new years resolution.

My New Years resolution for 2010 is to be less trusting and naive. In the past year, especially recently, I have allowed myself to be mislead by people who are the closest to me. I have learned that there are VERY few people who have good intentions, or your best interests in mind, people are selfish and inconsiderate. It's sad that at such a young age i have come to this conclusion and already have this cynical view on the world.

The only way i can achieve this is by not thinking the best of people anymore, i can't let my heart break every time someone lets me down or disappoints me. I must learn not to expect so much from people, just because i would react one way to a situation or act a certain way towards another, does not mean they will treat me the same way. I'm tired of being let down.

Heres to 2010.

"on writing well"

The first three chapters of "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser was more interesting than i thought a guide to writing would be, but not interesting enough to capture my attention as he had intended. I liked his first chapter but after that i felt as if i transported back to sixth grade Language Arts. Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 some reminiscent of each other, yes i understand you want me to simplify my sentences, but you should simplify your chapters. Simplify and Declutter are synonyms of each other, there is no need to write about them in two separate chapters. Overall i think that Zinsser should take a lesson from himself.

a zen moment in nature...

In a little village, tucked away on a little island, in a little country where you feel far removed from the world, there is a view that is incomparable to anything I've ever seen or experienced. Both my parents are croatian, and imigrated to the united states when they were children, every other year, we travel to my grandparents house in the town where my father grew up with. The town is so removed from modern day living, that there's no internet, most of the 50,year-round residents are past the age of 70. You can hear the crickets at night, louder than any ipod, the stars shine brighter than any New York City street light, and the view is more beautiful than any painting. When i'm at my grandparents house i am able to fully remove myself from the clatter of my busy life, it's just my thoughts and me, nothing to distract me from myself. The house is built on the top of a hill overlooking the village and the nook of water that surrounds it. The balcony makes you feel as if youre floating into the sunset, like the colors are so velvety and rich, that their intensity seems piercing. This little town tucked away on this little island, is a true experience with nature. my grandparents house

a view from one of the bedrooms
center of the village

view from the center of the village during sunset

Transcendentalism!

1. With the expansion of methods of transportation (railroads, canals and plank roads), people were finally able to travel to places where they hadn't before, experiencing they had never seen or done. This opened the door for new ideas and philosophies.
2. Expansion had its pros and cons, the nineteenth century led to new harsher conditions that no one was used to(child labor, low wages, long hours and poor working conditions, women's rights). This provided a new topic for writers.
3. Political events gave flames to the fire.
4. Writers helped promote and shed light on new views( i.e. utopia) which came from americans expanding across the country.
5. Writers wanted to separate themselves from the style of writing that europeans were creating, which they had followed for so many years.
6. Emerson, Throreau and Hawthorne jump-started the transition into creating "classic" american literature.
7. The era was that of information with different view points being shared( transcendentalists vs. anti-transcendentalists)

ten things...

10 Things That Bring Me Joy...

1. Steven Paul Venino

2. beautifully constructed clothing

3. there's nothing better than a new purchase

4. passion

5. standing up for what you believe in

6. taylor swift

7. going against the grain

8. success

9. the future

10. love.