Flickr Round-Up

It's a cold and rainy Sunday (as it should be for this time of year), so I thought I'd share some of the most recent photos I've put on Flickr as a way of brightening up the gray mood around here. Hopefully warmer days will visit us again soon here in Maine.

Hello Spring

My weapon tool of choice

Due to the freakishly warm weather we’ve been having here lately (80 degrees in March, are you kidding me?!), my mother and I decided to indulge ourselves in a little springtime gardening over at my uncle’s house today since the conditions were just right. Granted, it wasn’t  “gardening” so much as it was just cleaning the bushes and grass of the dead leaves and weeds, but gardening tools were used at some point during the day and thus I was a gardener for a few hours. However, the heat was so incredibly powerful during the time we were there that it was impossible to work for more than fifteen minutes at a time. Dehydration and sun damage were the biggest fears, naturally. However, we managed to clean up the area really well while getting some vitamin D intake at the same time. 

You know, it’s truly amazing how just two weeks ago we were shoveling our cars out of the snow while today we were in short sleeves and capris. Maine weather will never fail to amuse me.

For Your Listening Pleasure

The moment you had me was only the start of the story from thegypsycat on 8tracks.

I decided to make a playlist of all the songs that have been inspiring me in my creative projects lately. Perhaps they will inspire you as well when you listen to them. If they do, I'd love to hear which ones you enjoy the most. 

One Year Later

It’s hard to believe that a year has already passed since the March 11th tsunami in the Tohoku region of Japan. I distinctly remember waking up that day to the devastating photos and videos of the water destroying everything in its path and desperately calling my friends in Japan to check if they were okay. It was a chilling reminder of just how powerful nature can be, and I couldn’t even envision back then how the country was ever going to recover from such a tragedy.
Flash forward to a year later and things have slowly been getting better. Granted, there is still an immense amount of work to be done and the radiation from the nuclear plants will remain in the air for quite some time, but with the help and efforts of so many people, the area has slowly begun to heal.
My sincere wish is that the Tohoku region will one day be completely restored so that the people who have lost their homes and family members can return and pick up the pieces of their lives again. I have faith that one day it will. 
(On a related note, if you have an hour to spare I highly recommend the BBC documentary up top about the children who experienced the tsunami first hand. It’s extremely heartbreaking, but inspiring at the same time. Those children are so mature!)

Invoking the 80's

Happy Friday! I made some purchases for Women’s Day yesterday and just thought it might be fun to share them here on the blog as a way of documenting my changing style recently. I know that this blog is by no means a fashion blog, but it might be nice to spice things up here and there with some style-related posts every once in a while. So without further ado, here are the newest members in Vee’s edgy yet sophisticated wardrobe!

Bracelet - Forever21

Black, leather shorts - H&M (yes, this purchase really happened!)

"Meow" jersey - H&M (because we all know I love cats)

Hmm. I feel like I should join a rock band now (or at least photograph one!).

It's Winter (Again)

What's this? A snowstorm on the first of March? How unexpected! Maine really does surprise me whenever I think Spring is just about to show herself.

猫の日

"Neko no hi", or The Day of the Cat, is a Japanese sub-holiday that occurs every year on the 22nd of February, and since I am an avid lover of both cats and Japan, I figured I would celebrate the day by sharing some recent kitty photos I took, as well as some videos of famous kitties on the internet.

The photos were taken last Saturday during a day trip to Boston, while the videos are of Maru and Theo, two popular Japanese cats on Youtube.

Having said that, I hope you enjoy the cuteness coming your way, and if you have a feline of your own, I hope you'll shower them with some extra lovin' today.

Forever Valentine

Here’s some food (or chocolate) for thought on this February 14th: why not treat every day like it’s Valentine’s Day and romance the pants off everyone in your life (including yourself!) all year long?

I mean, there can never be too many love notes, flowers, or chocolates being shared, regardless of the time of year, so let’s create a more affectionate world by treating each day as a “lover’s day” instead of waiting especially for this one.

Healing Through Creating

Sometimes the best way to let go of any heartbreak, pain, or frustration is to make art out of it. Be it with music, photographs, or words, it doesn't matter which medium you use just as long as you make something out of the feelings you're experiencing. That way you will be able to let go of those feelings more quickly while having created a beautiful composition in the process.

Today I am letting go of some disappointment in my life, and I am doing that through this photo I took earlier in the day. True, it may not reflect the word “disappointment” in the literal sense, but I took it while feeling disappointed, so it reflects the beauty I wish to replace the feelings of disappointment with instead.

What's more, I've found it to help me feel better knowing that I've made something positive out of something unpleasant inside of myself, which just goes to prove that art (in all of its forms) will forever be the best medicine for the soul.