Another week has come and gone and completely caught me off guard.
This past weekend was absolutely insane, so please forgive me for delaying the post. I wrote two five page papers this weekend, completed an annotated bibliography, an art piece, a formal analysis, and read a novel. Sadly, that wasn't even all of my homework, but I still managed to get almost all of it done - that in itself is an extreme blessing.
During the last week, however, I attended a pre-departure meeting for Study Abroad. We got a general orientation sort of thing, where we were talked to about health, safety, getting credit for our grades from overseas, and being aware of our surroundings. Afterward, we broke off into our little groups by country, and after that into little groups by which school we are attending.
I would say at the meeting, maybe 10-15 people were going to England, and only three of those 10 (myself, included) are going to Sussex. However, I am the only student traveling abroad for an entire year. I felt a bit glad to know this, but also very strange. It seemed weird to me that I was the only person in the England group going for an entire year, but I want this. This is my dream. The only thing I want as much as or more than this is to be an actress. I want this and I am going to go all out for it. But in order to completely do that, I need financial assistance.
I probably sound like a broken record, asking you to sponsor me, telling you that any amount helps, but it is absolutely true. I am going to need assistance to afford everything, and I'm not going to expound too much on this, because then I start to get a little bit too personal and slightly bitter and this is not the place to do that. But I can say that I can't do this completely on my own. And for every person that helps, I'm going to send out a thank you note and give a thank you to you here on the blog. I will be keeping the blog going while I'm in England, and probably beyond that. Not only will assistance in funding help me go to school, it will help me keep this blog running with updates and awesome information. I want to keep as many people involved in this experience as possible. Any amount can help and I will be absolutely thankful to each donor.
Beyond all of this, I'm working extremely hard to get job applications put in and finish out the semester strong. We have to do a skit in my Italian class, and it's a mega assignment. It's a huge deal, but we're working on it. We have a good chunk of it finished, but of course, we have to turn it in on Wednesday. This week is going to be bonkers, but I have to keep up with it. 3 weeks from Friday and my semester is over
Holy canoli.
That in itself has me freaking out a little bit. So with that, I am going to go finish up some homework. 3 weeks. Yikers.
I hope you are all having a wonderful week!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, March 31, 2013
In My Easter Bonnet, With All The Frills Upon It...
Alright, so maybe I'm not wearing an Easter bonnet this morning. In fact, I'm wearing gym shorts and a Doctor Who t-shirt proudly proclaiming "RULE #1 THE DOCTOR LIES" with my usual smidgen of make up and hair half-way straightened. But all of that aside, it is Easter morning and a happy, happy Easter to you!
This week, I decided to hold off on posting a blog until Sunday, since it's Easter and I would be able to wish everyone a Happy Easter in addition to getting a blog update in. You may be wondering why I am posting this before 10 in the morning, and that is because this morning, though I got up with the intentions of going to church, I ended up remaining back at the house. It's not that I am disinterested with church or my faith, but I know that going to a new church with my family - even on Easter Sunday is going to leave me feeling uncomfortable. I tend to find my relationship with God and Jesus and worship through music and art and conversation between Him and myself. My relationship, though to some it may seem nonexistent, is something that I go at differently than a lot of people, and I know that going to a different church and being one of the few people not muttering, "Yes. Yes, Jesus" or screaming out "HALLELUJAH! PRAISE!" is just going to make me feel more out of place than I already do in most of my current environments.
Maybe that's part of why I want to go to England so badly - it'll give me a new environment to completely become myself apart from the current beliefs and character judgments that surround me on a daily basis. There's something extremely delicious in the thought of being able to seriously figure out who I am apart from everything here. Shall we add the opportunity to do that to the list of reasons I am thankful to be alive through the resurrection of my Lord Jesus?
So what am I doing this Easter Sunday morning? Well, aside from finishing up this blog, I plan to work a little more on an art project. I completed one yesterday and it looked good in my opinion, until my dad started to point out all the technical difficulties and now something that I was insanely proud of just makes me feel disappointed when I see it. Because I do see where the constructive criticism is valid, and I just don't know how to fix it. I haven't been in an Art class since I believe the 10th grade, so it is quite frustrating, but I got a new vision for my project today and I think it's going to turn out much better. Praise Jesus that I ended up buying two canvases!
