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Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Date A Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico
Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.
Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.
She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.
Buy her another cup of coffee.
Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.
It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.
She has to give it a shot somehow.
Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.
Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.
Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.
If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.
You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.
You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.
Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.
Or better yet, date a girl who writes.
(In Response to Charles Warnke’s You Should Date An Illiterate Girl.)
Monday, August 1, 2011
X Games 17
New post. Has been way overdue. I haven't really been in the football mood recently, hence the lack of football on my blog "Footy Chic". I've been watching a few other sports. The summer X Games are always really exciting to watch. Started watching them three years ago and now I make sure not to miss them. My favourite catagory is definitely the street skate and BMX. Not the most extreme, but definitely shows off the skaters and riders' skill. In my opinion this year wan't as exciting as last year, although the Rally races through the streets of LA were pretty insane.
A big talking point this year was Travis Pastrana's fall, or rather falls while attempting a 720. Here's a clip.
But what this video doesn't show is how he could barely walk after his first fall. It looked as though he had broken a few bones then, yet he got back on his bike, attempted it again, and unfortunately fell again.
After breaking his right leg and ankle on Friday he was seen practicing driving his newly modified hand controlled Subaru in hopes to be able to compete in the Rally Cross on Sunday.
Amazingly he did compete in the Rally Cross final end ended up coming fourth.
Call it determination, call it craziness, whatever it is seems to be working for Travis, one of the most insane motorsports person I have ever seen.
A few results:
A big talking point this year was Travis Pastrana's fall, or rather falls while attempting a 720. Here's a clip.
But what this video doesn't show is how he could barely walk after his first fall. It looked as though he had broken a few bones then, yet he got back on his bike, attempted it again, and unfortunately fell again.
After breaking his right leg and ankle on Friday he was seen practicing driving his newly modified hand controlled Subaru in hopes to be able to compete in the Rally Cross on Sunday.
Amazingly he did compete in the Rally Cross final end ended up coming fourth.
Call it determination, call it craziness, whatever it is seems to be working for Travis, one of the most insane motorsports person I have ever seen.
A few results:
Rally Cross
Rally Car Racing
Street Skate
BMX Freestyle
(apologies if the results are a bit hard to see)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
G.O.S.P.E.L- Propaganda
I saw this video last week while in Cape Town visiting Harfield Church. It is such an amazing video. Preaching the most powerful and most important message in a way that can relate to my generation. God.Our.Sins.Paying.Everyone.Life.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
My Favourite Fashion Bloggers
I discovered these three blogs a bit late, but from the moment I did, I've become addicted. Chiara Ferragni's The Blonde Salad, Kristina Bazan's Kayture and Andy Torres's Style Scrapbook are my new favourite fashion blogs. All three girls are beautiful and have impeccable taste, unlike many other wealthy fashion bloggers who use their blogs to flaunt their wealth and make unnecessary statements. These girls are down to earth, real people. Chiara and Andy made a name for themselves through their blogs while Kristina is a successful model, and she is only 17.
Here are some looks from all three bloggers to show you just why I love their style and blogs so much.
The Blonde Salad
Kayture
Style Scrapbook
Style Scrapbook
I think Chiara, who is my personal favourite because of her chilled vibe, is making the biggest name for herself. She has her own shoe collection named after herself.
And here it is:
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
EuroBasket Women 2011
So it’s a bit late. Im usually quite timely with my post match reviews (the few that I chose to do) but I have been experiencing technical difficulty, hence I haven’t posted in a while.
Women’s basketball. Wow! My new favourite women’s sport. I hate to admit it but I am really not into any male dominated women sports. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t been exposed to enough, but I will try change that. I watched a few of the Women’s Eurobasket. Unfortunately I only caught the semi finals and final game. But wow was I blown away. The team I fell in love with from the first game I watched, Russia, have ladies with unbelievable skill that they could probably give the men a run for their money.
The final, which was held between Russia and Turkey, was one action filled game. Turkey are an amazing team, which is why they made it to the final, but just not good enough to beat the likes of Maria Stepanova , Elena Danilochkin and Liudmila Sapova of Russia. Those women were definitely beast! Totally dominated all the games they played, and they played with such class and flair that if you were watching you could not help but be in total awe and amazement.
Russia won the tournament, beating Turkey 59-42. France who were last year’s winners came in third with Czech Republic and coming in fourth. Two of my personal favourite Russian players made the All tournament team – Maria Stepanova and Elena Danilochkin – along with Nevriye Yilmaz (Turkey), Eva Viteckova (Czech Republic) and Sandra Mandir (Croatia). Elena Danilochkin was voted MVP and she definitely deserved it.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Spain U21 Champions of Europe!!
