Stranger

A stranger walked

into a dark, crowded

blank space

overflowing

with emptiness.

He knew everything

of the world,

he knew it all,

But where was he now?

He shouted out

to anyone

and no one,

only to be struck

with the shrill sound

of his own voice.

Consumed

by madness,

he collapsed

into a vortex

of shadows.

A stranger

to his own heart;

he knew

nothing of himself.

2012 Book List!

I've been trying to encourage myself to read more often and pick up a book instead of turning on the television so often, so here's a list of 10 books I definitely want to read this year! I am actually ashamed that I have not read some of these already, but I am determined to finally start/finish them. :)

1. The Help
2. Water for Elephants
3. The Hobbit (a must read before the movie comes out! Already started it :3)
4. Fight Club
5. Choke
6. The Hunger Games
7. War Horse
8. An Elephant in the Garden
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
10. Gone With the Wind (on my bucket list to read and complete)

Reading can be a challenge in college when there are so many assigned readings, projects and papers that constantly keep me busy. I've been thinking about buying a Kindle lately, but I haven't decided. I'm a fan of books and the way books feel, so a Kindle might rid me of that pleasure.
Regardless of busy college life, hopefully I can find time to sit down and relax with a book that I want to read every once in a while!

How to conquer disappointment

It's no fun to look back at a year and think about how many times that you've been let down and how many times a simple disappointment is the cause of so much frustration and sorrow. I've done a lot of thinking today about how this new year needs to be different from that, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts about how disappointments can be overcome.

So with anything I start thinking about, I always look at quotes about it to see what other people have said. After reading many quotes about disappointment, I came to a conclusion that with disappointment, there is a big question that you need to ask yourself. Is the disappointment worth the pain or suffering? Should you learn how to let go of the disappointment, or hold on with the hope that things will get better? Depending on the situation, some would agree to the latter. Sometimes people choose to be hopeful because they want something or someone to change. They want things to get better. They hope these things, but there is no certainty that this hope will destroy their disappointment. Hoping can lead to even more disappointment, perhaps an even bigger disappointment than the first. Instead of constantly wanting something to change and hoping it will, sometimes it is better to come to the realization that the disappointment is not worth it. Moving on can be the best thing for someone dealing with disappointment, and this is coming from someone who has always hoped things would get better.

Some people may disagree with me and say that this is wrong. Perhaps it is in some situations, but having hope for something or someone to change is setting yourself up for even more disappointment. Instead of hoping for disappointment to fade, you can be a stronger person by actually coming to terms with the disappointment and doing something else to get over your sadness instead of sitting around, hoping that your disappointments will eventually fade away.

Resolutions for the New Year (plus some bonus inspiration!)

In case you haven't noticed from previous blog posts, I am an avid fan of making lists. I'm convinced that it has something to do with my anxiety and keeping me sane. Regardless of that, I have really grown to love writing them, so here's another list of mine that I plan to print out and stick to for the new year of 2012. Some of these resolutions are also bucket list items, but I try to challenge myself every year to do anything (and everything) on my bucket list. Might as well, right? :)

1. Attend Red Hot Chili Peppers concert (already planned)
2. Attend other awesome concerts
3. Stop walking on tiptoes
4. See a chiropractor about back problems
5. Meet new people (always an easy one to cross off!)
6. Get more sleep (we'll see about this one... haha)
7. Start Etsy shop for my crocheted projects
8. Get a new piercing (most likely another ear piercing)
9. Turn 21 :D
10. Go to a karaoke bar
11. Get a coffee table for my living room
12. Meet someone famous (it could happen!)
13. Go on a spontaneous road trip
14. Get scholarship monies
15. Learn how to play an instrument/relearn how to play violin
16. Make more playlists
17. Eat healthier and drink more water
18. Go to the gym often
19. Rock climb more often (this is a must!)
20. Become satisfied with my wardrobe
21. Watch Community and become addicted
22. Watch Star Trek and become addicted
23. Grow a pair and actually do the polar plunge
24. Have an adventurous spring break
25. Try something new/become more cultured
26. Become more prepared for the zombie apocalypse (you never know)
27. Read more books! (You'll most likely be seeing a book list posted on here very soon)
28. Be more carefree and less anxious
29. Take a women's defense class
30. Buy a typewriter (I actually might buy one before the year starts!)

There's definitely more I could add, but these are the ones that came to mind. There's a lot on this list, some of which are out of my control (such as number 12), but let's see how much of it I can actually accomplish!