And that is my weekend and my Easter. This was the first year that I didn't wake up to an Easter basket, so that's really weird, but it'll still be a good day nonetheless.
Things in the Brighton department are still the same. I wish I'd hear back about acceptance already! I'm so anxious!
Also a reminder that there's still a nifty new Donations button over to the side. Just in case you're in the mood to be supportive! Remember that any amount counts and I will be forever thankful!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
This week, I decided to hold off on posting a blog until Sunday, since it's Easter and I would be able to wish everyone a Happy Easter in addition to getting a blog update in. You may be wondering why I am posting this before 10 in the morning, and that is because this morning, though I got up with the intentions of going to church, I ended up remaining back at the house. It's not that I am disinterested with church or my faith, but I know that going to a new church with my family - even on Easter Sunday is going to leave me feeling uncomfortable. I tend to find my relationship with God and Jesus and worship through music and art and conversation between Him and myself. My relationship, though to some it may seem nonexistent, is something that I go at differently than a lot of people, and I know that going to a different church and being one of the few people not muttering, "Yes. Yes, Jesus" or screaming out "HALLELUJAH! PRAISE!" is just going to make me feel more out of place than I already do in most of my current environments.
Maybe that's part of why I want to go to England so badly - it'll give me a new environment to completely become myself apart from the current beliefs and character judgments that surround me on a daily basis. There's something extremely delicious in the thought of being able to seriously figure out who I am apart from everything here. Shall we add the opportunity to do that to the list of reasons I am thankful to be alive through the resurrection of my Lord Jesus?
So what am I doing this Easter Sunday morning? Well, aside from finishing up this blog, I plan to work a little more on an art project. I completed one yesterday and it looked good in my opinion, until my dad started to point out all the technical difficulties and now something that I was insanely proud of just makes me feel disappointed when I see it. Because I do see where the constructive criticism is valid, and I just don't know how to fix it. I haven't been in an Art class since I believe the 10th grade, so it is quite frustrating, but I got a new vision for my project today and I think it's going to turn out much better. Praise Jesus that I ended up buying two canvases!
And that is my weekend and my Easter. This was the first year that I didn't wake up to an Easter basket, so that's really weird, but it'll still be a good day nonetheless.
Things in the Brighton department are still the same. I wish I'd hear back about acceptance already! I'm so anxious!
Also a reminder that there's still a nifty new Donations button over to the side. Just in case you're in the mood to be supportive! Remember that any amount counts and I will be forever thankful!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday Morning, You Sure Look Fine!
Hello again! So unlike my last blog post that was insanely long, this is probably going to be a little "bloglet" due to the fact that I have a midterm tomorrow that I am wildly studying for. But I wanted to update everyone on the goings on of my life with a few key things that made this past week fantastic!
First up on the list? Books.
Books are, in a sense, a guilty pleasure of mine. If I were to be described as a hoarder? It would be due to the fact that I love books to an extent where I will buy books that I don't even need because they're like precious objects to me. I want nothing more than to have a library of books. The library in the house described in Inkheart? Yeah, I want that in my house. So I can get up every day and go to the library and just chill for hours on end surrounded by books and knowledge and stories that are just begging to be brought to life and have their spine cracked and release imagination into the world. This past week - well, weekend, really - was books galore.
Monday, my wonderful friend Amanda lent me Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I'm trying to make my way through all of John Green's books before my European adventure, and she is wonderful in letting me borrow her books. Sadly, I won't allow myself to start it until after my midterm tomorrow.
Friday, my wonderful grandparents took me to Barnes and Noble, where I went in with the intention of coming out with one book (Lost Horizon by James Hilton), and ended up walking out with three books: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, Lost Horizon by James Hilton, and The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson. If that wasn't fantastic enough, Saturday, I picked up a copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own. I AM DROWNING IN BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL LITERATURE AND CANNOT START ANY OF IT UNTIL TOMORROW AFTERNOON. It's torturous, but I can do it.
Secondly and most importantly? I got an e-mail from the University of Sussex.
