Contrary to Popular Belief, Curiosity Did Not Kill the Cat.

Hello my dazzling super stars! I hope this long weekend has treated you well and your Netflix binge-watching has been more real than ever before. Not only do I owe my good mood to a very satisfactory and entertaining winter break, but also to my grand return to the city of Austin, Texas. I’ve really only been a 78705 zip code for about a year but this city never fails to surprise me with its tranquil personality and general wonder. Maybe it’s the 68 degree weather or the fact that our first week back at school is shortened by this Monday’s holiday, but spirits are high today. Lines are short, coffee is brewing, birds are singing, and students are smiling. My kinda day.

As I prepare for my upcoming semester, I reflect on the past 5 months of (in all honesty) academic insanity. Given that I am planning to invest more time in my blog, I’ve thought most about my journalism courses; more specifically, how structured the entire course was. Journalistic writing is very technical, believe it or not. No abbreviations, no adjectives (*sobs*), nothing but reporting the facts. For a born-reporter, this seems obvious and preferable. For an amateur blogger whose head is constantly in the clouds and thrives most in a realm of complete and spontaneous creativity, it’s the most difficult class to get through. I enjoy floral words, I enjoy terms that paint pictures, phrases that people can relate to; in other words everything my TA would take off points for. Joy.

Thankfully, my blog accepts my style of writing, because... well, it doesn’t really know much of anything else, does it? SO, in the new year, to make up for my lack of creativity in my previous semester and to further my efforts in organizing my blog, I’ve decided to start writing with a certain idea in mind. If I were a self-employed journalist, what questions would I ask myself to cover and answer? Questions could include anything from “What are theatrical personalities like in every day life? What is their stereotype?” Or, “Why is it that people look to advice from sites like Tumblr before they trust people they know in real life?” Perhaps it is all still scattered. There are so many questions out there because there are so many interesting things to learn more about. It’s as startling as it is intriguing. "Why are Parisian women considered a culture all their own?" "Why do people like to instigate drama?" "Why is there an emotional attachment to music and why do certain styles have certain emotional connotations?" "Why do we feel like opposites attract?" "And just how costly is it to be a free-spirited these days?"

Now, before you get too excited and expect a v-sauce type of post, I must warn you that I am no expert on these subjects. But I do think it’s extremely important to stay curious and question everything. Talk to people about it, maybe even Google a couple and see where you end up (with pop-up blocker at the ready.)

Fingers crossed I respond to these various questions intelligently and efficiently and who knows, maybe make a friend or two out of the people I discuss and interview with. Yay people, no? 

And that's all for now, folks! 

Here’s to a new year full of finding answers and welcomed creativity.

Xoxo

Ale

The Big 2-0...-1-5

Clink-clink, wonderful people! Happy New Year! I’m sure you’re all so used to the various "New Year" messages, you could probably write that tweet out in your sleep. But that doesn’t mean that these messages are any less filled with hope, no matter how overused they tend to be. Based on some rather simplistic, vague research done on the interwebs, I have come to conclude that 2014 was not the greatest of years. Called me biased, as I experienced many low points myself during the last 365 days, but the more I ask around, the more people tell me that 2015 could not have come soon enough. And behold. Here it is. 

That being said, the other day, one of my closest friends commented on how fast the days were going; how quickly the holiday season had come and gone, how quickly we’d soon have to go back to school, and how, before we know it, we’ll be building houses and making babies. If you ask me, everything seems to be moving along at a normal pace: and normal, in this lifetime, is fast. 

Actually, what I find more astonishing is how the dreamt up "20-somethings" way of life I’ve been looking forward to (since I owned my first issue of Elle - hold for tears), was finally my day-to-day. I think there’s something quite glamorous about a woman in her twenties. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the responsibilities of starting a family appear to be eons away. Or perhaps it’s when her individuality seems to be in full bloom; her taste in art and fashion and music has been through all important stages: intrigue, experimentation, and satisfaction. By then it is assumed that you’ve gotten many “firsts” out of the way (first kiss, first car, first graduation, first internships, etc) and yet still have many firsts to experience (first –and hopefully last- engagement, first house, first career). And to top it all off, many claim that a woman in her 20s is in her physical prime; blemishes gone, baby fat reduced, workouts finalized, highlights done right (and I'm still working on, well, all of these to be honest). Thanks, in part to the media (kudos to you, Broad City), 20somethings have the most exciting of lives. And boom-- it is no longer something I daydream about in my grade school uniform and 3 AM hair bun. Now, it's just life. 

Given that this is the first post I make in the new year, I wanted to make this a turning point message; one that nods to the past and looks forward to the upcoming 365 or so days. I’ve already discussed how I’ve learned a lot in the past year, (and some lessons, the hard way), but I can’t forget to express how excited I am to learn more in 2015. Excited to experience life as a student who just got her invitation into the fabulous (and sometimes not – so – fabulous) 20somethings club. Excited to make more meals at home, make new friends in her classes, make a productive day out of every day, and to never again apologize for being herself.

So there you go, a short snippet of my 2015 resolutions. Little goals and promises we make for ourselves with nothing but hope and a little bit of creativity. And with that, I wish you all a very happy 2015, filled with new experiences, new memories, and tasteful debauchery. ;) 

XOXO, 

Ale