Good evening my dear readers! I hope you are all doing well as I am slowly but surely keeping up my resolution to write a little everyday, and lo and behold, today is a blog day. Since I haven't posted anything literary in a while, I thought it was due time to make a few suggestions.
In the past 20 days of my Christmas break (which will be complete this Sunday), I have managed to read and complete 4 books. Though not all of them were large, they were all quite different and allowed me to indulge in the hobby I had so long left aside because of my work (both for school and my job). I've gotten to a point in my life where I do not hold prejudices over certain genre of books. I've started to read more non-fiction and I have to admit that not all of it is as horrible as I thought. Some of them are quite insightful and others are just funny (whether its so bad its funny, or just plain old funny). I've been able to read a number of stories last semester for my classes since I had quite the variety of English classes, and with my final semester coming up, I am not going to run out of things to read any time soon. The struggle with that is figuring out what books I ship back home up north and which to keep since I will have no time to read for fun, and only four more months to go before all of this is finished. That is also the reason why I took advantage of some time off to knock off a few titles from my "to read" list.
The four books I read are as follow: "Letters to Father Christmas" by J.R.R. Tolkien, "If This Isn't Nice, What Is?" by Kurt Vonnegut, "You Get So Alone" by Charles Bukowski and finally "Just Say It!" by Dr. Cheryl Bauman. This has to be the most diverse selection of books I've ever read in a short amount of time. I have started a fifth book, "The Wolf Wilder" by Katherine Rundell, but I doubt that I will have the time to finish it since almost every free moment of my time has been set aside for some purpose until 10:00pm on Sunday night. I'll be looking forward to April 28th, since that will be the official first day of my summer and therefore, the open realm of possibilities for reading material.
It may seem like I'm overcompensating for a lack of choice literature throughout the year, and you are absolutely right. Despite everything else, I love my program, but I also love that I'll be done shortly. The things that I learned not only helped me grow as a person, but it lead me to the opportunities I needed to get where I wanted to be. So feel free to binge read a number of books during your free time my dearest readers because you honestly don't know when you'll have the chance to sit and read next!
K.P.H.
Friday, 8 January 2016
Sunday, 3 January 2016
Laughter: Inevitable Fall
Good afternoon dear readers! I'm still under the impression that it is morning since I feel like I've already accomplished so much today! It is a beautiful (yet cold) winter day, perfect for outdoor activities. I don't always take advantage of a beautiful day, but when I do, I have a funny story to tell after.
I woke up around 8:00am this morning since my mother, father and myself had planned to leave at 9:00am to go cross country skiing before most of the city would wake up. I was super excited since I hadn't been cross country skiing in a while, since we usually go downhill because there's usually enough snow and time to go. However, we've only had a good amount of snow in the past week really, so we decided to go cross country skiing instead. I put on all of my clothes, got in the car, and we went on a drive to the nearest trails. As my mother got our passes, I started to finish suiting up and snap my boots into their bindings. I am lucky enough to get my mom's old skis, my dad's old boots, and my brother's old pants and jacket since as a student, any bargain (especially when you manage to save all of your money) is a great bargain.
So with everyone ready and a piercing cold wind whipping against our faces, we decided to head into the trails before we changed our minds. Since there wasn't a lot of snow, we had to be careful on what side of the trail we stayed on so that the tracks were still formed and visible. We did the 5km run, climbing up small and medium hills, gently gliding through the trees and squinting when the sun came out through the clouds and hit the bright white snow. I was finally getting into the groove of things when a couple of regulars were catching up with us. We let the first pass us while the other was hanging back a little. One of the women at the lodge has warned us about one specific hill, (and I managed to go down that one without a problem) but it was a smaller hill with a curve in it that I (and only I) took my inevitable fall. Have you ever started something and realized that mid-way through that it wasn't so much of a good idea anymore? Well, that was me. I didn't have a choice as to which trail to take since the right side had just been levelled by the groomer, so I had to stick to the right as I came down the hill. I tried bracing myself, but I also had my mom's old poles which were just a little too short, and unfortunately a little too late as my right ski drifted out of the flattened out track and started to split. Instead of ripping my pants, I took settled on the tumble and fall approach. Little did I know that at the very moment, the person who was hanging back this whole time was conveniently right next to my mom at the top of the hill to witness what not to do.
