Highlights of the last days.

This is what’s happening in my life.

+ About 4 months ago, my mom decided to buy a house. She tends to move a lot, so she has been renting places here and there in the hope of moving to another city anytime soon. It’s not happening, so she got a really cute house, (I even got a bedroom there, and I don’t even live with her). Right now we’re moving everything to the new house and it’s a royal mess. I’m super tired.

+ This has been happening to me the last few nights: I am here googling, tumblring, tweeting and when I notice I have all this tabs with iCiNG articles on them. It’s even happening right now. I have 5 tabs open, and 4 of them are iCiNG articles, the 5th one is WordPress.

+ Speaking of, if you have any kind of goal for the new year, and you have no idea of how to start, I would totally recommend you to read Getting Organized for 2010. It helped me a lot! Gala Darling never ceases to amaze me!

+ I’m going through a process of detachment right now. I’m saying goodbye to a lot of memories, throwing away old letter I hold no interest in keeping anymore, old pictures, old burdens. 🙂

+Speaking of (II) I’m cutting off a lot of negative people I have in my life. I’ve been trying to do this for quite a while but somehow a lot of them remained there for some reason, ok, it’s not really ‘some reason’ I actually know the reason, but it’s always hard to cut people you love out of your life. Right now I’m giving myself a limit of 2 months into the year, I’m going to try to work things out with these friends, if it doesn’t work, they’re gone. I can’t stand negative people, they are like happiness vampires…

+ I decided that the next year I would take part of things I would have love to do this year, but found out too late, like Watching 52 movies and reading 52 books in a year (one per week), and the 365 self-portrait project. I am excited about this, I will post a link to my Flickr account very soon.

+ Twitter got ridiculously popular among my friends in the last 72 hours! About 20 of my acquaintances and friends got an account… It feels weird.

Anyway… that’s it… I am super tired right now, and i think I’m going to bed.

– Kou

Ohh the new year…

Wow! The New Year is coming and you wouldn’t believe just how excited I am.

For a couple of months my creative drive went insanely dry, I worked in some projects and explored things I hadn’t explored before, but for some reason, I just couldn’t keep working on the things I used to work. Well, not anymore! About an hour ago, I dipped my toes in the creativity pool (I can’t stop stressing the creative power of Tumblr), and something too perfect to be true just materialized in my head; and boy, it is perfect! I think I can’t even describe it in the fear of spoiling it.

I already have lot’s of plans for 2010, they go from reading a book  and watching a new movie every week, to keeping a paper journal and training my dog, So I’m just waiting for this vacation to be over, so I can go back to my house and start working on everything.

What about you? Do you have any New Year resolution?

– Kou

Your Ringo-ish Guide to Survive the Holidays (X-mas edition)

Then again It’s ‘That’ time of the year. Suddenly everything turned red, green and gold, and everyone is either on an incredible good mood or really stressed out. So, this is your very own Ringo-ish guide to survive the Holidays, at least on the way it works for me, with a few tips on how to make it a bit more celebratory if things seem not to be working in the way you expect them to.

• Be cooperative. Holidays are always stressing, and it’s easy to come out with a long list of things left to do. Help your family, or whomever you’re spending christmas with.
• Set aside some time for yourself. It’s always cool to spend time with your loved ones, but everyone needs a moment to unwind and just read a magazine or watch a cool documentary while everyone is going crazy over dinner.
• Go out, but not too much. I know, this is the time for partying around, but don’t go too over the top. Find a balance between your family, your friends and yourself.
• Don’t leave everything to the last-minute. If you have the money and the time, don’t leave your christmas shopping to the last day. Everyone does it, and I can guarantee you will spend in the stores twice the time you would spend there if you only do it even a few days earlier.
• Speaking of shopping, don’t forget to buy something for yourself. Getting something for yourself in a time when you normally shop for others, makes it even more special.
• Take some time to thank. For real. Even if it’s just thank for having some time away from school/work, thank for it. It will make you feel better during this time.
• Let yourself feel like a kid. Do you remember when you were younger and watched Charlie Brown’s Christmas on TV? Do you remember how much you used to enjoy it? Why not doing it again?
• Watch a movie that has nothing to do with Christmas. And I mean, nothing. This is the best time of the year to watch those scary movies you’re never brave enough to watch. None can be scared during Xmas, that’s for sure.
• Watch a movie that has everything to do with Christmas. Specially after the previous one. May I recommend any Meg Ryan Romantic movie? Not all of them are Xmas themed but somehow you always get the feeling they are.
• Avoid the drama. Remember that when you spend too much time with someone, (in this case, family, friends, roommates or your loved one) everyone can get a bit over sensitive. Take time to breath away before you say anything you may not want to. Things tend to be magnified on special occasions.
• After the celebration is over, and after everyone is already on bed, take some time  to enjoy it with yourself, sit a moment alone next to your tree, feel the last moments of holiday bliss. Remember that it comes just once a year, so try to get the best out of it.

And that’s all, be sure you enjoy it. Set your mind on it from now. You still have time to put all of this point in practice, so start today!

Happy holidays!

– Kou

Dreamers

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved. Desirous of evrything at the same time, the ones who never yawn to say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars…

Those two are certainly the most touching and poetic Rules to live by i’ve ever posted here. And so very true.

Amino Love and Acid Kisses

– Kou