Monday, October 19, 2009

Day Two-hundred Sixty-six



It's a picture I like, for no particular reason. It reminds me of a certain time, with a certain someone, at a certain place, with a certain feeling.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Day Two-hundred Fifty-six

I just started watching it... A show called The Worst Witch. If you like 80s, or slice-of-life, or magic, or Harry Potter, or cheering for the underdog, you should give this a try.

Here is the Halloween special... Which I believe was actually filmed before the TV series came into being, although the TV series starts earlier in the chronology:



Tim Curry shows up!

This is the first episode of the TV series:

Friday, October 2, 2009

Day Two-hundred Fifty-one



A lady always walks with her head high. A princess never loses her courage and, in fear, looks to the ground. We keep our heads high, high as the clouds, because that's where we are.

However, any rule has its exceptions. There's always the accepted, expected deviation from the norm. My prescription to aid in wonderment: make sure to steal a glance downwards every so often. Don't make it a habit to walk with your head down... But remember to take in the small, beautiful things that happen at your feet.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Day Two-hundred Fifty



It's that time of year... At least, in this hemisphere... It's October; a bit of an in-between place for the year, a time when they say the distance between the mystery and the mundane world is as thin as a breath.

What does this time of year inspire you to do?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Day Two-hundred Forty-eight

Some video shorts I've enjoyed recently:







They're fairly opposite, and somewhat contradictory (since Lula eschews consumerism or materialism), but they're both very cute and wonderful in their own ways (like the soundtrack!) Somehow, I think the last one brings it all together.

I have a twitter account. At first I was very skeptical of the whole thing, but so far it's been fun.

I hope everyone is having a happy fall so far!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Day Two-hundred Forty-one



Happy Autumn!





It's finally here at last.

Time for hot tea, hot chocolate, long, wool skirts, wool tights, sweaters and jackets, texture, black, earth tones, cool air, skulls, melancholy, pie, and my birthday!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Day Two-hundred Twenty-nine

I haven't had the internet for about a week. I did some cleaning up and watched some movies. I'm looking forward to trying out ballet tonight; watching Fantasia has made me want to dance (try, anyway) even more.

I think the Nutcracker suite was probably my favorite, especially Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers.





This is the part that stuck out in my mind when I thought of Fantasia before I watched it again, besides the Sorcerer's Apprentice bit. This is what I liked the most as a kid:

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Day Two-hundred Fourteen



The new semester started a week ago. Something unusual about this one is that I'm not taking any major-related classes - instead I'm focusing on electives and such. I think I'll enjoy all of them, a beginner's French, a formal logic, and a death/religion class, but the one I'm having the most fun with is French. I always wanted to learn that language, to me it's very rich and musical, sort of the desserts of the European language buffet.



This time of year always has me feeling inspired and energized. This fall I'm going to take the adult beginner's ballet at the local ballet studio, and I've begun to do vocal exercises via youtube. Vocal training is something I used to do in high school, and it feels so good to pick it up again, I've missed it. Hopefully I can find a teacher.



The first of the leaves have begun to fall. Now I'm anticipating the flourish of color and beauty that marks the death of summer. Au revoir. Bonne journée!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Day Two-hundred Six

How to be a... (well, what do you think?)

Think natural beauty. Make everything look fresh and elegant.



Nails: Light pink or just clear polish would look wonderful. Also, make sure that they are clean and filed down to an appropriate length. French Manicures look fabulous and can make a girl look classy and elegant. Whether it's a home DIY nail session or at a professional salon, you should always try to have good nails.





Make up: Apply it on carefully, but make sure not to overdo it and look too garish. Take care to make it look fresh and natural. Fun colors every once in a while are a good idea too, but don't apply them all at the same time so that you look like a clown!



Hair: It doesn't have to be done in high curls or tight ringlets. Just make sure that it's moisturized nicely and combed. A cute up do when it's hot outside can look super classy. Make sure you have a good hair care routine too - shampoo it, condition it and apply creams to get it as pristine as possible.





Clothes: Choose clothing that suits you and your taste. But be careful; you do not want to appear tomboyish. Also make sure the clothing you pick is clean and stain-free. Also, be modest! Being a princess means dressing like a lady. You do not have to show off.



Never sacrifice comfort for style. A princess should feel at ease in all situations. Now, this doesn't mean show up at a formal dinner in a tracksuit, but know that when you are comfortable, people will be comfortable around you!

