31.10.12

On Bullying (& Después de Lucía)

I think we've all been bullied one time (or more) in our lives. I also think we've been guilty of bullying to some degree.

When I turned 12 I moved back to Mexico, after living 6 years in Brazil. I had a hard time adapting and fitting in at my new school- I was a somewhat awkward (pre)pubescent girl.
me
It didn't helpt that my skirt was below my knees, that I wore long socks ie. that I actually wore the school uniform in its entirety (the cool girls wore the boy shirt, not the frilly-pouffy-sleeves girl shirt).
I recall boys, on several occasions, pointing out my hairy legs (I still hadn't begun shaving my legs) and  the lack of a bra (I wore undershirts since there still wasn't anything a bra could hold).
One time I was taken off guard by the lockers- alone and getting school books out, a group of boys walked by, claimed I was in their way and slammed me back into the lockers. This was as nasty as it ever got for me.
I later learned that ignoring them was effective; they found others to bother. *

Then, we all grew up.
Luckily, I was with a group of people I am lucky enough to still call my best friends.
I 'wisened' and toughened up.
Which is not to say hard times were amiss as the years went by.

My last year of high-school, three different students took their own lives.
One was a classmate of mine.
All three were considered to be 'outsiders', 'loners'.

I'm not saying they were bullied into their decision, but they certainly weren't getting encouragement or positive behaviour from others.

Don't forget, we're all fighting hard battles.
Be kind.


Source: google.co.uk via rik on Pinterest


Después de Lucía follows Alejandra, a 17-year old girl new to the city after her mother's death.
After a wild night out with her new 'friends', she gains notoriety and becomes an easy target.
 What starts out as verbal harassment turns into physical abuse.

For fear of speaking up, many lives are changed.


On a different and lighter note: Tessa Ia's wardrobe was super cute. #want

(images via IMDb )

I left the movie theater feeling all sorts of things; disheartened, impotent, angry, upset and grateful. Grateful because I've never lived such abuse or humiliation.

It's not right to treat each other like shit. It's not right to hurt or violate the rights of another human being. It's not right to keep quiet. It's not right to pretend it's not an issue because it is.

Sometimes, the brave thing to do is to ask for help.
To talk. And talk. And keep talking.
We must never keep silent.
Después de Lucía urges people to talk and open their eyes.

I asked a young girl today on her thoughts on bullying, she said, "Well, that seems to be the way life goes nowadays. You're either the bully or the bullied. It's how people get by."
I understood what she was saying, but I just wanted to scream.

No. No. No.
We're human beings. We should treat each other as such. We should respect. We should love, ourselves and others.
We should be happy.
We should revel in our differences.

I encourage you to.


See also:
-My friend's blog post on bullying HERE


* I feel like that's not the case anymore.


28.10.12

This is Just to Say...

I've been busy with school and "work".*

I've been listening to this non-stop this week.

I spent some time with my nephew.
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I built a bear (or rather, rabbit)!

I got my All Hallow's Read book in the mail!**
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I also may or may not dress up for Halloween...

Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend!
And stay safe if Hurricane Sandy is approaching your whereabouts.



* I am actually working- it's still a little hard to believe at times.
** Ana from Things Mean A Lot organized a book swap. This was the original post :)

14.10.12

The Weekend in Pictures

I know the weekend isn't over just yet, but it's never too soon to post pictures. Right?

This week I finally started my new job as an English teacher!
It's been good so far and I have survived (especially early mornings*)- which to me, is all that matters really.

Being a teacher by day and student by night is the perfect antidote for my procrastinating ways, methinks. **
But it also reminds me to wind down and enjoy some me time. 

And there's no me-time like me-&-pet time!

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(This is not my pet- but rather a creepy crawly I encountered out there)

There's a cute little pathway perfect for dog walking or bike riding (the latter really takes its toll on you, what with the ups and downs of the winding road...) or what have you-ing.
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And if you can't laugh at yourself or have fun...
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Then you need to smile more often and not take life so seriously.

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My kitty and I proceeded to enjoy the afternoon sun (after a 3-hour nap, that is...***)
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How was your weekend?


