I think this will be a pretty short post, just while I'm thinking about stuff. I just finished writing my other post about books, and then I got to thinking about love interests in literature and then love interests in real life...
I feel like I'm always that kind of girl, the one that guys don't really notice or pay attention to. I'm pretty shy, maybe not so much online, but I don't have a ton of friends and I mostly hang out with my family.
And I just get frustrated sometimes because so many people are in relationships or could be and they're not and I'm alone most of the time so.......
When I was little I always thought that romance would be like it is in the books, in the movies, on TV. It all appears so easy and straightforward and there are soulmates and everything makes sense.
But in real life, it's so much more complicated. You can be best friends with a guy and not know if it'll go beyond friendship, or someone likes you and you're not sure if you like him, or you like someone but you know for a fact he likes someone else who is not reciprocating, or two people like the same person, and there's no slow-motion running through a crowded hallway.
I don't want romance to be complicated. I think love should be simple, it should make sense, and it should feel right. But I haven't ever felt that so far about anyone, really.
I know I'm only 17, I've got so much time and I should just be happy being single and not worry about the future.
Sometimes I think maybe it's not romance I really want, I just don't want to be alone. I want good friendships just as much, and I don't want to be in a relationship just for the sake of being in a relationship. What's the point?
I was listening to the Gershwin song "Someone to Watch Over Me" recently and it really hits homes for me:
I'd like to add his initials to my monogram
Tell me where's the shepherd for this lost lamb
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone to watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in a wood
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Although he may not be the man some girls think of
As handsome to my heart
he carries the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh how I need
Someone to watch over me
Someone to watch over me
Okay, that's all for now! Just something I was thinking about.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
My Favourite Books
Okay, I was watching The Sound of Music recently. I know, I know. The title is cheesy.
I was asked a while ago by @DeBelle77 on Twitter to make a post about my favourite books, so here we go!
1. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) - I fell in love with this book when I had to read it in Grade 4. I love the descriptions of nature, Mary's character development, and the beautiful lessons about friendship and optimism. I've watched the movie countless times and it's still one of my favourites!
2. A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) - Okay, another book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Has anyone seen the amazing movie adaptation? Again, I really love the message about optimism and how everyone can be a "little princess" on the inside.
3. The Book Thief (Marcus Zuzak) - This was one of those books that changed me. I found the narration by Death a little freaky at first, but it totally changed my perspective on how death and war shape people. And Death is actually pretty funny! I also cried buckets, so there's that. I hear the movie is a really good adaptation, so I want to watch it soon.
4. Allegiant (Veronica Roth): I know the ending was so controversial for readers, but SPOILERS I loved Tris' sacrifice. I don't think the series could have ended any other way. She gave herself up in a perfect combination of Dauntless bravery and Abnegation selflessness. It was beautiful, and I cried. As usual, with sad books involving death. I liked the first two books as well (Divergent and Insurgent) but Allegiant really was my favourite.
5. Entwined (Heather Dixon) - This book is an adaptation of the 12 dancing sisters fairytale- I don't remember the original story too well, but this book is just so cute! Friendship, romance, dancing, magic- all the good things in life and literature.
6. Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine) - Okay, can we just talk about how perfect this book is? It won a Newbery Honour, okay? It seems inspired by Cinderella at first but it's almost unrecognizable from the original, somewhat dry fairytale. Ella is spunky and courageous and hilarious and she takes control of her own destiny. I love the character of Char (love interest) but that's hardly the focus of the story. Instead, it's about Ella finding her voice and becoming independent, by ending her curse. Ella is one of those heroines who inspires me (not to disobey my parents, or anything) but to be confident and proactive. And also not to listen to authority blindly. Gail Carson Levine has a very unique writing style, it's witty and light but sufficiently descriptive to inform the reader, yet some passages can be just as heartbreaking. Can you tell I love this book?
7. The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer)- I never really liked epistolary novels (that's what they're called, right?) until I read this book. And then, as with so many other good books about magic and romance and Regency England, I fell in love. Witty dialogue and scandalous escapades, blackmail, sorcery, and handkerchiefs.
8. I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)- A librarian recommended this to me and I really enjoyed it! It was a bit slow to start off, but it's so quirky and unusual I had to keep reading. I love hearing about how Rose and Cassandra and Topaz improvise with the few resources they have to get by- how they make a dining room table out of trestles and a door, dying things green, etc.