And most importantly....

A Princess is a princess inside and out. So while you may look the part of a princess, you must make sure that you always portray a princess inside as well.

It was interesting to study the contrasts on what the conceptions of a "princess" were between the two "-hows" - there's the rest of this guide at wikiHow and then a different one at eHow. The latter list is a bit pretentious (it's for adults) and reminds me more of a spoilt step-sister instead of a proper lady, yet this is what passes for one today...

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Day Two-hundred Three

Right now I have princess on the brain...











And of course, some reading material!
Princess Lessons
And then, there are the virtues:
  • patience
  • gratitude
  • humility
  • duty
  • honor
  • grace
  • kindness
  • hope
Have a lovely late-summer Sunday, everyone!

Day Two-hundred Two

What I'm looking forward to today is a picnic...



What I've been thinking of lately is the coming season...



late summer/early fall is my favorite time of year, and fall is my favorite season.

Where I want to stay is a cottage on the sea...



somewhere lush and warm.

What I'll do for the moment is enjoy some chocolate...



What are your daydreams today?

Friday, August 14, 2009

Day Two-hundred One



O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone...


And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love;


O’er ladies ‘ lips, who straight on kisses dream,
Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues,
Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are...

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Day One-hundred Ninety-one

Then a great
holiday was
proclaimed
throughout the
kingdom so that
all of high or low
estate might pay
homage to the
infant Princess

Homage was an act, in medieval times, of a man acknowledging himself as a vassal to his (now) lord. Usually it was a ceremony, as well as other acts done throughout the duration of the vassal-lord relationship, if my understanding is correct. Homage today is more of a tip of the hat, a show of respect, to elders or influences that helped to guide us in our life.

Homage as used above (from Sleeping Beauty) seems different than both. It's not about vassalage, or really the type of tribute as it's understood today; to me, that sort of homage isn't really homage at all then, but a celebration of the warmth, joie de vivre, springtime, and everything that a Princess or Maiden (as seen in various fairy tales, mythologies, or Disney animated films) represents, and in many ways, everything that we women today still strive for as far as personal virtues.

In my time away I've been feeling so ground down - at first I had just thought it was because work and school were just becoming more demanding, and that when that load lightened I would feel lighter as well. However, it's not like that; this sort of thing, I think, must be fed - the joy, the love for others and for life. When you do this, it doesn't wax and wane with your fickle moods, and endures even throughout the stresses and disappointments in life (and in fact, reframes them altogether).

I've been thinking, like King Stefan and Queen Leah, I would like to declare a holiday to pay homage to the infant Princess, the bubbling spring of light that I've discovered. The Princess Portal has it's Princess Day on May 5th, which unfortunately never works out for me because it's always on exam week. So, instead, I think I'll have to declare my own holiday... I'm usually doing something work or school related each day, and even on my days off I have errands to run and things to study. Sometime this Autumn, I'll simply declare it a holiday, take the time off work, and celebrate.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Day One-hundred Sixty-seven







Summer is about movement - it's bombastic, lots of activity and energy. I feel entirely swept away in the tidal wave that Summer always seems to bring.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Day One-hundred Thirty-four







These could have been snapped on a sunny, cool day in Spring, heading out West.

Day One-hundred Thirty-three



Dicrocerus elegans is an extinct species of deer found in central Europe (related species in Asia). It stood 70cm (2 ft 4 in) tall at the shoulder - the same size as roe deer. Its long skull sported a set of antlers with a thickened base - the first members of cervids to possess them. The antlers were still quite primitive and had no tines; they were worn only by the males.

Dicrocerus
probably came from Asia, from the region where true deer have originated and evolved. It inhabited forests in the temperate belt and in Europe it was typical of the Miocene (10-5 million years ago). It died out at the beginning of Pliocene without leaving any descendants.



The Irish Elk or Giant Deer (Megaloceros giganteus), was a species of Megaloceros and one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its range extended across Eurasia, from Ireland to east of Lake Baikal, during the Late Pleistocene.

The Irish Elk stood about 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) tall at the shoulders, and it had the largest antlers of any known cervid (a maximum of 3.65 m (12.0 ft) from tip to tip and weighing up to 40 kilograms (88 lb)).




