"Letters TO no one?"

I'm seriously thinking about renaming this blog to "Letters to no one" simply because I sit here writing to myself most of the time! I joke.

All jokes aside, I know I always say this, but I do want to get back into writing more often. I tend to write blogs when I seriously have nothing else to do or when I've had quite a bit of time on my hands. This happens to be the case at this very moment. I finished my exams last week and while everyone else still has some to finish off, I've been lying about at home doing nothing and enjoying a few days of freedom before I'm back to school (tomorrow) and the work load starts again. This last year in school is tough!

All the hard work and studying better pay off in the end and I'm really hoping I get the average I need to get into Queen Mary University (London). My "back-up plan" for now is the University of Nottingham because it asks for a lower average, but I'm still waiting to hear back from King's College and hopefully they'll offer me a place for a little less than QM.. I want to keep my chances of living in London relatively high! I'd be happy with any of these three Unis after all, they're all great for English so in the end I'd get a pretty good education anyway! I'm excited to study English and Spanish, especially because all the universities offer a year abroad in a Spanish speaking country and I'd love to study/work in Spain, it sounds so exciting! Meeting new people and getting to practice the language every day sounds amazing... I can hardly contain my excitement right now! The most important thing at this point is that I get to do what I love; the location comes second.

That was a bit of a pointless ramble and a terribly structured blog post! But I suppose it's better than nothing! Oh and I started reading "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov about a million years ago so I think it's about time I get back into reading it so I can finally finish it. Once again, it's what I always say because I know perfectly well that once school starts again with all the work that comes with it, I won't have the time or the will to read.

And I hate that, I really do.

That Time of Year

So it's that time of year again.

The bustle of the crowds as they do their last minute shopping in the glow of the Christmas lights hanging high above the streets. Unfortunately it doesn't feel like Christmas at all for me. School has been an absolute nightmare these past few weeks; so much so that I completely lost track of time and did not realize that the 25th of December was only a few days away! I find myself sitting on a train on my way to Kokkola from Helsinki and for the first time in 17 years (that I can remember), we landed in Finland with absolutely no sign of snow. That is reason number 1 for why it really does not feel like Christmas. Besides that, I just really haven't had the time to get into the Xmas spirit. My house has no decorations whatsoever and the first time I heard a Xmas song was yesterday.. how sad! For the first time I feel like I'm almost "too old" or "grown up" for Christmas, but that can't be possible. I get to open my presents tomorrow evening and as excited as I am to dress up and see my sister and my niece after so long, I already know half of my presents so there really isn't an element of surprise. I feel old.

Today has been an extremely exhausting and very long day (that isn't over yet), but luckily I got to see my friends Jenny and Helen in Helsinki for a couple of hours, which was great! I really have missed them. Although I wish we were in a more cheerful place; Finland is quite depressing at the moment! I had to say goodbye to them at 15.30 and it was already almost pitch dark and now I'm looking out the window on the train and all I see is the occasional street light. One whole week of this? No, thank you! Thank god there's Rihanna to cheer me up! She released her new video today! "You Da One" is out on YouTube, so check it out. I've been trying to load it for the past 20 minutes, but that's because I'm using the train's WiFi and although it's slow, it really is better than nothing.

I hope that whoever reads this has an amazing Christmas and hopefully you're more in the spirit than I am! Feel free to link me to some Xmas-y songs! Oh, and Happy 2012 as well if I don't post before then!

Ari

Books and thoughts

As I haven't taken the time to write a blog in a very long time, I thought I would take these moments of boredom/free time to write about a couple of books I recently finished reading. I suppose this will be a review of some sort, but it's mainly just my thoughts and feelings on the books and how they have affected me in some way.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar was one of those books that was lingering in the back of my mind's top shelf in the "to-read-eventually" section. I started reading the first chapter not really feeling much of a connection to what Plath was writing because normally I like to research the author before I fully immerse myself into a story. It always helps me understand it more or link various characters, details or events to the writer. But lo and behold, my book had a whole section at the back about Sylvia Plath's life and the process of writing The Bell Jar. I immediately understood that the main character, Esther Greenwood, is merely a mirror image of Plath herself. At this point the story changed immediately in my eyes and it suddenly took on a more powerful meaning. It's a relatively simple read, but the true insanity and paranoia present in Esther slowly comes forward as the story continues. As the blurb says, "Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies". I could not have summarized it any better myself. What really attracts the reader to think this way is the narrative of the book, which is written in first person, so we are experiencing every detail through Esther Greenwood's distorted view of the world. There are moments in which we see hope for her, but she can't help but wonder, "How did I know that someday - at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere - the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn't descend again?"

