Today I start living.

Today I stop putting off becoming who I want to be.

Today I cut out the bad habits I’ve picked up. I start eating healthy again. I start working out on a regular basis. I stop procrastinating.

Today I bring back my loves. I start reading again. I stop wasting away countless hours aimlessly browsing the internet. I use my time wisely and productively.

Today I make an effort. I do my hair nice just for the sake of it. I stop living in pajamas. I cook myself meals instead of just cereal.

Today I remove my distractions. I focus on school work and doing it to the best of my ability. I push myself to go beyond.

Today I go out into the world. I stop cutting myself off socially. I make contact. I keep in touch.

Today I am prompt. I check things off of my “To Do” list. I answer e-mails in a timely fashion.

Today I take risks. I go outside of my comfort zone to get what I want. I look fear in the eyes and I stare it down.

Today I make the changes I keep saying I will do “tomorrow”, “next week”, “eventually”… “Now” is my new vocabulary. “Today” is the only word I know.

I won’t spend another day feeling like a failure. Like I’m letting my life pass me by. Like I’m not accomplishing what I want. I will stop going to bed every night with regrets and feeling guilty for what I haven’t done. All of those changes I said I’d make, all of those things I said I’d do… Today that all stops. I make a conscious effort to be the person I want to be, and started to become but temporarily gave up on. Today I start living again.

You can’t always sit in your corner of the world and wait for life to come to you, you have to make it happen for yourself sometimes.ⁱ

1. Adapted from a Winnie the Pooh/A.A. Milne quotation.

Enjoying… my few short weeks of summer vacation before they slip away yet again.

Reading… The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee. I’ve been such a slacker with reading this year and had initially started this back in January. Appalling, really. But I’ve started setting more time aside to enjoy my old favourite hobby this month. Next on my list is Jane Eyre.

Eating… cinnamon buns by the plenty! It’s hard to resist when they’re freshly baked and smell so tasty!

Painting… my numerous unfinished canvases I plan to hang in my apartment. My previous stance on painting has been less than enthusiastic, but it’s quite enjoyable when you’re not forced into it.

Flying… out to Ontario to visit my parents for a week. I just got home last night, hence this belated post.

Curling… my hair on an (almost) regular basis. I’ll admit, I’m usually quite lazy when it comes to hair maintenance, but I’ve started curling my hair because it looks way cuter and even when slept on for two nights, it still tends to look half-decent. Thumbs up from easy-going me!

Roadtripping… the annual voyage to Cedar Point in Ohio with the family. It’s tradition for my mom, dad, brother and I to go to the roller coaster and water park every summer. Much fun was had!

Longing… for this insane heat wave (and summer) to pleasepleaseplease end! Krissy + heat = bad!

Being… brave and going outside of my comfort zone.

Lounging… around for my last day of freedom before school starts again. I intend to do nothing but catch up on blogs (my feed reader is overflowing), organize my apartment, and read today. Much fun should be had, I’m sure.

Things That Made Me Happy This Month

Enjoying the company of my family.

Wave pools.

Roadtrips.

Knowing all the words and singing along to big band tunes from the 40’s.

The smell of “it just finished raining”.

Using a straw.

Walking around in heels, and hearing the click-click-click with each step I make.

Happy tears.

Hair products that smell yummy.

Talking in a silly accent.

Doing absolutely nothing all day long and not having an ounce of guilt for doing so.

Teddy bear hamsters and how they all pile on top of one another into a giant ball of adorableness while they sleep.

The squishy and slimy feeling of peeled peaches in your hands.

Driving adventures with friends.

The rush that comes with acquiring new furniture.

Spending the entire day in the company of my dad. ♥

My dad’s lawn mower and wagon story, and laughing until I cry.

My dad’s stories in general. (I still strongly maintain that he should write a memoir. It would be hilarious!)

Picking sand out from under your fingernails.

Freedom!

Jamming to The Bird and The Bee while washing dishes.

Dainty tattoos in hidden places (on the wrist, behind the ear, on the nape of the neck, between fingers).

The letter “J”.

Un-evenness.

This quotation: “The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.”

Laying on the floor.

When cats rub up against your leg. (So cute.)

Reassurance.

Follow along with my daily happiness filled exploits at This Is My Happy Face.

Click images for sources.

I could always acknowledge him as a master of the Art Nouveau movement, but for some reason, that spark and mesmerizationⁱ never quite struck me until recently. It’s odd really, since I’ve had a number of people mention to me in that past that he seems like “my kind” of artist. Perhaps you can have an acquired taste for art and I just needed to warm up to him a bit?

