Last day at home...

After months of stress, excitement and preparation this day has finally come. Tomorrow I will be on my way to my new home in Syracuse, and I couldn't be more psyched and anxious - I say that in the best way possible. It's just time. It's time for a new beginning, a fresh start. This summer was nothing short of amazing - spending so much time with my closest friends, and exploring the world in so many different ways. I loved every second of it - except for the humidity, of course. Good thing I'm going to basically the coldest area in the northeast, it will allow me to make great use of my excessive number of scarves.

Just looking at my life in boxes and bags is so surreal, in less than 14 hours I'll be moving out and living on my own. No parents, no limitations, no safety nets. It's so exhilarating and at the same time very nerve-wracking - having to do everything for myself with no help. I think I'm ready for the challenge, it will be a good test of strength - physically, emotionally and of course, intellectually. 


I'll be sure to post up a picture or two of my new home, but for now my stuff piled in the garage will just have to suffice. Until tomorrow! 

love,

Perseid meteor shower

If you're like me, you missed this miraculous event earlier this month. Even though I was actually prepared for the meteor shower, the cloudy sky wouldn't allow me to see it. So after searching the web, I've found a great time-lapse video of the event and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Moments like this make you truly believe in something bigger than yourself.


http://vimeo.com/14173983

A childhood memory with new insight

"Alone with myself
The trees bend to caress me
The shade hugs my heart."
- Candy Polgar

On a recent adventure into memories of my early childhood, I visited the local zoo in my area with a few friends. Since I was young I've always had a wild fascination with animals - yes, I'm that person who can't help but "ooh and aww" at anything that looks remotely beautiful or adorable. Unlike the few prior visits I made to the zoo, this trip was much more profound and meaningful to me. As a child, wandering in awe at the beautiful sights of the animals was all I could do, but now instead of seeing just the animals I've come to see and sympathize with their struggles to live within an artificially created habitat. Looking at these magnificent animals all I could think was I'm so sorry. I wanted to break them out of their cages and set them all free like a naive child in her first science class. It's so sad that in the process of our own human quest for knowledge and control, we've altered the lives of so many different species. Don't get me wrong, I love learning all that I can about different animals and I know it's difficult to do that without observing them - but why can't we do that in their natural habitats? It may be more wearisome, but how would we feel if we were made to live in cages or a very limited space in order to indirectly teach another species our way of living? Despite my objections to their captivity, in a sense, I loved seeing the animals - they were all so amazing to witness up close. In addition to the wonderful animals, I came across this very large grounded tree along one of the pathways in the zoo. Its great size and protruding roots were mesmerizing - so much so I had to take a picture, I hope you enjoy it; also here are a few more photographs from the trip.

Love,

Fruit Picking!

Just recently a few of my best friends and I took a trip to a local farm, seeing as it is currently blueberry and peach picking season (oh and corn, can't forget about the discounted corn...). Amidst crowds of families and children on field trips, there we were: four young women, soon to be college freshman...despite the lack of people our own age, the experience was truly amazing and so much fun. I just thought I'd share a few pictures from our day trip for your viewing pleasure.

Yours,

Just a few fine words from a very wise man...

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.” - Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel

Late Renoir: Staggeringly Beautiful

It was a dreary Sunday morning, both gloomy and humid, when my friends and I decided to take a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the late works of Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

A self-portrait, 1897

Since I was about 13, I've had a wild fascination with art history - more specifically, the Impressionist Era. Naturally, in my perusing of countless art books filled with what seemed a limitless number of paintings, I came to love the works of Monet, Manet and most of all Renoir. There's just something about the way he painted his landscapes and most of all his women, so voluptuous and stunningly beautiful, with certain looks that brought utter fascination. I couldn't help but stare at his women and children and wonder what is she/he thinking? how does she/he feel? what is her/his story? For some reason, I felt a closeness to his subjects - like I knew them personally. Many say it is because Renoir would choose to paint his subjects doing daily activities, such as brushing their hair or reading a book. He took commonplace actions and made them a work of art. The fleshy pinks and rosy hues of his subjects, made them appear to have the greatest happiness - the kind that you don't need to speak about, but instead just follows you like an aura wherever you go. 
As I moved through the gallery, listening to audio provided by the curators, I felt a certain sense of calm - of peace. To be surrounded by such beautiful works, to wonder deeply about the lives of his subjects, to imagine the time period and visualize myself in his simple yet delicious landscapes - made me want to travel back in time so so badly. I wanted to wear the simple dresses of the women he painted, and stroll through one of the beautiful villas he captured with his meticulous paint strokes.

Reclining Nude, 1903

Renoir's method of capturing the very pure essence of each woman he painted, with such innocence and beauty, was indescribably possessing - I couldn't look away, which made it hard to progress onto the next painting. I could have stayed in that gallery forever.


Before leaving the museum, I bought a CD entitled, Renoir, landscapes and music. I've been listening to it endlessly on repeat all day. The sweet sounds of the violin, flute and grand piano brought back all of the thoughts and emotions I experienced within the walls of the exhibit. I feel so lucky to have captured a piece of that calm happiness with this CD. I will cherish it's uplifting and inspiring melodies every time I give it a listen, and I know I won't be able to help smiling for Renoir and anything inspired by his work can only bring happiness to those who understand its true beauty.

"The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself and carry you away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion. It is the current which he puts forth, which sweeps you along in his passion." - Pierre Auguste Renoir

When you least expect it, the world has a way of surprising you.

Just this past week, I submitted an entry into a local scholarship fund for Syracuse freshman. I spent two days, thinking over what I might create, what I would say and battling with the very idea that no matter what I did my entry would never be good enough. At the very last minute, well actually 50 minutes late to be exact, I sent in my submission via e-mail. I figured what's the harm in creating something that I believe in so strongly - sustaining the environment and wildlife.
Just a few days ago, to my complete surprise, I received an e-mail in reply to my submission:

Dear Christina:

It is with great pleasure, on behalf of the Syracuse University Philadelphia Alumni Club (SUPAC), to advise you that your entry submitted to the SUPAC Scholarship Fund has been selected and you have won one of the four $500 Scholarships to the Syracuse University Bookstore! 

 

Congratulations!

The second I read this, I immediately bursted into tears, so stunned and in such disbelief. All I kept saying to my mom was, "Oh my god...but, but I never win anything! I can't believe it!" Since this past Friday, which was when I received the message, I've tried to take this whole situation as a sign. That maybe, just maybe I might be cut out for this - for a life pursing my writing. As my father told me tonight, completely out of the blue while we were sitting alone in our living room watching the news and arguing about politics (nothing new, since my father is a die-hard conservative and I am quite liberal), "I think you're gonna be someone great someday. You're meant to do something great, in whatever you decide to do. I know you'll be able to hold your own with the big sharks." He said it with such confidence, as if he knew something about the future that I did not. Like the scholarship, but more so, he made me believe I could do anything. Absolutely anything. He made it seem as if the sky were limitless and all I had to do was hop on a plane and explore it to my heart's content. 

People always tell you to believe in possibilities, but no matter how hard I've tried in the past to believe that people could me different, the world could be different, I could be different...I never truly believed it. There was an aching suspicion in the back of my mind always telling me, "You can't really believe that, can you? There's no proof, no inclination that should lead you to believe this exists or that something is true. Don't believe." But now that little voice is beginning to disappear. Of course it's not going to go away cold turkey, but gradually I've begun to hear it's screeching voice less and less. I'm beginning to feel a new sense of confidence - one so freeing, that it could make you believe anything is truly possible as long as you just believe (that sounds familiar...).

So my lesson for today:

"Stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities." - Terry Josephson