I don't believe Esther ever did free herself of the bell jar, she simply had moments in which she resurfaced, but soon sank back into the whirl of discomforts that came with living in her own skin. I found the book extremely powerful and compelling, but also quite harrowing. It should indeed be considered a modern classic and I recommend it to anybody who is looking for some modern and absorbing literature which will really make them think. Now that I have read the book I can place it on my "best books ever read" shelf with conviction.

"To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream."

Next Post: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

What pisses me off

No one reads blogs anymore.

Therefore, no one writes anymore.

That is why I am sad.

Long time no--write?

Why, hello there strangers!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted. I suppose I'd decided to take a break from blogging because I failed miserably at it, but now I've set myself a new goal: post at least once a week! That shouldn't be too hard..

Alright so quick update:

Still at school and everything is going fine. I'm having a bit of a crazy time with work and especially my big art project which is a self-portrait on canvas which has to be finished by monday so.. you all know what I'll be doing this week end!

Finally bought To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) as a book to read out of interest which works well with our theme in English this year: Clash of cultures. Our teacher encouraged us to do some research and reading outside school which will then help us with writing and especially in our exam. I'm already getting ideas, so I can't wait to prepare that essay. In class we're reading Maya Angelou's first book out of her six autobiographical novels. It's called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It deals with the clash of cultures in the southern states of america back in the 1930s, as does To Kill a Mockingbird. Very excited to read that.

Also, my birthday is coming up in 2 weeks! Quite excited to turn 17 and my easter holidays start a week after that and I'll be on Spring break for two weeks.

Okay, so that's just a short glimpse into my life at this very moment. I don't know if there is anybody out there who reads this, but it felt good to post something again!

Hopefully, see you next week :)

All you need is love..

"Un hombre que me quiera que me trate a su manera, de la palabras sinceras que me de la vida entera! Cómo explicar, como decirte Mira! YO te quiero, yo te adoro yo te amo, yo te anorio -yo te siento."

Inspiration

Today, I have been truly inspired by a woman who I once thought was just an eccentric, over-the-top, pop star wannabe. I recently started looking at her from a different aspect and I believe she is a smart, intelligent and extremely talented human being. Of course, I'm talking about Lady GaGa.

I was watching her interview with Alexander Fury, in which she was asked questions from celebrities and fans from all over the world. She was honest and clearly thought about exactly what she was going to say before answering. A good word to describe her answers is: complete. They were consistent and nicely thought out. GaGa's intelligence and passion as an artist really came through. It was great to see that live. You can read the transcript of the interview here.

A couple of answers she gave were really inspirational and made you think about the true meaning. Sometimes it's good to have something to think about when you're trying to figure someone out. When asked this question: With your music and aesthetic, are you another fantastic story-teller, or are you showing us what real life can be? Lady GaGa answered:

"Both. I'm telling you a lie in a vicious effort that you will repeat my lie over and over until it becomes true."

This answer was thought out and honest, I think. But what really hit me as an inspiring answer to an excellent question was this:

Q: Do you ever wish that you weren't famous?

A: I've always been famous - just nobody knew about it. Fame is on the inside. I guess you can say 'The Fame' is something I've always felt and want my fans to feel. Do I wish I wasn't famous today? No. I do wish sometimes I had more privacy, but there are sacrifices that you make. The trade off is that if I wasn't famous I wouldn't have my little monsters and I would never give that up for anything.

I'd encourage anyone to go and read the entire interview, although it is quite long. I must say it definitely changed my view on her as a person and she has opened up a lot since she first started out. I used to see her as cold and as a person who let fame take the best of her. But after today, I can see what a strong woman she is and she's managed to stay true to herself and her fans throughout. I have too many good things to say about her now, I might stop here before it gets long!

What do you think?

ari