The nine species of chevrotain, also known as mouse deer, make up the family Tragulidae. Chevrotains are small, secretive creatures now found only in the tropical forests of Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and South-east Asia. They are the only living members of the infraorder Tragulina.

The Telugu name for the animal is "Jarini Pandi", which literally means "a deer and a mouse". The word 'chevrotain' itself is French, andcan be translated as 'little goat'.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Day One-hundred Thirty-two











The rain seems to bring something out in people... But what about the day after the rain? What does the return of the sun make you want to do?

Friday, June 5, 2009

Day One-hundred Thirty-one

I woke up from my nap around seven o'clock yesterday. The sky light was just barely starting to fade, so I decided to go run an errand.

It's funny, when you're in a hurry, you notice all sorts of interesting new things, new distractions. In my case, as I went out I noticed a woman having a yard sale on a side street.

Usually you don't see people having yard sales so late, but hey who's to judge. I said hello and we made some chit chat about the weather lately. She suggested some shoes to me, and I ended up getting them since they were so cute. The woman didn't want any money though, but wanted to trade shoes since we were the same size. Kind of weird, but, these shoes were much nicer.



I waved bye and walked on. The shoes shimmered as I walked, and seemed to leave a trail of light and dust behind them. As I turned the corner to get back on the main street. As soon as I turned, I felt a sudden discomfort in my feet - something was in my left shoe. There was a key I hadn't noticed before. I got up and turned around to go back to the woman so I could return it, but the corner wasn't there.



I was still along the path, and it was similar to my usual one, lined with flowers and trees but no houses... The side street was gone, and the usual activity at this time of day was absent; instead, I was in a still forest, serene and light.

I kept going and things seemed to get more off. The plants seemed to be more "different" somehow, the path just led straight on, I couldn't find my destination. Suddenly, I came to be overlooking a fabulous view of a castle...



I was pretty worried at this point, but I also felt a little exhilarated. Who could be living there? So I hurried towards it. I made it there much more quickly than I expected; I found I could navigate the rough terrain and move faster than I normally would be able to for some reason, maybe the shoes? I made it to the town at the base of the castle, which appeared to be floating on the moat.



A older woman with elongated, thin limbs and wide, bright eyes appeared like an apparition next to me, with a companion. She was in a wooden boat, that sort of looked like a large, wide bucket or tub. She held a long stick and gestured for me to hop in. Feeling extremely nervous, I gave a little curtsy and obliged.



The woman pushed off and started navigating the channels, her friend grinning at me. I smiled back, and then couldn't help but to take in the view; the sky was fully of the beauty of the setting sun.



We went some distance out from the town and then docked. There was forest and a path that led to a gate. (I couldn't believe I still had further to go, it all looked much more compact from my view earlier). I hopped stepped out, and turned around to thank my guides. I wasn't sure what to give, so I took off my vintage charm bracelet.

They were very delighted, and handed me a small bottle full of silvery, incandescent dust. She pushed back out to water, and seemed to dissolve the further away she got. It was getting dark...



I approached the gate. There were street lamps that being lit up, but by who I don't know... There were candles in the, so it must have been by someone... Anyway, I opened the gate and walked through. When I did, everything seemed strangely lit.



I entered the castle...



And felt compelled to explore. The details of the architecture were stunning; the floors and walls were meticulously decorated. I found myself wanting to go up and up the stairs, to the top floor.



I explored every bedroom. They were beautiful and lush, extravagant but simple. No one was with me, but I felt like I was being led, being shown around.



There were many crowns on display in the last room I entered. Was this the room of the monarchs, or of children who love to play dress-up and make-believe? Even if we are from different worlds, we aren't so different than each other... These were my thoughts as my eyes grew heavy.



I didn't even feel myself fall asleep, but I found myself suddenly waking up. I was in a vacant lot in my neighborhood, full of the just slightly strange atmosphere of the place I had just been. I got up, dusted myself off, and stepped on to the sidewalk. I realized, this was the side street I had turned off from, and this lot was the woman's lot who was having the yard sale.



The lot was empty though; even the strangeness had left it. I noticed I still had my new shoes though, and my key, and the bottle of dust the boat woman had given me. It was almost completely dark by now - not sure what to do, I went to complete my errand - I really wanted to buy some cupcakes from the bakery!



On my way home, I left one at the vacant lot.

How was your day?