That's right, folks - I woke up to an e-mail from the International Admissions office letting me know that they are in the process of processing my application, and I will hear back from them in due time. Basically, I woke up with an amazing smile on my face. It's just getting more and more real and I am so excited that I cannot hardly stand it!
As always, when I hear more, I will inform you guys.
I am also in the process of preparing all of my pre-departure information - which means flight plans and tickets. Now the tickets, I'm going to have to pay for out of pocket, as I will not receive financial aid until about a week before classes start (I'll already be in Europe by then!), so I am officially accepting donations for financial assistance. There's a donate button over to the side (if you're mobile, you may not be able to see it), and for every donation, I will be sure to mention you in a blog post, as well as send you a hand-written thank you note for assisting and supporting me. If you do make a donation, be sure to email keepcalmandbrightonon@gmail.com with your contact information so that I can send your thank you note out to you. Any amount helps and I will be eternally grateful for any donations made.
Alright, so maybe this is a little bit larger than a bloglet. But that's sort of been my week! Now I have a midterm to study for. T minus 18 hours! I can do this!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
First up on the list? Books.
Books are, in a sense, a guilty pleasure of mine. If I were to be described as a hoarder? It would be due to the fact that I love books to an extent where I will buy books that I don't even need because they're like precious objects to me. I want nothing more than to have a library of books. The library in the house described in Inkheart? Yeah, I want that in my house. So I can get up every day and go to the library and just chill for hours on end surrounded by books and knowledge and stories that are just begging to be brought to life and have their spine cracked and release imagination into the world. This past week - well, weekend, really - was books galore.
Monday, my wonderful friend Amanda lent me Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I'm trying to make my way through all of John Green's books before my European adventure, and she is wonderful in letting me borrow her books. Sadly, I won't allow myself to start it until after my midterm tomorrow.
Friday, my wonderful grandparents took me to Barnes and Noble, where I went in with the intention of coming out with one book (Lost Horizon by James Hilton), and ended up walking out with three books: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, Lost Horizon by James Hilton, and The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson. If that wasn't fantastic enough, Saturday, I picked up a copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own. I AM DROWNING IN BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL LITERATURE AND CANNOT START ANY OF IT UNTIL TOMORROW AFTERNOON. It's torturous, but I can do it.
Secondly and most importantly? I got an e-mail from the University of Sussex.
That's right, folks - I woke up to an e-mail from the International Admissions office letting me know that they are in the process of processing my application, and I will hear back from them in due time. Basically, I woke up with an amazing smile on my face. It's just getting more and more real and I am so excited that I cannot hardly stand it!
As always, when I hear more, I will inform you guys.
I am also in the process of preparing all of my pre-departure information - which means flight plans and tickets. Now the tickets, I'm going to have to pay for out of pocket, as I will not receive financial aid until about a week before classes start (I'll already be in Europe by then!), so I am officially accepting donations for financial assistance. There's a donate button over to the side (if you're mobile, you may not be able to see it), and for every donation, I will be sure to mention you in a blog post, as well as send you a hand-written thank you note for assisting and supporting me. If you do make a donation, be sure to email keepcalmandbrightonon@gmail.com with your contact information so that I can send your thank you note out to you. Any amount helps and I will be eternally grateful for any donations made.
Alright, so maybe this is a little bit larger than a bloglet. But that's sort of been my week! Now I have a midterm to study for. T minus 18 hours! I can do this!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
Friday, March 15, 2013
Right Down The Middle Of Your Dreams
SPOILER ALERT: This post is long, this post has a lot to do with Stevie Nicks...actually, now that I am reading over it...about 90% of this is about Stevie Nicks, and this post is a personal post, not one much about Sussex and Brighton.
Hello again, everybody! It's a little insane to think that it's already the weekend - this past week has flown by so quickly. It's a little bit disappointing, because that means that on Monday, I have to go back to the world of classes and studying and oral exams and British Lit midterm. Still, even though I act like I'm dreading classes starting again, I'm actually looking forward to it at the same time. I enjoy the feeling of productivity and accomplishment that comes with school. The feeling of satisfaction and knowing that I'm actually doing something with my life. It feels nice.