Let me know if you've read any of these!
Love,
Diana
I was asked a while ago by @DeBelle77 on Twitter to make a post about my favourite books, so here we go!
1. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) - I fell in love with this book when I had to read it in Grade 4. I love the descriptions of nature, Mary's character development, and the beautiful lessons about friendship and optimism. I've watched the movie countless times and it's still one of my favourites!
2. A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) - Okay, another book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Has anyone seen the amazing movie adaptation? Again, I really love the message about optimism and how everyone can be a "little princess" on the inside.
3. The Book Thief (Marcus Zuzak) - This was one of those books that changed me. I found the narration by Death a little freaky at first, but it totally changed my perspective on how death and war shape people. And Death is actually pretty funny! I also cried buckets, so there's that. I hear the movie is a really good adaptation, so I want to watch it soon.
4. Allegiant (Veronica Roth): I know the ending was so controversial for readers, but SPOILERS I loved Tris' sacrifice. I don't think the series could have ended any other way. She gave herself up in a perfect combination of Dauntless bravery and Abnegation selflessness. It was beautiful, and I cried. As usual, with sad books involving death. I liked the first two books as well (Divergent and Insurgent) but Allegiant really was my favourite.
5. Entwined (Heather Dixon) - This book is an adaptation of the 12 dancing sisters fairytale- I don't remember the original story too well, but this book is just so cute! Friendship, romance, dancing, magic- all the good things in life and literature.
6. Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine) - Okay, can we just talk about how perfect this book is? It won a Newbery Honour, okay? It seems inspired by Cinderella at first but it's almost unrecognizable from the original, somewhat dry fairytale. Ella is spunky and courageous and hilarious and she takes control of her own destiny. I love the character of Char (love interest) but that's hardly the focus of the story. Instead, it's about Ella finding her voice and becoming independent, by ending her curse. Ella is one of those heroines who inspires me (not to disobey my parents, or anything) but to be confident and proactive. And also not to listen to authority blindly. Gail Carson Levine has a very unique writing style, it's witty and light but sufficiently descriptive to inform the reader, yet some passages can be just as heartbreaking. Can you tell I love this book?
7. The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer)- I never really liked epistolary novels (that's what they're called, right?) until I read this book. And then, as with so many other good books about magic and romance and Regency England, I fell in love. Witty dialogue and scandalous escapades, blackmail, sorcery, and handkerchiefs.
8. I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)- A librarian recommended this to me and I really enjoyed it! It was a bit slow to start off, but it's so quirky and unusual I had to keep reading. I love hearing about how Rose and Cassandra and Topaz improvise with the few resources they have to get by- how they make a dining room table out of trestles and a door, dying things green, etc.
Let me know if you've read any of these!
Love,
Diana
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Piano and Poetry
Everything is back to normal! Okay, that's a huge overstatement.
My aunt Jennifer introduced me to her friend, Professor Wilson, on Wednesday. He seemed really shy and awkward at first, but when we got to the piano (a beautiful Steinway grand, I was freaking out!) he warmed up a lot. He's a very quiet, unassuming middle-aged man, he speaks softly and plays piano loudly. As my friend Anne would say, he's a kindred spirit.
It was an incredible first lesson and I can't wait for my next one. These are the pieces we chose for my exam:
1. English Suite no. 2 in A minor, Allemande and Gigue by J.S. Bach
2. Sonata in D Major, 3rd and 4th movements, by Ludwig Van Beethoven.
3. Ballade in D minor, op. 10, no. 1 by Johannes Brahms.
4. La plus que lente by Claude Debussy.
5. Sonatina in C Major, op. 13, no. 1, 2nd and 3rd movements by Dmitri Kabalevsky.
RCM stands for Royal Conservatory of Music, and their requirements for the grade 10 exam are complicated. You have to perform five pieces (one from each category), various studies (scales, chords, arpeggios, etc), and pass ear and sight reading tests. I'm not panicking.
I'm not panicking! Professor Wilson is one of the best teachers around (so Aunt Jennifer says, and I believe her). He's been teaching at the University of Regina for years now and his music class accepts only five students each year. Five. It's insane. I'm probably never going to study in his class, so I'm really taking advantage of the private lessons right now.
