Rain and Summer

May 23, 2013 ~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

It’s been raining a lot lately and there is something about rain that is so serene and calming to the soul. At least I think so I am particularly a sucker for the after-rain(you know after it rains, the whole environment looks and becomes peaceful and calm…like its been washed clean). It always puts me in a contemplative mood and sparks my dreams of living in the Italian countryside (while baking brick oven bread(I die!), sipping tea and crocheting. Ha!). I have had my fair share of rain. From the surprising ten minute rainfalls to violent terrifying typhoons that last almost a week. From loud hail storms to the rhythmic rainfalls that make you want to sleep like a child. I have had them all. As long as I’m indoors and I’m not being rained on, I heart rainfalls. The beautiful clean feel after it has rained is the most calming and the crystal clear raindrops on plants and flowers…ah! Should I go on? What little natural thing makes you feel at peace?

Someone asked me this week how my summer was so far and here is how I responded “Um…its fine haha…quite boring” He advised me to find a way to make it fun and worthwhile. I have a vague outline of what I’ll be doing. But I will be definitely be getting back on crocheting. The last time I crocheted something meaningful was way back in high school(I know. I also wonder!). I want to try some really complex patterns. I would also like to try weaving. I know I sound so way out of my head but I have been dreaming of weaving so much lately. I will also be writing proposals for my business(entrepreneur right there) and giving them out to potential funders and probably work on a new design for Rare Beauty. And I just got my first summer job. It’s not big but its promising and motivating too. What are your summer plans?

🙂

Sophie

On Being Sincere

May 8, 2013 ~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Recently I have been contemplating on what to do for summer. After the first two weeks boredom can really start to grow on you and I don’t want that to happen because I believe in the saying ‘Time is gold’. So in my consistent search for what I am to do in this long holiday, I found this blog. Well actually I got the url from my friend and schoolmate and I thought I would share it here. It’s like an online diary. Something I really love about her is the fact that she is a sincere person. Sincerity is something I have struggled with. Sometimes(most of the times) I am afraid that people will not be able to understand me and will simply just ignore what I have to say. In this fast paced blog world where every corner has a blog that is waiting to be read, one can be swept away by the multitude and forget the real meaning behind every written word. It is something that requires a lot of confidence and I am learning to do on a daily basis and I know it will take a long time to fully grasp the essence of being sincere. It is one thing I want to accomplish in the course of writing this blog. One thing I am grateful for is the fact that there are people like Diane to remind us what life is truly about. Being sincere because that is what really counts.

We were talking summer activities. I don’t know how I got carried away but yep I just had to let it out.

What activities do you suggest I can do(so blank here!)

🙂

Sophie

On Improving Vocabulary

April 4, 2013 ~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

It’s April 4 already and I didn’t get a chance to fool anyone! That sucks considering the fact that I was fooled more than a couple times. Anyway, today we are talking books (ok not really but sort of. I had no option but to photograph books. I hope they do justice to the post) and I remember way back in grade 6, our English teacher was really tough on us when it came to reading, spelling, cursive, book reports and spelling bees. She made sure we all did our assignments and participated in all the activities. By doing so my vocabulary memory grew real fast. Before I suffered the laziness disease, I read and read and read. And as time went by I realized that books would always be a part of me one way or another. On any given day one would find me engrossed in a text book whenever I ran out of books to read. Yeah that’s how much I read. But as time went by…changing schools, friends and many more factors, my reading habits started suffering an awful disease called laziness. Considering the fact that I read books for inspiration, and discovering new things, I began to feel less motivated and my vocabulary started to dwindle. What’s sad is that the busier I have become, the more I have stopped developing it. After a long time of thinking and re-evaluating my values (that sounds deep), I came up with a strategy to rekindle my vocabulary mastery. So here are the steps I created that have actually helped me although I am still struggling with step 2.

Make Time

First thing is that you gotta make time. In your daily activities, at least set aside 15-30 minutes of reading a chapter or page or more (if you aren’t a book worm already). When you make time, you will find your routine moving smoothly and you will progress.

2. Make a Commitment

It’s one thing to make time and another to be committed! You’ve got to make a commitment with yourself that you won’t miss a single day (it’s more of a new year’s resolution that stays put).

3. Collect Books

Yep. Collect books. Any books. If you are in college like me, you end up being surrounded by books most of the time. Make sure that you get books that you can actually get around to read (don’t get ‘A Nurse’s Guide to Drugs’ when you aren’t really interested in medicine or what happens in hospitals… you get what I mean). Remember to collect any books; they can even be E-books.

4. Read a Chapter/Book a Day

Reading is fun when you get yourself around it. Really! Make sure you read at least a chapter if not a whole book.

5. Identify ‘New’ Words

While reading, make a list of ‘new’ words or words that you are not quite sure of the meanings. And of course by ‘new’, I mean words new to your ears. Collect as many as you can find.

6. Have a Dictionary Around

After listing all the words you wanna know, look them up and familiarize yourself with the meanings, synonyms, and definitions. It’s much fun just having to flip through the dictionary to look up words. Well, at least I think so.

7. Practice the Words

Practice saying the words in your daily conversations. You can talk to family members, friends and workmates and when y ask what the words mean, gleefully answer them by reciting the meanings and encourage them to join you in the vocabulary building challenge.