Mini trip down Krissy-memory lane plus random pondering over and out, I definitely do appreciate Mucha’s work on a much higher level now. His colour compositions are exquisite and the undulating curves of his lines seem to possess a magical mind of their own as they gracefully sweep through each composition. He was truly a master of his art and in complete control of every little element and detail.

(The illustration above right is one of my favourites. :)

Perhaps this is a little silly, but I think the turning point from my simply liking his art to loving it was upon reading further into his biography. I knew he was from Czechoslovakia. (My mother’s family is from Czechoslovakia so I always feel an inherent bond to anything Czech. Perhaps that’s a bit bizarre because, in this case, I have absolutely zero relation to Mucha, but I feel connected to him and his work in a more profound way than I do to say… Gustav Klimt who was an Austrian Art Nouveau artist.) What I did not know was that Mucha attempted to further the regional art traditions of his country through his art. I know, I know, not that big of a deal as many artists throughout history did the same, but I find it admirable that even though he achieved such fame and popularity during his lifetime, he still pushed to take on what he deemed as “more noble” projects that would depict the beauty and irreverence of his birthplace and homeland.

For some reason, I’m strangely drawn to partially finished sketches. With any great artist, I love to seek out their rough work. Viewing their studies and concept work feels like jumping into their brains temporarily and seeing the world through their eyes if only for a moment. These fragmented drawings have a special sort of beauty to them, and that’s why, despite all of the perfectly complementary colour schemes and embellishments of Mucha’s completed pieces, the sketch below is my absolute favourite of his. It’s captures a fleeting moment that has disappeared so soon after its passed leaving only small portions of the complete picture behind. To me, this drawing is more beautiful than all of his work combined.

Since I went off on about 15 hundred tangents in the space of this one post, I’ll try and make this a little easier on you, oh gentle reader: Is there an artist that you feel you have an unusual connection to for no logical reason? Or am I just a little off my rocker? ;)

All images via ljpizzo.

1. Word invention!

Amanda first caught my attention playing the dynamic, vivacious and free-spirited Lilly Kane on television show Veronica Mars. Though her part was small (she only appeared in 11 episodes), I always made a point to follow her career as I was completely enchanted with her. She has incredible screen presence and would steal the spotlight of every scene she was in.

Amanda is probably best known for her role in Tina Frey’s Mean Girls and for her role on HBO’s series Big Love, but you may also recognize her from such films as Letters to Juliet, Mamma Mia!, Jennifer’s Body and Dear John. Her selections across so many different styles and genres showcase just how versatile and talented she is as an actress.

And who could forget her classic beauty?

Not to mention, she has excellent personal style…

… whether all glammed up and looking elegant, poised and positively lovely on the red carpet (remember that stunning Armani Prive gown she wore to the Oscars?) …

… or dressed casual and chic wandering the streets. Her simple wardrobe is both fashionable and classic, nothing too over the top, and very girl next door. Definitely a look I can get on board with.

And did I mention she has the most covetable hair ever? Whether casually pinned up, or hanging in loose waves, just look at those locks and try to convince me her hair isn’t magical! If it were possible, I would clone and transplant it onto my head. Be afraid, Emma Watson, you have competition! (Emma is my original hair idol whose hair I want for my own.)

Still not sold? Behold the adorable.

I would love to know how one person can possibly be so flippin’ adorable 24/7. I really would. Because she’s always adorable. Even making when making silly faces.

Though I look no where close to her, in the movie of my life, I would want her to play me. (Oh shush, a girl can dream!) She seems like a generally nice, bubbly, adorable, and sweet girl, essentially your girl next door. Ensue Krissy-crush.

All images found via WeHeartIt.

The downside to obsessive colour phases is that it makes it near impossible for me to make up my mind when it comes to decorating my apartment. Why yes, this post was a sneaky way to slip in talk of apartment decorating. I’ve been at my wit’s end trying to decide on an accent colour. At first, I was convinced I wanted to go with my favourite colourⁱ purple as I figured, it’s my favourite and I wouldn’t get sick of it any time soon. Then I decided yellow would be better because it was happy and cheery and it would always put me in a good mood. And now, I’m contemplating blue. I like blue. I always have. Blue was always my favourite colour growing up. While a lot of colours go through phases of trend, I consider blue (pure, primary blue) a classic that will always look crisp and fresh no matter the decade. Typically, blue is associated with calm and serenity, but I think that blue can be a very versatile colour and unlike many others, it can evoke a vast range of moods depending on its context.

Long story short, while I may be incredibly indecisive when choosing a colour for my home, my love of blue in general is an absolute. Madonna said it best: True blue, baby!

Click images for sources. Sources unknown for images without link.

1. Aside from white, obviously.