Now............. on the subject of how I almost lost the privilege of going to these amazing lessons, let's backtrack.
Sunday, June 29th. Poetry slam in downtown Regina with my best friend Anne.
We went to dinner with my parents (which wasn't too awkward, thankfully) and then we met my cousins downtown.
The bookstore we went to is called Athabasca Secondhand Books, it's very small but cozy. Old creaky hardwood flooring, comfortable armchairs and couches everywhere, old postcards and messages on the walls- basically paradise, or something like it.
There were probably about 30 or 40 people, there, it was packed. Like, people sharing seats packed. Anne and I got there early so we were able to get seats fairly close to the front.
I felt a bit shy around all of the university students, I'm pretty sure everyone attending was older than us. And, you know, probably more mature. Anne was bouncing off the walls (okay, I'm exaggerating) with excitement and we got a few odd stares when she started gushing about the tea selections.
The poems were really, really amazing. Some of them I recognized (from school and stuff, popular things like "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost or "Life is Fine" by Langston Hughes. The poetry slam was divided into three parts, first they had readings of existing works, second was original performances (those ones were sooo intense), and last was adaptations of existing works. I think my favourite part was the last section of performances, because the artists who performed took old classic poems and reinvented them for modern audiences.
Here were some of the selections from the evening! They didn't have programs but I wrote down my favourites so I could look them up later.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud - William Wordsworth
To My Wife (With a Copy of My Poems) - Oscar Wilde
Still I Rise - Maya Angelou
The Broken Heart - William Barnes (This was one of the updated ones, it was really cool!)
Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face - Jack Prelutsky (Anne could NOT stop laughing at this one. It was pretty funny).
Friends, Romans, Countrymen... - William Shakespeare (you know the one!)
Daddy - Sylvia Plath. (Another one of the poems that the performer decided to update, she read it with some of her own work and it was awesome!)
Bingen on the Rhine - Caroline E. Norton (another updated one!)
Having a Coke with You - Frank O'Hara.
Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein
A Carcass - Baudelaire
The Donkey - G.K. Chesterton (another updated poem! This one was so cute.)
I wish I could remember the names of the original works, but obviously I won't be able to find those online!
Until next time.
My aunt Jennifer introduced me to her friend, Professor Wilson, on Wednesday. He seemed really shy and awkward at first, but when we got to the piano (a beautiful Steinway grand, I was freaking out!) he warmed up a lot. He's a very quiet, unassuming middle-aged man, he speaks softly and plays piano loudly. As my friend Anne would say, he's a kindred spirit.
It was an incredible first lesson and I can't wait for my next one. These are the pieces we chose for my exam:
1. English Suite no. 2 in A minor, Allemande and Gigue by J.S. Bach
2. Sonata in D Major, 3rd and 4th movements, by Ludwig Van Beethoven.
3. Ballade in D minor, op. 10, no. 1 by Johannes Brahms.
4. La plus que lente by Claude Debussy.
5. Sonatina in C Major, op. 13, no. 1, 2nd and 3rd movements by Dmitri Kabalevsky.
RCM stands for Royal Conservatory of Music, and their requirements for the grade 10 exam are complicated. You have to perform five pieces (one from each category), various studies (scales, chords, arpeggios, etc), and pass ear and sight reading tests. I'm not panicking.
I'm not panicking! Professor Wilson is one of the best teachers around (so Aunt Jennifer says, and I believe her). He's been teaching at the University of Regina for years now and his music class accepts only five students each year. Five. It's insane. I'm probably never going to study in his class, so I'm really taking advantage of the private lessons right now.
Now............. on the subject of how I almost lost the privilege of going to these amazing lessons, let's backtrack.
Sunday, June 29th. Poetry slam in downtown Regina with my best friend Anne.
We went to dinner with my parents (which wasn't too awkward, thankfully) and then we met my cousins downtown.
The bookstore we went to is called Athabasca Secondhand Books, it's very small but cozy. Old creaky hardwood flooring, comfortable armchairs and couches everywhere, old postcards and messages on the walls- basically paradise, or something like it.
There were probably about 30 or 40 people, there, it was packed. Like, people sharing seats packed. Anne and I got there early so we were able to get seats fairly close to the front.