This week is another blog that's more about what's been going on in my life, rather than things pertaining to Sussex - there's not too much to report in that department. My application has been turned in, and I now have a list of things related to pre-departure that I must have completed by May 1. As those things are finished and tackled, I will let you guys know, but as of right now, not much has changed this past week.
Though Spring Break isn't over yet, it might as well be for me. I had some amazing things happen in the past 5 days, and I'm going to use today's post to speak about them because it was such a good week!
The week was kicked off with the arrival of my cousin, Cheryl-Ann, and it hasn't stopped being interesting since she got here. Neither of us has gone to bed before, like, three in the morning all week, and we've been constantly rolling with laughter throughout her time here. I think one of my favorite moments was just after she arrived, we went to Wal-Mart here in Austin (where we no longer use bags - unless they are reusable) and she thought I was kidding when I explained it because I make up ridiculous stories sometimes. When they didn't give us bags, she was so surprised that I was actually being honest and not pulling her leg as a joke. During her time here, we've made a brownie disaster that tastes like Tootsie Roll crackers, and I've introduced her to Which Wich [amazing sandwiches], Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, more Florence + the Machine, MS MR, Icona Pop, Madi Diaz, and some other pretty good music. To put it in her words, I'm "culturing her" this week, and I'm having so much fun doing so!
Funny story about the Icona Pop culturing: I'd heard of Icona Pop before, but never really super listened to any of their stuff. But on Tuesday, I believe it was, Cheryl and I went to go get sandwiches from Which Wich and Subway, and we hear this music that sounds like a crazy rave coming from this tent across the street from Subway. Well, we decide to stop on the street by the tent and listen to the music - it was some pretty good stuff! We googled the lyrics and found out it was Icona Pop, and then sort of laughed because what are the chances of a band playing down the street from your apartment unannounced? I don't think the chances are that high, but I don't know for sure. All I know was that it was quite the happy accident and we now have a new group to follow.
Now, this is Stevie Nicks that we're talking about, and I wanted to see this film so. badly. We got in line around noon for a film that started at 2 o'clock and we met a couple of people in line who were really sweet and talkative. One man in particular and I got into a conversation about what we would ask Stevie if we could ask her absolutely anything in the world. The topic came up after it was mentioned that there was a rumor that Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart would be doing a Q&A after the film. Which, of course, seemed to good to be true, so I was not about to get my hopes up. I wasn't even getting my hopes up too high that Stevie would be there. In the end, however, my lack of hope was rewarded.
Stevie Nicks did arrive before the film and she was on the carpet, and I was 30 feet from her and it was absolutely beautiful. I was able to snap a few pictures of her as she gave interviews (though you can only see the back of her head), and after a few minutes, a woman who arrived with Stevie walked over to those of us in the rush line and asked if we had tickets. When we said that we didn't yet, the woman gave us tickets! We couldn't keep them (they kept all tickets - whether they were the Filmmaker's Guest Tickets like we had or the advanced tickets), but I was able to snap a picture of the ticket before having to turn it in as well.
Once we were inside the theater, I honestly felt like I was going to lose my mind, I was so excited. We walked in, and there were 4 reserved seating rows, and then the rest were up for grabs. I heard one of the attendants saying that Stevie and her people were going to be sitting at the back of the theater in the Reserved Seating, so where do I sit? The row right in front of the reserved seating, of course! For once, listening to your surroundings paid off - Stevie Nicks ended up sitting like 5 feet behind me, just a few rows back. I was able to turn around and see her sitting back there, her sunglasses on as usual, just chatting away with her people , and all I could think was 'Oh my gosh, I am in the presence of perfection.'
Then the movie started and it was wonderful. It really was. Documentaries in general fascinate me, and I love learning about the creative process of writing a novel, or becoming an actress, or in this case the writing, recording and producing an album. It was really great to see the writing process and hear the thoughts and stories behind the lyrics or the melodies. Music is interpretive, of course, but sometimes, hearing the real meaning deepens the personal meaning of a work. It gave me a new appreciation for the creation of music, and I would recommend going to see In Your Dreams if you have the chance. There's an exclusive North American release on April 2, and you can read about that HERE. Definitely go check it out if you're in one of those cities and are interested.