I guess you do live and learn, and despite everything, I never quit, I didn't really get hurt, and now I'll just be praying for more snow so that the tracks are deeper and the trails a little fluffier to cushion my fall. So I guess there's a silver lining in all. Sometimes dear readers, you keep going because you have to, and other times you keep going because you want to, but it is always important that in every situation, you keep moving because everything else around won't wait for you.
K.P.H.
I woke up around 8:00am this morning since my mother, father and myself had planned to leave at 9:00am to go cross country skiing before most of the city would wake up. I was super excited since I hadn't been cross country skiing in a while, since we usually go downhill because there's usually enough snow and time to go. However, we've only had a good amount of snow in the past week really, so we decided to go cross country skiing instead. I put on all of my clothes, got in the car, and we went on a drive to the nearest trails. As my mother got our passes, I started to finish suiting up and snap my boots into their bindings. I am lucky enough to get my mom's old skis, my dad's old boots, and my brother's old pants and jacket since as a student, any bargain (especially when you manage to save all of your money) is a great bargain.
So with everyone ready and a piercing cold wind whipping against our faces, we decided to head into the trails before we changed our minds. Since there wasn't a lot of snow, we had to be careful on what side of the trail we stayed on so that the tracks were still formed and visible. We did the 5km run, climbing up small and medium hills, gently gliding through the trees and squinting when the sun came out through the clouds and hit the bright white snow. I was finally getting into the groove of things when a couple of regulars were catching up with us. We let the first pass us while the other was hanging back a little. One of the women at the lodge has warned us about one specific hill, (and I managed to go down that one without a problem) but it was a smaller hill with a curve in it that I (and only I) took my inevitable fall. Have you ever started something and realized that mid-way through that it wasn't so much of a good idea anymore? Well, that was me. I didn't have a choice as to which trail to take since the right side had just been levelled by the groomer, so I had to stick to the right as I came down the hill. I tried bracing myself, but I also had my mom's old poles which were just a little too short, and unfortunately a little too late as my right ski drifted out of the flattened out track and started to split. Instead of ripping my pants, I took settled on the tumble and fall approach. Little did I know that at the very moment, the person who was hanging back this whole time was conveniently right next to my mom at the top of the hill to witness what not to do.
I guess you do live and learn, and despite everything, I never quit, I didn't really get hurt, and now I'll just be praying for more snow so that the tracks are deeper and the trails a little fluffier to cushion my fall. So I guess there's a silver lining in all. Sometimes dear readers, you keep going because you have to, and other times you keep going because you want to, but it is always important that in every situation, you keep moving because everything else around won't wait for you.
K.P.H.
Friday, 1 January 2016
Love: Happy New Year!!!
Good evening my dearest readers and happy new year!!! The new year brings with it new resolutions and many bets as to see how long they will last. A new year brings people together and helps others decide who can be left alone. It's a time to make decisions and a time to get a new outlook on life. I, my dear readers, am no exception to this.
I woke up early this morning, after going to bed late (or quite earlier this morning), to then drive home and start off the day with my family. We've got a day of relaxation planned but, also a day of chores and work. My family has a tradition where we believe that whatever you do on the first day of the year will set the tone for the rest of the year. We make sure to wear one new piece of clothing so that we are financially in the Black, we put on clean sheets on the beds and vacuum the house so that we are not messy throughout the year, and we decide what kind of past times we will dedicate our time to. I've chosen to write (not only on the blog but one of my own stories as well), to play guitar, to read and to colour. As a family, we are having dinner together and we've selected a board game to play afterwards. I've talked to the rest of my family, and certain of my friends as well, and wished them well. It may seem like a strange tradition, but it is one that motivates us throughout the year.