I felt a bit shy around all of the university students, I'm pretty sure everyone attending was older than us. And, you know, probably more mature. Anne was bouncing off the walls (okay, I'm exaggerating) with excitement and we got a few odd stares when she started gushing about the tea selections.
The poems were really, really amazing. Some of them I recognized (from school and stuff, popular things like "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost or "Life is Fine" by Langston Hughes. The poetry slam was divided into three parts, first they had readings of existing works, second was original performances (those ones were sooo intense), and last was adaptations of existing works. I think my favourite part was the last section of performances, because the artists who performed took old classic poems and reinvented them for modern audiences.
Here were some of the selections from the evening! They didn't have programs but I wrote down my favourites so I could look them up later.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud - William Wordsworth
To My Wife (With a Copy of My Poems) - Oscar Wilde
Still I Rise - Maya Angelou
The Broken Heart - William Barnes (This was one of the updated ones, it was really cool!)
Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face - Jack Prelutsky (Anne could NOT stop laughing at this one. It was pretty funny).
Friends, Romans, Countrymen... - William Shakespeare (you know the one!)
Daddy - Sylvia Plath. (Another one of the poems that the performer decided to update, she read it with some of her own work and it was awesome!)
Bingen on the Rhine - Caroline E. Norton (another updated one!)
Having a Coke with You - Frank O'Hara.
Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein
A Carcass - Baudelaire
The Donkey - G.K. Chesterton (another updated poem! This one was so cute.)
I wish I could remember the names of the original works, but obviously I won't be able to find those online!
Until next time.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Music
Hi again!
I was originally going to talk about my favourite books
(from a suggestion on Twitter) but then I thought for now I’d talk about music
instead.
In light of recent events, anyway. My friend Anne (I’m going
to assume most people reading this blog know who she is) and I attacked
my aunt on Sunday night and now Aunt Jen’s threatening to cancel my extra piano
lessons, so I thought, “Why not?”
I’m studying right now to take the Grade 10 Royal
Conservatory of Music exam, and Aunt Jennifer originally arranged for me to
take extra sessions with a professor friend of hers here in Regina. And then
Anne and I jumped on her and she’s furious with me for being immature and
irresponsible and she says she’s going to cancel them.
Secretly, I think she’s a little bitter.
Anyway, music!
I really love it. I talked about it a little in my first
blog post, I like listening to anything and everything, really, and I mostly
play classical. At first I was just studying it because Mom and Aunt Jennifer
wanted me to, but now I enjoy the freedom I have to perform.
I play piano and flute, but I prefer piano more because
there’s a lot of mathematics involved. Nerdy, I know. But I love that you have
to learn the rules (all the fingerings, intervals, harmonies, etc.) before you
can add the poetic elements, which are the best parts!
Hmmm, okay, this didn’t last as long as I thought it would.
Music recommendations! Perfect. I use ThisIsMyJam a bit, but
I’ll put some of my favourite songs and artists here!
·
The Gambler by fun: this song has beautiful,
simple composition and makes me think about getting married. I know I’m only 17
BUT STILL it’s adorable.
·
500 Miles by Justin Timberlake and Carey
Mulligan: Anyone who thinks Justin Timberlake only makes pop music needs to
listen to this song!!!! That’s all I will say.
·
Change by Churchill: I listen to this song
whenever I’m cleaning my room. It’s just very catching and energizing!
·
Ed Sheeran: My personal favourite is Tenerife
Sea from his new album, but I really like his voice and song writing style
overall, because it’s not too polished or auto-tuned.
·
Coldplay: ALL of their songs, really. They have
the amazing ability to transport the listener to magical worlds.
·
Katy Perry: Everyone needs to listen to cheesy
pop music some of the time, okay? I love Birthday and By The Grace of God.
·
The Civil Wars: If I wanted to walk around
exploring an enchanted forest for hours and be melancholy, they would be the
soundtrack.
Here are some other artists I like to listen to:
·
Kodaline
·
The Lumineers
·
Ingrid Michaelson
·
Taylor Swift (sometimes.)
·
Boys Like Girls
·
Michael Bublé
·
The 1975
·
Passenger
·
Landon Pigg
·
The Arctic Monkeys
That’s it for now!
Diana
P.P.S I wish I could tell you about more interesting life
events but nothing ever seems to happen to me.
P.P.S. Does anyone have a suggestion for a better blog
title? I cringe every time I see mine.
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