While every year has its ups and downs, I think it's those very ups and downs that make us who we are. They form us into stronger people and help us on the way to finding our true selves. Bad things may happen to us and sometimes all we can see are the bad things that cloud our happiness, but we must realize that the bad things are simply bumps in the road. They're hard to get over, but once you've surpassed them, you're one step closer to where you want to be, metaphorically speaking. We must cherish the great things that happen to us and look forward to both the expected and unexpected moments in life, whether they are good or bad. I see this new year as a fresh start for myself and I have a feeling that it has a lot of great things in store for me. And with that, here is a quote for you all to think about as you ring in the new year. Cheers, fellow blog readers! :)

"Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties."
- Helen Keller

Movies I'm excited to see when released:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

War Horse

The Secret World of Arriety

Marvel's The Avengers

Mirror Mirror

Brave

The Amazing Spiderman

The Dark Knight Rises

Frankenweenie
The Hobbit

Monsters University

Arrested Development movie (whenever that happens!)

Overcoming sadness

Since I've been quite lonely and a bit sad lately, I thought it appropriate to share some of my wisdom, or wisdom of others, rather.
I've discovered that picking myself back up from a collision of unfortunate life events can be a difficult and a rather frustrating process. It's hard to sort all of my feelings and make sense of what is going on in my life, and it's even harder to come to terms with the fact that the sorting takes time.

I've also found it challenging to describe how I really feel to others, not to mention to myself. I've been looking up so many quotes to help me with my sadness as well as my anxiety as a result of my depression, and it's surprisingly comforting to read what other people say about heartache and feeling lost or unsure. Reading quotes makes me feel a lot less lonely and also less stressed out; it gives me comfort to know that others have gone through similar hard times and they've made it through.
A lot of the quotes I am sharing are sad, but they are also beautifully said. I feel as though the best way to overcome sadness sometimes requires the truthful, albeit heavyhearted words to help with healing the parts of the heart that are still hurting.

Sometimes two people need to step apart
and make a space between
that each might see the other anew,
in a glance across a room
or silhouetted against the moon.
-Robert Brault

People change and forget to tell each other.  
-Lillian Hellman

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.  
-Flavia Weedn

Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.  
-Author Unknown

“I'm not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.”

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” 

“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever.”
“I don’t feel very much like Pooh today," said Pooh.  "There there," said Piglet. "I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do.” 
-A.A. Milne
(All A.A. Milne quotes are amazing and make me smile.)

I know that life has it's rough patches and that I'll feel like myself again eventually. I can at least say that I'm lucky to be with family that I love and care about around the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas time!
I hope everyone gets to be with the ones they love, and if you're not yet, get there soon! In the meantime, let them know how much you love them, because one can never tell when someone may need to hear it. :)

Top 10 Christmas Movies!

As Christmas slowly is coming upon us, I thought I'd share my top 10 favorite favorite films to watch during the holiday season! I seem to love a lot of the old classics, so you've been warned. :)

10. Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
 This movie makes it at number 10, because... you caught me again, I admire Tim Burton's work. It's more of a Halloween movie rather than a Christmas movie, but I still love watching this around Christmas time anyway.

9. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
I love watching this with my family. It's so romantic and Christmas-y all at the same time! I wanted to put it closer to the top, but I'm a sucker for the kid's movies.

8. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
I love Rudolph and his dentist elf friend, but it always made me so mad that they got made fun of throughout the entire movie. And why is that red-headed doll on the island of misfit toys?

7. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Oh, how I adore this movie. Charlie Brown is the best. The movie has the absolute BEST soundtrack that would definitely make it in my top 5 Christmas albums.

6. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
I actually just watched this movie the other night and rekindled my love for Muppets. And Michael Caine. I heard that the new Muppets movie is hilarious and I can't wait to go see it.

5. The Snowman (1982)
For those of you not familiar with this film, it is fantastic. The music and art combination is gorgeous and I absolutely love it. For those of you who were not fortunate enough to watch this movie, you can watch it on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?src_vid=PeVaj4zkWy0&v=h7iTKVMA8MA&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_63308

4. Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
I love this version of the Christmas Carol, mainly because I love Mickey Mouse. I always watched it as a kid and loved seeing all of my favorite classic Disney characters in a Christmas movie.

3. Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
Not many people know about this movie, but it is one of my all-time favorites. I'll add a link for this movie as well, but the story is beautifully told. Nestor is the cutest!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2165&feature=iv&src_vid=LmSvoyIit7I&v=-d_ByKm8jVY

2. Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Dr. Seuss has stolen my heart with this Christmas classic. Every year I look forward to watching this with my family! The Grinch will forever be known as the nastiest and most creative Christmas villain.

1. Elf (2003)
Finally, number ONE! I can't get enough of this movie. Will Ferrell is a comedic genius with his character, Buddy in this hilarious Christmas movie.
"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup."

And that's it! I hope that this list has brought you early holiday cheer and I also hope that I've introduced you all to some new Christmas favorites.