The new year is also a time to get motivated to get more out of life; new year equals new possibilities. For roughly three years, my mother has started up a habit where she must do something she has never done every single day. Whether this means going to one of her favourite restaurants at a different time of day with someone new, or to go on a different trip, or read a book she has yet picked up, this allows her to take full advantage of her life. She also keeps track of the new things she's done and writes it down in a journal. Every once in a while, she'll let us know what we were doing one, two, or three years ago on that very same day. The way I remind myself that I've got a great life and encourage myself to do something different and to try new things is by listing off every night before I go to bed what I am grateful for in my life. Because it is my mother who told me that she heard this statement once: "What if you woke up this morning with only the things you were grateful for?" and from that moment I've been keeping track as well. It made me sad to think that many people would wake up with nothing, and I promised myself that I would never be one of those people. That is one resolution that I make every year and that I've been able to keep.
So I challenge you my dearest readers, just as I am challenging myself, to make this year as memorable as you can, to live it as if it is your last because you never know when that will turn out to be true. Time may seem to blur together, and life may fall short of a dull routine but you'd be surprised to feel like "nothing has changed, yet everything is different." -Jean-Paul Sartre
K.P.H.
I woke up early this morning, after going to bed late (or quite earlier this morning), to then drive home and start off the day with my family. We've got a day of relaxation planned but, also a day of chores and work. My family has a tradition where we believe that whatever you do on the first day of the year will set the tone for the rest of the year. We make sure to wear one new piece of clothing so that we are financially in the Black, we put on clean sheets on the beds and vacuum the house so that we are not messy throughout the year, and we decide what kind of past times we will dedicate our time to. I've chosen to write (not only on the blog but one of my own stories as well), to play guitar, to read and to colour. As a family, we are having dinner together and we've selected a board game to play afterwards. I've talked to the rest of my family, and certain of my friends as well, and wished them well. It may seem like a strange tradition, but it is one that motivates us throughout the year.
The new year is also a time to get motivated to get more out of life; new year equals new possibilities. For roughly three years, my mother has started up a habit where she must do something she has never done every single day. Whether this means going to one of her favourite restaurants at a different time of day with someone new, or to go on a different trip, or read a book she has yet picked up, this allows her to take full advantage of her life. She also keeps track of the new things she's done and writes it down in a journal. Every once in a while, she'll let us know what we were doing one, two, or three years ago on that very same day. The way I remind myself that I've got a great life and encourage myself to do something different and to try new things is by listing off every night before I go to bed what I am grateful for in my life. Because it is my mother who told me that she heard this statement once: "What if you woke up this morning with only the things you were grateful for?" and from that moment I've been keeping track as well. It made me sad to think that many people would wake up with nothing, and I promised myself that I would never be one of those people. That is one resolution that I make every year and that I've been able to keep.
So I challenge you my dearest readers, just as I am challenging myself, to make this year as memorable as you can, to live it as if it is your last because you never know when that will turn out to be true. Time may seem to blur together, and life may fall short of a dull routine but you'd be surprised to feel like "nothing has changed, yet everything is different." -Jean-Paul Sartre
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Laughter: Quarter-Life Crisis
Good morning my dearest readers and how I've missed your company. I will outright admit that my absence is my fault, and mine alone. This summer was a little more than I expected in regards to the amount of work I needed to undertake while I was just scrapping by with my workload this past semester. However, I am now free (which was a feeling I seriously thought I wasn't going get ever again) and I am taking this opportunity to try to pick up my habit of writing in the blog once more. I've had some committed fans that have been checking the blog every single day since I've started, so I truly hope that it will be a comforting surprise to them this morning to know of my new resolve.
Contrary to the title of this entry, this year is the first year of my university degree where I haven't questioned what I've wanted to do. I surprisingly have great confidence that I will make it somehow in the cut-throat (more like paper cut) industry of publishing. It's one of those rare occasions where what you look like doesn't matter as long as you can write what others cannot. And being bilingual (which is such a big bonus, yet a curse in itself every once in a while), I sometimes can express myself well in both languages, while other times both languages come together to make a big puddle of incomprehension.
