older every year, to always follow my heart, even when I’m about to make an unpopular decision, to tune out distractions and learn a little more of my true self every single day.

Quotes:

☆ She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her.  In our minds we tried to pin her to a corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin went merely through and away she flew.

☆ You’ll know her more by your questions than by her answers. Keep looking at her long enough. One day you might see someone you know.

☆ And the trouble with bad times is, you can’t sleep through them.

☆ I’m not my name. My name is something I wear, like a shirt. It gets worn, I outgrow it. I change it.

☆ The earth is speaking to us, but we can’t hear them because of all the racket our senses are making. Sometimes we need to erase them, erase our senses. Then – maybe – the earth will touch us. The universe will start to speak. The stars will whisper.

☆ I homed in on the beacon of her smile.

☆ She was bendable light: She shone around every corner of my day.

☆ And I think every once in a while someone comes along who is a little more primitive than the rest of us, a little closer to our beginnings, a little more in touch with the stuff we’re made of.

☆ When a Stargirl cries, she does not shed tears, but light.

☆ The echo of her laughter is the second sunrise I awaken to each day, and at night I feel it is more than stars looking down on me.

[ i n s p i r e d ] Sail Away

[ b o o k ] Love is A Mix Tape

 

 

It’s the same with people who say, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Even people who say this must realize that the exact opposite is true. What doesn’t kill you maims you, cripples you, leaves you weak, makes you whiny and full of yourself at the same time. The more pain, the more pompous you get. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you incredibly annoying
- Rob Sheffield

I’ve been reading this lovely memoir by Rob Sheffield. I remember making mixtapes for my classmates when I was younger, like grade school? Mostly it was full of love songs and boy groups . I remember buying blank cassettes and recording songs. I loved the way I can create a story with the songs I put in, and designing the cover art. Although I loved to make mixtapes I realise that I only received two mixtapes, and these tapes were made by my young cousin. He made it as a parting gift for me after I spent three months living with them. He didn’t write the tracklist down, so the first time I listened to them I didn’t know what to expect.

I remember the day that I first listened to it so clearly. I was with my best-friend-since-we-were-in-diapers, and we went outside where my family’s car was parked. She sat on the driver’s seat while I sat next to her, my feet propped on the dashboard. Our windows were rolled down and my car door was open,  the afternoon air was crisp and cool. The whole neighborhood was quiet and then she popped the tape into the player. Ahh, the songs were so typical of the adolescent, hormonally charged me – sentimental, emo and most of all it’s about romance. He knows me so well!   I think we played both tapes three times before they finally called us in for supper.

Although I haven’t finished this book, I can safely say that I love it! It’s sad, sweet, funny and moving at all the right places. And most of all it’s about LOVE and MUSIC! A perfect combination I could always tell you what phase of my life I was in by the music I listened to. A lot of wonderful, magical and yes, even sad moments can be captured in a mixtape. Though I don’t use cassettes anymore I can still make mixes through my iTunes playlist… I once created a mix called Anthem of My Life . You should also check out Cassette from My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves.

Have you ever made or received a mixtape? When was the last time you made a mix for yourself? Or am I an ancient dinosaur because I still can recall the time of cassette tapes?

[ w r i t t e n ] Mistaken Identity

I think I saw your ghost in his smile
Twin rows of gleaming porcelain,
The familiar gnawing of hungry pain.
You called my name in his voice
A wayward love song finding
its way back to an empty home.
Confusion clouds the assembly line of my thoughts
Once precise gears in perpetual motion
Mastering the art of not remembering.

You perfected skill of Disappearing
As the sun casts the  shortest shadow
His fingers send small clumsy currents
From my arms to my eyes, developing
Photographs of unwelcome memories
From a time borrowed and never paid back.
My eyes remain open, I no longer look for you.

The sun is low and the shadows long
But where one once stood, now
Two people, two shadows are walking.

***

This is my entry for dVerse Open Link Night, it’s such a shame that I am in a completely different timezone so I am quite late in posting. Unless I attune my body clock to their time! I hope someone comes and takes a look! (image taken at the ArtScience Museum’s Van Gogh Alive exhibit)

[ m a i l * l o v e ] journal de jours

This is a new blog post series where I can share some of the great projects, blogs or calls related to snail mail or mail art! Since this is just a new series, I don’t have much information on other blogs or websites! If you know of any project or blog involving snail mail or mail art please do drop me a line here!