Firstly can I just say, Thiago's goal, Wow! That left me totally speechless. And Thiago and Muniain's little dance after the goal, that killed me dead!
90 +5 phenomenal minutes of football from both teams. One of the commentators said that the best team doesn't always win, but as excellently as Switzerland played I honestly believe that Spain were the best team. They didn't have as much possession as they have been used to through out this tournament, which was to be expected from the beginning of the game considering the quality of the Swiss team, but they definitely showed more skill and capitalised on the chances they were given, which is what football is really about. Both teams really are world class and deserved to be in the final. But in the end, the best team won.
The first goal came towards the end of the first half with a beautiful cross from Didac and a clean header from Herrera to put Spain in the lead before half time. Switzerland looked as though they were gonna make a comeback in the second half, but Spain came back, showing their dominance 10 minuted into the second half. Spain sealed their win with Thiago's free kick which caught the Swiss keeper off guard. The game ended 2-0 with the Spanish U21's the champions of Europe.
Throughout the tournament Spain really has been, as the commentator put it, "a 24 carat gold team."
90 +5 phenomenal minutes of football from both teams. One of the commentators said that the best team doesn't always win, but as excellently as Switzerland played I honestly believe that Spain were the best team. They didn't have as much possession as they have been used to through out this tournament, which was to be expected from the beginning of the game considering the quality of the Swiss team, but they definitely showed more skill and capitalised on the chances they were given, which is what football is really about. Both teams really are world class and deserved to be in the final. But in the end, the best team won.
The first goal came towards the end of the first half with a beautiful cross from Didac and a clean header from Herrera to put Spain in the lead before half time. Switzerland looked as though they were gonna make a comeback in the second half, but Spain came back, showing their dominance 10 minuted into the second half. Spain sealed their win with Thiago's free kick which caught the Swiss keeper off guard. The game ended 2-0 with the Spanish U21's the champions of Europe.
Throughout the tournament Spain really has been, as the commentator put it, "a 24 carat gold team."
Pics from the game
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Skinny People Are Real People Too
I was studying for a life orientation exam today and I can across an article titled “Attention-Seeking Women.” A part of this article really got to me. “Did women forget why they were given their beautiful bodies? They are supposed to store fat to carry them through pregnancies, but too few women appreciate this. They become stick-think so that they can wear stupid clothes. They have been blessed with wide hip bones for childbirth and breasts that are for feeding babies.”
This brings me to something that my best friend says often, “skinny people are real people too.” A new stereotype has been associated with skinny people, mostly girls, that the reason that people are stick skinny is because of their need to fit into the media image of “beautiful.” Well I am skinny. I don’t have wide hips, curves or breasts and I can tell you that I don’t chose to be this way. I don’t starve myself, exercise extensively or throw up after every meal. As the very controversial Lady Gaga says, “I was born this way.”
I often get judged because of how thin I am. I’ve been asked if I’m anorexic, bulimic or even have TB. None of which I am. I’ve been teased, poked and prodded, made fun of just like every other under the sun. So people need to stop thinking that all skinny people are skinny by choice. I just like fat people (and yes, if you’re fat, you’re fat. Doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with that) have body image issues. I sometimes feel self conscious, have low self esteem, and feel uncomfortable in my own skin, but I realise that I am fearfully and wonderfully made in His image so there is no need for me to feel that way.
People need to realise that skinny people are real people too. Skinny, fat or normal sized (whatever that is); we are all beautiful and unique in our own way because God makes no mistakes.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
And Now The Final :)
Spain U21's got off to a fantastic start with more than 70% possession in the first half but they conceded a goal late in in the half through error and careless defending. They came back strong in the second half but so did their opponents Belarus. They we're held at 1-0 till the 98th minute when Adrian Lopez scored his 4th goal of the tournament, taking the game into extra time. After their first goal Spain dominated again, not giving Belarus a chance, and in extra time they scored two goals, one by Adrian again and the other fantastic goal by Jeffren, to win the game 3-1 and take them to the finals.
It was definitely an exciting game, one im glad I didn't miss. The Spanish U21 side are really phenomenal to watch. Crisp clean exciting football, just like their senior team, the world champions. Soon most of these players will be holding the World Cup, Im sure of it!
It was definitely an exciting game, one im glad I didn't miss. The Spanish U21 side are really phenomenal to watch. Crisp clean exciting football, just like their senior team, the world champions. Soon most of these players will be holding the World Cup, Im sure of it!
Pics from the game
