Insert Witty Title Here

My mom says that from the moment I was born, I was laughing—that’s apparently the first thing I did. And I always hear from adults that I was always laughing and smiling…I’ve been thinking about that…

Since my birthday is coming up next week and I’ll be turning twenty, I am realizing more and more that I am no longer a child. And as an adult, there are responsibilities that I acquire. But that also got me thinking about how the older I got, the less I laughed. High school, and middle school too, proved to be emotional challenges, and I got more self-conscious and I had those horrible teen years where most go through an identity crisis! It was, from what I recall, awful!!

And so I think about adults today, and they’re always worrying about everything: money, love, sex, work, success, their bodies and their looks, and all sorts of things! They’re always so stressed out and they have such a hard time enjoying the simple pleasures in life. But you see kids, and they don’t. They’re not worried being fat, or whether they have the best looking stuff. They just enjoy life so freely that it’s beautiful. And sometime when they get to elementary school or middle school, adults start telling them that life is though and things aren’t nice. And we start telling them to grow up and stop dreaming. But really, we just say that because we have stopped dreaming. After all, what’s so wrong with dreaming big, and laughing for nothing, or enjoying everything?

Just because we grow up doesn’t mean we have to stop living. We don’t become machines. Life is really quite simple, but we complicate things more and more the older we get. Maybe, along the way—while we are growing—we forget just how much we used to play, and laugh. I think that that’s all we need: a little more laugh and play (and not the: “let’s get drunk, have countless sex, and go crazy”). I mean, isn’t it better to keep that childish freedom? Can’t we grow up and have responsibilities, and at the same time be able to enjoy life freely?

As it turns out, I’ve had a headache for the past THREE days. THREE!! I was told it might have to do with my excessive use of the computer, my poor eyesight, and my use of contacts. There’s been a lot of: “Don’t use the computer for a couple days” and “Wear your glasses instead”, which has kept me from posting anything. But now that it is going down, I made sure to log back on…

Which makes me think: sure, there are a lot of problems associated with using electronics for too long, but as the world advances, electronics become a bigger part of our lives. Need to check the new? I log on to the internet. Emails? Internet. Music? Computer or iPod. Call someone? Cellphone. So many aspects of our lives are digital, that you wonder what would happen to us if we had to go without them—like when the power goes out, or when you travel to remote places.

Have we become too dependent on these virtual outlets? And if so, can we really do anything about it? In the end, no matter how much one might criticize media and technology, I think we’ve gone so far that there might not be a way to turn back. What do you think?

Because I spent all of high school playing the violin in the orchestra, most of my friends played some sort of instrument—whether it be string or band instrument (lots of clarinets). I enjoyed the violin only at the beginning, but towards the end my love for the instrument had drastically declined and I wasn’t quite as dedicated as someone who enjoyed it more.

A couple of the people that I knew—and on occasion hung out with—were the types that played several instruments (think: guitars and ukeleles at parties). They were nice people, of course, but when it came to talking music, it always felt like they thought themselves better than the less experienced. And when I started learning the guitar my senior year, I often felt myself belittled by the people who thought their skills were superior. I often think about the music world in this way. The people that finally reach a status of professional, or have simply practiced endlessly and the results show, become snobs toward the musically challenged. “Oh, you couldn’t have known, but that’s a B flat” or how about “You played it all wrong, let ME show you how it’s done” .

Of course, elitist behavior occurs in most societies, from scientists to artists, but I think we tend to forget that we all have to start from the beginning, and at that point we don’t really know much. Rather than making someone feel bad for not knowing a material (like those evil math teachers that make students feel like shit for not knowing something), isn’t it better to help and try teaching that person?

To appear as if they had simply been thrown there. No, I didn’t spend and hour arranging those books on that coffee table. And I certainly wasn’t aware that all those coffee cups were so strategically placed for your viewing pleasure.

I always thought some decorators were simply geniuses when it came to deceiving people into thinking little effort was placed in arrangements and whatnot. I think every time I attempted to do it, it looked rather lame and forced.

Of course, it still looks forced, and maybe lame, but little by little I’m figuring out the art of the effortless.

And even if it does look weird, I still get some interesting shots out of them. And because I have been obsessed with the Polaroid edits on my cellphone, I have been turning almost every picture I take into a polaroid.

I stumbled upon this in the “Go to Japan” section at World Market, during a quest to find chocolates for my cousin’s birthday. This one had milk in it, and it was pretty good, and let’s not forget that it was cheaper than buying a Starbucks iced coffee from Jewel.

Behold my hairy arm! Though I HAVE seen much hairier arms, and it’s only because I have brown hair and that is obviously a closeup picture…

Anywho, I stumbled upon the Bahia bracelet during my trip to Cuba, and I instantly wanted one for myself once I got to the US. Alas, the only hope was the internet, and somehow that just felt completely wrong. Then today, during an impromptu trip to Macy’s (Thank you for having that whole Brasil thing going) I found these in a little bucket on a side table. SUCCESS!

The story with these is that you tie it wherever you want, and tie it three times (knots). With every knot, you make a wish, and it is said that once it falls off on its own, the wishes will come true [More here: http://bahiabands.com/ ]

Might just be superstition, but the spirit of it applies even if you don’t believe. After all, the first step is dreaming and wishing for something to happen.

I tried finding some sparklers at the Jewel by my house, but only found pop-its. But yesterday, after going on a quest with a friend to Walmart, we succeeded in buying a crapload of sparklers!! Which goes to show you that you really can find just about anything at a Walmart.

So we had a little party in my driveway and went through 11 boxes of sparklers! Great night!   

                             (Picture made with Apict App for Windows Phones)

I think it was around this time last year, or maybe two years ago (I forget now) that I painted a tree on my bedroom wall. I didn’t ask anyone if I was allowed to draw on my walls, and instead locked myself in with water colors and a faint idea of what I was doing.

I’m not a painter. But drawing trees had become a pastime. So I painted it. And when I was done, I have to admit I was rather proud. In fact, I thought that maybe it was even beautiful. And it had stood there on my wall, greeting me in the mornings and every time I would enter the room. The painting was in fact rather large and occupied a good enough size of one of my walls. That’s how it was for who knows how long. And this morning, I wiped it away. My room is being remodeled, and that means painting the walls, too.

I admit it was a bit sad watching the colors drip down my wall. All that is left is a stain on the wall, and the faint image of the pencil marks outlining the branches and the trunk.

But in the end, I think it is important to change one’s life every once in a while. I got so accustomed to having it look one way, but the time came when I had to move forward. Sometimes we get so comfortable in our daily lives and we forget that life moves on and things need to change—evolve. We become to attached to things that could so easily disappear. So I took it off as a way of telling myself that I wasn’t afraid to start clean. After all, this just means that soon there will be a new wall and new possibilities.

The hardest part about working out isn’t the actual working out—not for me, anyway. No, the hardest part is getting your ass out of bed and putting out your workout clothes. By nature, I am not a morning person, so waking up early in the morning to hit the gym or doing yoga can be a bit of a challenge.

Where does the motivation come from? I don’t really know. But often times it’s someone telling me to get up and get dressed. And once the annoyance passes and I stopped being pissed at whoever woke me up, I appreciate them. It’s not always an easy task getting in shape, or simply staying motivated to do just about anything—like studying during the school year, or working on a project—but I think that’s why it’s always nice to have someone getting you out of bed, keeping you on your toes. The buddy system works wonders!

So, who/what keeps you motivated?