Now what the title of the entry really refers to was the slightest change in my world of concrete truths. I am a person who does not do well with change (though I'm sure I am not the only one) and when the simplest of things change, the bigger things in my life get questioned. What's really funny for me is that this change took place with one of my preferences rather than with a foundational part of my personality. Yes, I still want to be an author, no, I'm not experimenting with my sexuality, yes, I still want to travel and no, I'm not running away to join the circus. The change that took place is this: my favourite colour changed from blue to dark green. YES, THAT IS THE CHANGE THAT HAS CAUSED ME TO QUESTION THE BIGGER PICTURE. You're probably laughing thinking, this isn't something to be worked up about, but it was (and still is) a big thing for me. Growing, I never changed my mind on the one thing that kids change theirs every single day.
I loved BLUE when I liked turtles instead of dogs in the 5th grade. I liked BLUE when I liked Alex instead of Zach in grade 8. I liked BLUE when I went to the high school at the top of the hill while all of my friends went to the one at the bottom of the hill. And I liked BLUE when I left home for Ottawa to go to university. And now as I'm starting my last year of university and getting ready to enter the work world (one of the biggest changes that will take place in my life), I'm too busy trying to understand why I love DARK GREEN instead of my comforting and constant BLUE.
I guess it's a mystery I will gladly accept as I try to focus on more pressing matters (though it does seem like a crucial existential question that needs to be answered). And I guess that if I was going to experience a life crisis (though not everyone will agree that this is something that can be classified as a crisis), it could be a LOT worse than a shift in favourite colours. At least my parents can sleep a little better at night knowing that this is (hopefully) the worse that will come out of this. As Mary Shelley said "nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change," so maybe, just maybe my dearest readers, I'll make it out of this crisis with a sound mind and a new outlook on life!
K.P.H.
Contrary to the title of this entry, this year is the first year of my university degree where I haven't questioned what I've wanted to do. I surprisingly have great confidence that I will make it somehow in the cut-throat (more like paper cut) industry of publishing. It's one of those rare occasions where what you look like doesn't matter as long as you can write what others cannot. And being bilingual (which is such a big bonus, yet a curse in itself every once in a while), I sometimes can express myself well in both languages, while other times both languages come together to make a big puddle of incomprehension.
Now what the title of the entry really refers to was the slightest change in my world of concrete truths. I am a person who does not do well with change (though I'm sure I am not the only one) and when the simplest of things change, the bigger things in my life get questioned. What's really funny for me is that this change took place with one of my preferences rather than with a foundational part of my personality. Yes, I still want to be an author, no, I'm not experimenting with my sexuality, yes, I still want to travel and no, I'm not running away to join the circus. The change that took place is this: my favourite colour changed from blue to dark green. YES, THAT IS THE CHANGE THAT HAS CAUSED ME TO QUESTION THE BIGGER PICTURE. You're probably laughing thinking, this isn't something to be worked up about, but it was (and still is) a big thing for me. Growing, I never changed my mind on the one thing that kids change theirs every single day.
I loved BLUE when I liked turtles instead of dogs in the 5th grade. I liked BLUE when I liked Alex instead of Zach in grade 8. I liked BLUE when I went to the high school at the top of the hill while all of my friends went to the one at the bottom of the hill. And I liked BLUE when I left home for Ottawa to go to university. And now as I'm starting my last year of university and getting ready to enter the work world (one of the biggest changes that will take place in my life), I'm too busy trying to understand why I love DARK GREEN instead of my comforting and constant BLUE.
I guess it's a mystery I will gladly accept as I try to focus on more pressing matters (though it does seem like a crucial existential question that needs to be answered). And I guess that if I was going to experience a life crisis (though not everyone will agree that this is something that can be classified as a crisis), it could be a LOT worse than a shift in favourite colours. At least my parents can sleep a little better at night knowing that this is (hopefully) the worse that will come out of this. As Mary Shelley said "nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change," so maybe, just maybe my dearest readers, I'll make it out of this crisis with a sound mind and a new outlook on life!
K.P.H.
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Literature : I Promise Myself
Good morning dearest readers. I know it's been quite some time and I fear that this is a pattern that will be repeated often this year. I'm off to Manitoulin Island very soon and I hope that the trip will restore (or at least reboot) my creativity. In the meanwhile, I thought you'd like to read a poem that inspires me constantly. Maybe it will set you on the right path, or at least point you in a better direction.
I Promise Myself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature I meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the pressure of trouble.
My attitude… is my life.
K.P.H.
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