* Something I wasn't accustomed to any more. Especially on Saturdays. 8am lessons? Blergh. (Although I'm really not complaining).
** And yet, here I am on my blog instead of finishing a write up and getting some reading done... 
*** New record! (And if you knew me, you'd know I just broke all my nap rules).

11.10.12

Once a Procrastinator, Always a Procrastinator?


Being back in school has reminded me of my procrastinating ways.
They date back well into my teens when staying up late (or rather, early) wasn't an issue for me. It was feasible.
College? Yup. Mug after mug of English Breakfast at 3am and an ocasional Peanut Butter & Jelly interim the day before an assignment was due was the drill.

Now, I'm 25. I can stay up late. I can wake up early. But not one after the other.
I can no longer pull an all-nighter and be completely functional and present the next day.
I can't.

Is this what growing up is about?

It's a rather rude awakening (haaaa) as I realise I need to work on managing my time.* 
I'm like a dog in training.

But why am I talking about procrastination?

I came across this awesome** video a couple of days ago and thought it was brilliant.


[ via nowness.com ]

Miranda July is quirky and that's why I love her.
But there's so much to her quirky-ness that it causes you to pause and think.

And in my case, inspire me to work.

Are you a procrastinator? How do you get your work done?



* Hey, some 8 year old kids are already born with it. I wasn't one of the lucky ones.
** Ah, there's that word again...

6.10.12

Ying & Yang: In which I get a little personal...

Recently I've been good- by that I mean, I've felt good about mysel. I've felt happy about life in general. I've been grateful for all life has given me. I've decided worrying and anger only hurts yourself.
I haven't felt like this in a long time, let alone for long periods of time.

I discovered it takes a lot more effort keeping up the "I feel like shit, I need someone to console me" gig than letting myself enjoy every day and moment. It's so easy to let the light in- even if you are in the lowest of lows. Just know it's there. And you can let it in, little by little.


Source: swiss-miss.com via Mariana on Pinterest





[Marc Johns illustration*]
Guys, it is so much easier being happy. Just being.
Being yourself.

That's not to say shit happens. Because it can and it does...

Yesterday I was a little too high on positivity that my concentration was not where it needed to be.
Needless to say, I crashed the front of my car on a sidewalk and a tree stump.
I did not realise I set the gear on Drive, when I needed it to be on Reverse- and being affected by my overall frenetic state, I didn't hesitate in pushing the gas pedal.
No, I wasn't drunk. I hadn't had a drop of alcohol.
I don't know what it was, but I screwed up pretty badly.

I immediately felt awful, naturally, but realised (in retrospect) that most of my mortifiation came from "What will those who saw me hit the sidewalk think of me?!" Whenever I asked myself that question, I would cringe.**

After I realised what was happening, I had to stop myself and say:
"Hey. It's okay. You're not perfect."**
Everyone screws up.
Let's not forget to be grateful.

It's silly to look back on things and see how you're affected most by judging youself through other people's eyes***, instead of letting yourself be and grow. Learn.
Happiness is a warm gun (bang bang shoot shoot) is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you.



And lesson proved: no matter how bad things may be or can get, it will get better.
Maybe not immediately, but it will.

Just don't be so hard on yourself.


* One of my favourite illustrators! 
** And this is not to say that crashing your car into things is okay either.
*** Speaking for myself here. 

3.10.12

Warbling Wednesday

Wednesday; when the week is no longer anew nor has it ended.
My favourite day of the week.

It is also when weekend plans start taking shape- or they don't (in my case). 
But that doesn't stop me from enjoying the weekend!

This picture has been popping up on my feeds (tumblr and twitter) and I though I would share it.

Analogue Sunday
via Flickr user thenausner

We forget to disconnect ourselves from the hubbub of our social media/technological lives. And it's so easy to do!

So, I encourage you to have an Analogue Sunday of your own.
Breathe in the fresh air.
Look up to the sky.
Be inspired.

What will you be reading?



















Source: tumblr.com via Mariana on Pinterest

1.10.12

I have a blog?!

YIKES.

In the meantime, while I get my head rambles together, I leave you with this little ditty that always gets me going.


Hope everyone had a fun weekend!