Oct 29, 2012

Oh, October!

{song links: Today, The A Team, Center of It}

october, for me, was much better than september. there's just been so many things happening and so many more opportunities to see God's greatness. there were answered prayers, good (and bad) times with friends and new life lessons to learn. i've really been blessed in countless ways. i have everything to be grateful for.
speaking of God's greatness, today is my birthday. i'm still in that phase where turning another year older hasn't fully hit me in the face yet. my birthday has been amazing, though. i played laser tag and had snowball fights with some friends. epic.
also, The Mark of Athena and Shatterproof are awesome.
Captain America makes me want to watch The Avengers again. i love marvel.
i cannot get over how awesome "Today" by Newworldson is. i've played it about a hundred times already.
anyway, october has been marvellous. november, let's hope you are too.


{PS Is it just me or do all my photos look a little low-quality? Is there any way to improve this?}

Oct 26, 2012

The Day is Done


The day is done, and the darkness

Falls from the wings of Night, 

As a feather is wafted downward

From an eagle in his flight.

I see the lights of the village 

Gleam through the rain and the mist, 

And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me, 

That my soul cannot resist:

A feeling of sadness and longing, 

That is not akin to pain, 

And resembles sorrow only 

As the mist resembles the rain.

Come, read to me some poem, 

Some simple and heartfelt lay, 

That shall soothe this restless feeling, 

And banish the thoughts of day.

Not from the grand old masters, 

Not from the bards sublime, 

Whose distant footsteps echo

Through the corridors of Time.

For, like strains of martial music, 

Their mighty thoughts suggest

Life's endless toil and endeavor; 

And to-night I long for rest.

Read from some humbler poet, 

Whose songs gushed from his heart, 

As showers from the clouds of summer, 

Or tears from the eyelids start;

Who, through long days of labor, 

And nights devoid of ease,

Still heard in his soul the music 

Of wonderful melodies.

Such songs have power to quiet 

The restless pulse of care, 

And come like the benediction

That follows after prayer.

Then read from the treasured volume

The poem of thy choice, 

And lend to the rhyme of the poet 

The beauty of thy voice.

And the night shall be filled with music

And the cares that infest the day, 

Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,

And as silently steal away.

Did you read all that? If you're like me, you probably just skimmed through the poem, only reading the words, not fully understanding them. Well, if you're like me, I suggest you go back and read it again. Letter by letter. Absorb it. Cogitate about it. Digest it. See the images form in your mind. Done? Okay.

This poem is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and I love it. It's funny because I was never really into poems, only because I thought it was for old and/or melancholy people. That is, until I actually tried reading and writing poetry for school. And now I can say that I am an old and melancholy poetry geek. :P

Anyway, about this specific poem. I like the little part in stanzas seven and eight about the humble poet "who, through long days of labor, and nights devoid of ease, still heard in his soul the music of wonderful melodies." I think he sets a great example. Too many people today have let themselves be weighed down by negativity, and it’s a sad thing because they focus on the bad things around them and miss out on the good things. I wanted to share this poem because it reminded me to appreciate the wonderful things in life and, in doing so, to bless others. It encouraged me a whole lot, and I just hope it encourages you too.

Have a good weekend!

Oct 21, 2012

On the Blogging Adventure

I was challenged by Arielle from Spaceship to Infinity!
{You should check out her blog. Her talent in drawing is astounding!}


The rules of the challenge: 
You need to draw something to give tips to new bloggers or old ones who want to hear new tips.
You can also challenge other blogger friends to do this!
It can be made online.
You can challenge as many bloggers as you can!


Those I challenge:
Anyone and everyone! If you like this idea, feel free to do it yourself. Put your own spin on it, even.


Here's what I say about this adventure called blogging:


Give your best.
Don't settle for a so-so blog. Strive for excellence! Give your all in everything that you post. It really makes a difference.

Find your niche.
In the dictionary's words, find your place or function in the blogging world. What's your purpose in blogging? What is your blog about? (Please be more specific than "This blog is about my life. Period.") Find something that gives you an edge.

Explore & expand. 
Widen your interests. Do something you don't often do or something you've never tried before. Your creative, adventurous self will thank you for it.

Be authentically you.
So you've strived for excellence, but you still made a couple of mistakes here and there. Don't beat yourself up over it! Part of being yourself is accepting your mistakes. Learn from them and carry on with your life.

And last but not least, enjoy the ride!

Oct 16, 2012

The Call


{A post in which I attempt the art of poetry.}
{Also, please excuse the lack of images. I think your imaginations would better capture the scene.}


the plummeting drops
grew louder and louder;
we listened for the call.
crash!

faces lit up, we ran to greet
the cool showers.
arms spread out,
eyes laughing,
we ran and ran and ran,
kicking waves of water,
breathing in the chilly air.

 the rain and the thunder
were our orchestra,
the soundtrack to those memories.
our laughter filled the empty streets.
we were innocent.
 we were carefree.

the wind enveloped us;
the cool drops lingered on our skin
until the music faded
and the clouds disappeared.

as the sun shone
on our rain-soaked grins,
we headed back
with smiles that shouted
with a last hurrah,
waiting for the call to sound again.

Oct 6, 2012

From a Writer


I was awarded by Jodie from Heart Strings! :)


The rules:
1) You must award 10-15 bloggers.
2) If you got awarded, you need to award other bloggers too.
3) You need to post a little bit of information about your blog.

The info:
I blog about art, words, photography, my faith, and life in general. I'm still in the process of finding my own voice and niche in blogging but my main reason for this blog is to inspire you. I want to encourage you to make something new. I want you to reach out to others and to do something nice for somebody else today. I want you to stop and look back but to keep moving forward too. I want you to remember your life's purpose. I want you to grow in your relationship with the Lord and live the very best that you can in such a way that, when it all comes down to the end of this lifetime, you will hear those glorious words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." I hope that, through my life documented in this blog, I might inspire you to do all these things and make your own footprints on the moon.

Those I award (in no particular order):
2) C. C. Shoshanah from My Midnight Melody
4) Ate Alyssa from Treasure of Jade
6) Sarah Michelle from Radiant Joy
7) Miss Dashwood from The Quest For Stories
9) Jocee from Cupcake Dictionary
10) Lacey from Lacey's Blog

Thus concludes this post. Thanks again for the award, Jodie, and congratulations to those who have now been awarded. :)

Oct 5, 2012

Storyteller: An Awakened Passion

{A post in which I attempt the art of descriptive phrases, "the feeling of being rained upon and not the fact that it's raining," and all that writing whatnot. I'm not good at this sort of stuff yet, but everyone's got to start somewhere, right?}

{Photo source: 1}

The old man dipped the brush into a colour. With a flourish and the steadiness of years of experience, he lifted the brush. A rich, vibrant purple appeared on the canvas. He switched to a new colour—a bold orange. Then streaks of yellow. Then pink. Then a calming, serene blue over it all. Dabs of white and some more blue. Despite the man’s frail appearance, his hands moved with passion and skill. I watched in awe as, slowly, the colours formed and blended beautifully—exactly the way he intended them to. A few more strokes and there it was: a dazzling summer sunset, perfectly recreated onto a simple canvas. It was a masterpiece. Right then and there, I realized that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to paint like that, to be able to breathe life into paints and brushes and make things as amazing as that sunset—maybe even more so. A new passion was awakened within me, and I swore it would never die down. It was a moment that changed me forever.