For my inaugural post, please welcome the lovely and super talented Hermine from Journal De Jours! I am so happy that she gladly accepted the invitation for me to interview her. Truth be told she is my inspiration behind the LetterBox Project! Now I know I have a long way to go before I can reach the level of her parcels, but I am getting there. Today she shares with us a little something about herself, her projects and love for snail mail!

HELLO!

My parents gave me the name “Hermine Virginie Van Dijck”. My home is in Antwerp, we have a nice garden with a greenhouse and 4 cats. In a year I will graduate as a “Master in Textile Design”. Textile is a very big part of my life. I most of all love to weave, I can do that for hours and hours. Soon I’ll open my first webshop with handwoven treasures, that’s always been a big dream of mine.

If I’m not working on my textile projects, then I’m making walks, collecting beautiful things, listen to jazz music, writing letters, taking pictures, drinking a cappuccino at my favourite café, reading, take care of my plants, blogging, dreaming, …. . I’m not good in doing nothing, I love to be busy with different projects, and I can work on them day and night.

LOVE AFFAIR WITH LETTERS

I always loved letters a lot, I treasure all the packages that I received, and kept them in a beautiful box. One day I was reading my letters again, and I felt that it was time to do something with all those treasures. I always been a collector, and had a box full of postcards, beautiful papers, … . But why would I keep all this beautiful stationery just for myself ? Why couldn’t I share it with others ? Make people feel happy ?

One of the reasons that I start writing is because I love to change peoples life just by something little. By a letter in their mailboxes, or a little ‘word for a stranger’ on their bikes.

I also am very curious about other people. They inspire me, and I always would love to know them better. Want to see what they love, how their lives are, what they are dreaming about…

And I hope, one day, I’ll meet my penpals. Maybe I have to make a trip around the world, to meet them, to drink coffee together and tell about our dreams.

INSPIRATION

I try to make everyone a personal and unique package. I’m constantly searching for lovely things to send. I dry flowers, search for beautiful pictures and papers…

I get inspired by a lot of different things, something I see while I’m drinking a coffee, a beautiful story, treasures I find on the ground while I’m making my walks, the person I’m writing to, my dreams

… It’s endless.

For me the most important thing is to make a beautiful harmonic package, something magical. An envelope filled with beautiful object that can make people happy. I really want them to feel special, because they are !

BIRTH: JOURNAL DE JOURS

I’m a collector of beautiful items, but also a collector of memories. Before I started my blog I had ten notebooks. One was to write ideas down, one for dreams, one for things I saw and loved, one for recipes, one for books/movies and so on. The problem was that the idea of the different notebooks is great, but it is difficult to hold on to it. So after a while all my notes where mixed, and it was so difficult to find something back.

So the reason I started my blog, was to make my collections, memories, structured for myself. It was so nice to see that more and more people started to follow what I was writing, I really never expected that. So, still every day, I’m so so grateful for all those amazing people who write feedback on what I’m doing. That’s so heartwarming, and pleasing.

The writing actually never had a real start. It just grew. First I had 2 penpals, Geneviève (from Berlin) and Pierre (from Paris). And of course some of my close friends. I just posted somethings about their letters, and often I got nice comments on the blogposts. A few months ago I wrote on my blog that it was a big dream to write peoples around the world. I got a lot of reactions on it, more and more peoples are sending me an e-mail to ask me if we could get penpals. Of course it can ! A little while ago I also started my letter-blog, just to make a beautiful collection of all the letters I receive and send.

SNAIL MAIL HAPPINESS

It’s amazing to come home and find a beautiful letter in your mailbox. The letters always make my day so beautiful and warm. When I have a bad day then I just have to open my box where I collect all my received letters in, and I get happy again. Other people have so much love to share, and it’s great to just meet new people. Just talking about our lives, our dreams, ….

The world become a so small, when you write with people who actually lives on the other side of the world. It’s great that this kind of thing is possible. I never thought that I will write with people from Japan, Israel and America, but now it has become a reality. And that is so great.

LESSON FROM LETTER WRITING

I saw even more that life is about those little lovely things. Just a sweet word, a beautiful flower, a stunning picture … I believe that the letter-writing reminds us all about those little treasures of life.

I work day and night on my projects. In the evening, in my bed before sleep, when I wake up, while drinking a coffee. But it isn’t an effort for me. I love to do all those projects, and they give me energy. They make me feel so happy, that’s why I want to spend all my free-time on them. They are become a big part of my life, and I love that.