After the film was over, my hope (or lack thereof) was once again rewarded when Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart got up on the stage and did a small Q&A. I was in absolute awe as I listened to them speaking working on the film and everything. Stevie did a majority of the talking, and though I was in awe, I realize that I wasn't in awe because I was listening to a musical legend speaking, or because it was a famous person speaking. As my mother pointed out "She's just a normal person." And she is just a normal person.
But she's an influential person.
I'm not even speaking influential as far as her influence in the music business is concerned or anything. I'm speaking about just to me, personally, she's an influential person. Her music speaks to me in a very unique way that only a few other people's music has spoken to me (Florence + the Machine and Flyleaf, for instance. I would say Fleetwood Mac, because they do, but she's connected to them, and it is usually the songs that she's written that give me feelings.). Her music is extremely emotional and it brings forth so many feelings: good, bad, happiness, disappointment, longing, loneliness...she's an amazing artist who is able to capture so much in her lyrics, and then make me feel what is being captured. I love works that make me feel. Maybe she's what would be considered a 'kindred spirit' of sorts. Who knows. All I know is that I feel a strong connection to her through her music and her writing.
So to pretty much everyone else that I know in the world, Stevie Nicks is just some person who is a rock singer and happened to sit behind me in a movie theater. But to me? I was greatly impacted yesterday by the entire experience, and I really do think that it changed my life. Not just seeing her, but seeing her film. It lit the spark for me to start writing again, something that I lost a lot of interest in after last summer. Honestly, I don't think I've done justice to explain her impact on me through her music, but this is as good as I can do without key smashing (a;lksdjfjlash) all over the place. Because when I try to explain it, it's mainly facial expressions and hand gestures that I think somehow convey what my words cannot. That also explains why all of my pictures of her yesterday have some caption like "in the presence of perfection" or "the perfection that is Stevie Nicks" because I honestly do not have words to accurately express these feelings.
Now that I have fangirled over my Stevie Nicks experience, I will move on to another amazing experience this week: seeing Jovanotti at Auditorium Shores! After leaving the Paramount Theater, I was basically on Cloud 9, and we headed down to Auditorium Shores to see Italian singer-songwriter and rapper, Jovanotti! It was absolutely fantastic, though he only sang one song that I know (L'Ombelico del Mondo). He's so crazy and energetic in person and he was jumping all over the place and rapping all over the place. I thought we were going to miss him originally, because we had a 20 minute walk from one location to the other, but we only got there a minute or two late and found my friend Amanda in the crowd. It was absolutely fantastic! Definitely the icing to a pretty much perfect cake of a day!
Now I have to go be a grown up and figure out things pertaining to FAFSA, and try not to cry out of frustration while doing so. It ends up happening every year. I'll just have to breathe.
Also - there was a small glitch last week with the Donate button. At first it wasn't working, but now it is! If you're having a hard time seeing the button and you're on mobile, that's probably because it would appear that you can only see the Donations button if you're online via computer. I also learned that last week.
If you're finishing up Spring Break, have a fun last few days! If not - have an amazing weekend! I know I am going to do my best, although I don't know HOW I am supposed to top yesterday.
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
Hello again, everybody! It's a little insane to think that it's already the weekend - this past week has flown by so quickly. It's a little bit disappointing, because that means that on Monday, I have to go back to the world of classes and studying and oral exams and British Lit midterm. Still, even though I act like I'm dreading classes starting again, I'm actually looking forward to it at the same time. I enjoy the feeling of productivity and accomplishment that comes with school. The feeling of satisfaction and knowing that I'm actually doing something with my life. It feels nice.
This week is another blog that's more about what's been going on in my life, rather than things pertaining to Sussex - there's not too much to report in that department. My application has been turned in, and I now have a list of things related to pre-departure that I must have completed by May 1. As those things are finished and tackled, I will let you guys know, but as of right now, not much has changed this past week.
Though Spring Break isn't over yet, it might as well be for me. I had some amazing things happen in the past 5 days, and I'm going to use today's post to speak about them because it was such a good week!
