The Cat Returns

Pages and pages and pages.

That's what's characterized my life in the last few weeks - having produced my final theses for senior year of college, comprising of 90+ pages of creative non-fiction and academic analysis, with a little bit of environmental science thrown in there somewhere. Hence, writing (and also reading) for myself have really given way to the requirements of my college performance. But really, what's so new about that?

I've been pursuing a majorly offline life for the past month or so, from reading my fiction pieces to working on my fellowship project to just plain buckling down on school. It's brought me to reassess where I'm going with my online life in comparison: is this blog a reflection of my work? A place to store memories? To test out ideas? Probably, it's a bit of all these things. But I have figured out what it is not: it is certainly not an obligation.

This is more a reminder to myself, I believe. I've had several posts in reserve that I wanted to put up when I am too busy to produce new content, but they haven't been calling to me. And that's ok. There are ways to not feel tugged at to produce, to be silent and not have to fill it with endless little nothings. Not until they're ready, that is.

What surprised me when I was done with my pages of writing and my college closed for winter break was that I was still hungry to keep on reading and writing. This isn't really a period of burnout as I've experienced in other days when you'd have to scrape me off the couch after a week for lack of energy. Instead, I've been delving (slowly) into new projects and new books, catching up on old TV shows and reading new blogs. I've also grown more confident about editing my work and figuring out where I'll be after college.

But more on that later.

For now, my plans are to turn this blog inward on itself - as a space for public experimentation in between the lines of my offline life. What does that look like, you ask? Well, that's something you'll just have to wait and see.

Farewell, America!

In less than 24 hours, I'll be on a plane. Waiting for an 18 hour flight to begin and counting down the hours until I am halfway across the world - further abroad than I've ever been in my life. And I'll be amidst people who look like me. Any guesses as to where I'm headed? I'll give you a hint: it starts with a Bangla- and ends with an -desh.
That's right, I'll be heading to the mother country for the entire break. Three and a half weeks of balmy weather that is the polar opposite of Manhattan right now. Three and a half weeks of family, new experiences in a new country, amazing photographic opportunities, and time without a cell phone or a laptop.
Can I say that again? No cell phone and no laptop. It scares me just to think about it. But that means that I won't be posting up anything for the next three and a half weeks unless I get the rare opportunity to get on the internet for an extended period of time. You'll hear from me some time in January, with a plethora of amazing stories and lived experiences. Or so I hope.

On another note, although it is a little late for the Tuesday Project x Project post, I finished my skirt! I actually got buttons, if you can believe it. I feel so accomplished to have finished everything before I left Enjoy the pictures below, and have a great winter!

Check out some more knitting projects that I've done.
And take a look at some of the photography that came as a result of my trip to Bangladesh at my DeviantArt.

Almost Vacation Time!

This is going to be the shortest post ever because this week is going to hinge on my sleep schedule.
Today, I came up with a schedule for my blog posts, so I'll be unveiling some new strategic ways to put it out coming next week! I hope that it works out to have a little more structure, considering I've been experimenting (and quite enjoying) these daily blog posts so far.

Finally, to continue with last night's theme, here are some songs from my childhood that I think you should check out:

And here is a song that I listen to now, just for some good taste (or because I can't get it out of my head):

If you want some more music ("bad" or otherwise), check out the Musical Interlude series!

The New Semester

I have returned!
I guess this means that my occasional writing must be changed into the more regular and typical writing that expresses the college lifestyle in all it's glory and triumph... blah, blah, blah.
After spending my month-long winter break in a perpetual sense of dread towards blogging and the undeniable march of time meted out by both failures and the offhanded victory, I have been coaxed once again out of my shell to start blogging. But in a more casual sense, I believe.
I had made all these beautiful plans to start up the 365 project again or work towards a better and more consistent blog posting time, but I think that the only resolution that I can really hold myself to is to write a short something every week and make some ideas happen on the page. So... here is the collection for this week.
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The transition from break to semester two of my college experience was a doozy. I had gone through my typical yearning to be busy and bustling, but had also stumbled into the idea of doing these things on my own time. In a sense, I was much lazier than I had been before. I would create, but then do nothing for days on end. Then I would watch TV or hang around. This was not a bad thing for the time of course, but only a poor precursor for my inevitable return to a flash-bang New York City college experience. I was not prepared.
When I came back, I found that I had four book-heavy classes, an audition that I had totally forgot about, and many little administrative details that needed finishing. I was in a haze from the jetlag that I wished hadn't come and the remote bout of homesickness and desire to be back in my bed or with my boyfriend. But, as I entered through the portal of the dorms and crashed down onto the bedding that had been provided for me, I immediately felt comforted in the fact that this was not, as I had feared, completely foreign to me. I persevered through the next day by buying some simple items with a few friends, getting myself back on track logistically and figuring out the cost of books... the last one was not so pretty.
Though I fell in love with my classes this semester, the book load is immense (34 books in total bought) and I keep having a headache trying to think of myself on that schedule. Amazing classes, heavy reading. No problem! My new moniker is to schedule myself in such a way that things get done without loss of my sanity. We'll see how it goes.
To sum up the first few days back at college, I have felt like there are so many things that I didn't get to do during the break, and yet I don't regret that. I feel like I have a more concrete plan here than there, so that's probably why that happened in the first place. My lack of impetus created a vortex that I could not emerge from. Therefore, this semester I will begin anew rather than wallow in the pit of despair - as I was wont to when no one was looking in the back corners of my house.
Here it is not all glitz and glamor, but I am going along for the ride.