Wisdom from Ira Glass

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

I've been doing research on goal setting and how to maintain the drive to work hard. This was very inspiring to me, both as a hard-working college student and an aspiring artist.

Awesome Week: Part I

Monday

Today, I went serious clothes shopping for the first time in a year. I really don't like shopping. Being stuck in the mall and trying on piles of clothes makes me really anxious and growly. I like to go in knowing what I want, buy it, and leave.

Somewhat reluctantly, I let my roommates steal me after school and take me to the University Mall. I was pleasantly surprised! They are incredibly efficient - they knew what would look good on me and what's in style, and so we went to three different stores and got fancy stuff for me. Two pairs of dark jeans and a black cardigan at Wet Seal. Two dresses, a sweater, a fancy top, black leggings, and fingerless gloves from Forever 21. And some black flats. And they taught me how to curl my hair! I feel so girly. And I think it might be a good thing.

Tuesday

One of my friends from blues invited me to see a movie called Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. He thought that out of his friends, I would appreciate it most. And boy did I ever. It's about a boy who lives in Canada and falls for the American delivery girl. But in order to date her, he must first defeat her seven evil exes. And it's in video game format. I was geeking out, because it pokes fun at practically every video game ever. DDR, Guitar Hero, Rockband, skating games, Mario, Zelda, Portal, you name it. It was so fantastic, and the humor was spot on. And Scott Pilgrim was played by the adorably gawky Michael Cera. ♥

The movie is based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. I did a little research, and I'm in love with his art style. Guess what I'm doodling in lecture tomorrow...

Back at BYU

Well, it's only a few weeks into the semester, and a lot has happened, both good and bad. Due to the more recent events, I've been really upset and I realized I'm not nearly as happy as I was at the beginning of last school year. I'm on a mission to get that Me back. It was that Me that attracted friends and made other people happy, and that made me happy. I was funny, silly, always found with a smile and something to talk about. Always ready for some new adventure, whether that was late-night park games or splashing in puddles with equally ridiculous friends. Now I want to find the balance of happy-friendly-fun Me and productive-scholarly Me. I know it's possible. I'm also trying to be better spiritually. I haven't been doing some of the basic things I know I should, like praying and reading my scriptures, not with real intent.

Maybe I'll be blessed with that artistic inspiration I've been missing for so long.

*So as not to seem so bleak, one of the awesome bits of news is that I got onto the 10 o'clock BYU Ballroom Team! It's an entry-level team, so we compete with each other to move up to the higher teams. BYU has five teams within the Ballroom Company, so there is plenty of room for improvement.

"Don't You Know You're Beautiful" by Seabird

Work & Play

I love finally being able to work! I've been so depressed this summer not being able to get work and make my own money. It's a wonderful feeling to be given a job and be rewarded for what you do. I work for a temp agency in Boston, and I've been assigned to do receptionist work in a couple companies so far. Though lately, since people have been going on vacation, the number of calls has been minimal. Thankfully, they allow me to surf the net and bring stuff to entertain myself. I've crocheted an iPod case, a fluffy pink yarmulke and matching coin purse (don't ask - I really don't know), and I'm in the process of making a blue teddy bear. I have his body and head done so far. He is lovingly referred to as "Frankenbear," but not due to my sloppy work. :I I've also drawn a client's cat as a thank you - I'm also pet-sitting on the side this summer for some extra cash.
I'm also FINALLY catching up on all my friends out on missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A lot of them are young men who I went to school with freshman year of college. Two of them have their moms post their emails and letters on a specific blog, Elder Rudy Wright's and Elder Jeff Powell's. I love seeing all the pictures and reading about their experiences. It really helped me catch up on their lives, and I'm writing them each a rather substantial letter, since I haven't seen either of them for about a year now. I have many other missionaries to write as well, so this is just the first batch!
Also, on Sunday, I hung out all day with my dad. We went to church in the morning, and I subbed for one of the Sunday School teachers. The kids were really good, probably because I brought four dozen freshly baked peanut butter cookies. Then we went to brunch at Mel's and made silly faces. Then we went home and watched a BBC production called Wives and Daughters and ate ice cream cake. It was glorious. And the BBC movie was incredible! We had fun pointing out all the actors we'd seen from different versions of Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Pirates of the Caribbean, and others. And the story was so beautiful! I really want to read the book now. I'm also kindof in love with the actor that played the 2005 Mr. Collins and the evil East India Trading Co. dude from Pirates. He had such a sweet, tragic character in the movie, I just can't get over it.

"Go, confront the problem, fight, WIN! And call me when you get back, dahling, I enjoy our visits."
~ Edna Mode from The Incredibles

In Which Marina Exemplifies ADD

Another week of stress-induced mayhem!

I took the physics test last week, and miraculously got a 78% overall! Huzzah! Since the class as a whole didn't do very well, he's offering a makeup test to get half our points back, and I'm definitely taking advantage of that opportunity. Today I took a Book of Mormon exam, and tomorrow I have a calculus exam and a quiz.

Last night was really wonderful! I went to Dance Lab, which was basically a huge dance in the ballroom specifically for Social Dance students. It was amazing! I've learned Foxtrot and Cha-Cha, and a little bit of swing and waltz in my class so far. My favorite by far is Cha-Cha. The whole attitude and social interaction (aka flirting) of the dance is so exciting. 

Halloween is tomorrow! I'm wearing my costume from two years ago, Jemima from the musical CATS. I'm going to wear it aaaall day. I'm really excited! I'll definitely post pictures.

 And as of now, I have three days left of my childhood before I officially become an adult. Aaah! It's a weird thought...

Randomness time!

First spotlight: Last.fm

This is an amazing site where you can make an account, and then favorite lots of artists, composers, groups, and songs you like. You can listen to full tracks up to three times. Your library of favorites becomes your own "radio station" and you can listen to all of your favorites on random as much as you want! I absolutely love it. I like to leave it on when I'm doing homework, and I've found a few new groups that I really like. For example: 

Your Vegas. This group, to me, sounds like the grandchild of Coldplay, and the child of Keane. The smooth height of the singer's voice reminds me a lot of Keane, and the calm, catchy beats in their songs are similar to Coldplay.  A few of my favorite songs are "In My Head", "Up Until the Lights Go Out", and "Troubled Times".

Another group I've discovered is Phantom Planet. I just like 'em. :3

While we're on the same note (haw haw), if you haven't seen Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, you should do so right away. Click the the link that says "watch it right now". Give yourself about 45 minutes to watch it. It's an amazing little comedic-tragedy musical that was written during the writers' strike. They wanted to make something professionally made, while still being very low budget. The songs are very catchy and funny! *sings* "With my freeze ray I will stop! the world..."

In the world of literature: 

John Green, a young adult writer, is still on his tour for his most recent novel Paper Towns. I read his other two books, An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska. I absolutely love his writing style. He expects a lot from his readers (who are generally Nerdfighters), in that he expects them to think critically and analytically about the symbolism and messages he is trying to convey. Basically, he likes his audience to be active readers. Paper Towns was #5 in the New York Times Bestselling list, and is #6 this week, in a large part due to the huge population of Nerdfighters who watch him and his brother, Hank, on their YouTube vlog Brotherhood 2.0. I'm looking forward to when I can escape campus to Borders and buy a copy! (I think I'll get one with happy Margo on it...)

DeviantArt spot!

Visit the amazing art gallery of Leonidafremov! His stunningly gorgeous work is done in oil paint in a style that he has created and practically perfected. He uses strong, bright colors in scenes that dazzle the eye and warm the heart. 

And that concludes my spazzy ramble!

Best wishes!

M Scribble