LETTER WRITING ADVICE

First of all, write because your heart tells you that you have to write. Write because it’s a dream. Write because you want to send someone a little love. Writing always have to be a pleasure, not an effort. Writing takes a lot of time (and also a bit of money on stamps), but that’s part of the pleasure.

How do you have to start ? If you have a blog, you can tell your readers that you would love to write someone. And I’m convinced that people will react. And then you can start swapping addresses, and make beautiful letters.

If you don’t have a blog, just send a blogger (or someone else) a letter, and say you would love to send her/him a letter. I think everyone will be happy to get the chance to receive something from you in their mailboxes.

Good luck to you all !

****

Thanks to Hermine once again! You can also follow her tumblr and flickr! If you are a blogger who hosts letter-writing projects or loves mail art, I would love to get to know you!

[ u p d a t e ] Regular Blogging Will Resume Next Week

Hello dear ones! My oh my, we’re halfway in August~ that means my birthday is around the corner! This year is gonna be ultra special because well, I hope it is *wink*. I have tons of things to do but time isn’t on my side. Health is also much more important to me.

So this week I will take leave from the blogging world also from writing letters for the LetterBox Project and swaps for Swap-Bot. It’s quite sad really that this week I have to work overtime because we’re really trying to beat the deadline. I am subsisting on Red Bull, Milo and prayers!

After this week there are a lot of goodies and interesting reads in store for all my readers! So do stay tuned and see you guys next week!

Much love!

[ w r i t t e n ] this escape

If I close my eyes so tight

that everything else disappears,

swallowed by the great white light

moving farther away

a faint outline in the distance

If I climb the inside of a chimney

seeking what I have yet to know

bid goodbye to eternity

because all I have is NOW

and I’ll ever be is here.

If I spread my arms in winter

and wings take their place

I will soar into forever

Plunge into space of rainbow colors

only to fall down like rain

If the sky would cry before me

kneeling this spring afternoon

the tears would flow slowly

and crash into my palms

a million liquid crystals of sadness.

image via WeHeartIt

[ i n s t a x ] week three: feifei and puipui

WEEK THREE: FEIFEI AND PUIPUI

This is an instax taken by Feifei who calls me Puipui, which basically just means that we’re both FAT! Feifei is one of the people I have become closer to this past year, and with seeing each other almost everyday I feel so happy having her in my life. We both like to eat and we’re so comfortable that sometimes we shed our ladylike image and become total barbarians ( I kid!) when it comes to food. Yes, we bond over food a lot!

Here’s to Feifei! My eating-in-an-unglam way partner!

[ w r i t t e n ] Par La Mer

when I was five my father

brought me to the ocean for the first time

it was dusk, the sky bleeding violets,

oranges, reds and yellows.

I remember

the warmth of his hand as we walked to the water’s edge

the ocean is your friend, he softly said

whenever I’m not by your side,

whenever you miss me,

just remember this

then he swept me up with his arms and held me high

Daddy’s love for you is like this ocean

it runs deeper than what you can see

it can’t be measured by human hands

my love for you can carry you through the darkest storms

remember this always

Tonight, I found myself driving to the ocean of my youth

under the canopy of stars, I walked along the shore

feeling the waves tugging at my ankles

the waters reflect the summer night sky

even when I can’t be with you

my love remains always

[ w r i t t e n ] JoyRide (revised)

So this is the first time I’m going to do this – I’m going to ask for critique about the last poem I wrote (I was going to say recent but then again it wasn’t that recent!) . Over at dVerse, Luke shared some great insights on how to deal with redundant phrasing. I know that by putting this poem out for critique is equivalent to placing my head under a guillotine, but I have decided to take the plunge. The original poem can be found in this post originally title Nostalgic Ride.

We were ten and bored

the grown-ups hushed tones blanketed secrets

slippers tiptoeing towards a four-wheeled freedom.

door slamming , a wicked glint in our eyes

finally something forbidden

you grabbed the steering wheel

my feet propped up on the dash

heading out to a pretend somewhere, some place

hands sticking, fingering the wind

a rushing zoom fills my ears

a private joke, a burst of laughter

raised raw voices over the radio singing

Of foreign heartaches or of happy times.

one second it was the Pacific pristine and blue

in a blink it was the mountain ranges in Kathmandu.

flying to the moon defying gravity and rules.

how our hearts traveled when our bodies could not

waving our hi’s and goodbye’s to the people  we pass by

exchanging secrets, veiled dreams and mysteries

I miss those times, an exercise to the imagination

when we were not moving at all but we went far.