The week was kicked off with the arrival of my cousin, Cheryl-Ann, and it hasn't stopped being interesting since she got here. Neither of us has gone to bed before, like, three in the morning all week, and we've been constantly rolling with laughter throughout her time here. I think one of my favorite moments was just after she arrived, we went to Wal-Mart here in Austin (where we no longer use bags - unless they are reusable) and she thought I was kidding when I explained it because I make up ridiculous stories sometimes. When they didn't give us bags, she was so surprised that I was actually being honest and not pulling her leg as a joke. During her time here, we've made a brownie disaster that tastes like Tootsie Roll crackers, and I've introduced her to Which Wich [amazing sandwiches], Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, more Florence + the Machine, MS MR, Icona Pop, Madi Diaz, and some other pretty good music. To put it in her words, I'm "culturing her" this week, and I'm having so much fun doing so!
[Cheryl is on the left, I am on the right.]
Funny story about the Icona Pop culturing: I'd heard of Icona Pop before, but never really super listened to any of their stuff. But on Tuesday, I believe it was, Cheryl and I went to go get sandwiches from Which Wich and Subway, and we hear this music that sounds like a crazy rave coming from this tent across the street from Subway. Well, we decide to stop on the street by the tent and listen to the music - it was some pretty good stuff! We googled the lyrics and found out it was Icona Pop, and then sort of laughed because what are the chances of a band playing down the street from your apartment unannounced? I don't think the chances are that high, but I don't know for sure. All I know was that it was quite the happy accident and we now have a new group to follow.
In the process of this musical culturing, I decided to drag Cheryl with me to the Paramount Theater here in Austin yesterday before noon to stand in line in the hopes of getting a chance to see Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart's film In Your Dreams, which is a documentary-like film chronicling the writing and recording of Stevie Nicks' most recent album, In Your Dreams. [If you're curious, I linked the trailer in last week's blog post, which you can find HERE]. So to gain entry to the film, there are three lines: Film Badges, Advanced Tickets, and the Rush line. Cheryl and I were in the rush line, which means that we did not have tickets prior to our arrival or a badge to get in, and space permitting, we would have to purchase our tickets at the door for $10.
[Photo credit to Cheryl-Ann]
Now, this is Stevie Nicks that we're talking about, and I wanted to see this film so. badly. We got in line around noon for a film that started at 2 o'clock and we met a couple of people in line who were really sweet and talkative. One man in particular and I got into a conversation about what we would ask Stevie if we could ask her absolutely anything in the world. The topic came up after it was mentioned that there was a rumor that Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart would be doing a Q&A after the film. Which, of course, seemed to good to be true, so I was not about to get my hopes up. I wasn't even getting my hopes up too high that Stevie would be there. In the end, however, my lack of hope was rewarded.
Stevie Nicks did arrive before the film and she was on the carpet, and I was 30 feet from her and it was absolutely beautiful. I was able to snap a few pictures of her as she gave interviews (though you can only see the back of her head), and after a few minutes, a woman who arrived with Stevie walked over to those of us in the rush line and asked if we had tickets. When we said that we didn't yet, the woman gave us tickets! We couldn't keep them (they kept all tickets - whether they were the Filmmaker's Guest Tickets like we had or the advanced tickets), but I was able to snap a picture of the ticket before having to turn it in as well.
[Oh, look! It's Stevie Nicks! Ah!]
Then the movie started and it was wonderful. It really was. Documentaries in general fascinate me, and I love learning about the creative process of writing a novel, or becoming an actress, or in this case the writing, recording and producing an album. It was really great to see the writing process and hear the thoughts and stories behind the lyrics or the melodies. Music is interpretive, of course, but sometimes, hearing the real meaning deepens the personal meaning of a work. It gave me a new appreciation for the creation of music, and I would recommend going to see In Your Dreams if you have the chance. There's an exclusive North American release on April 2, and you can read about that HERE. Definitely go check it out if you're in one of those cities and are interested.
After the film was over, my hope (or lack thereof) was once again rewarded when Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart got up on the stage and did a small Q&A. I was in absolute awe as I listened to them speaking working on the film and everything. Stevie did a majority of the talking, and though I was in awe, I realize that I wasn't in awe because I was listening to a musical legend speaking, or because it was a famous person speaking. As my mother pointed out "She's just a normal person." And she is just a normal person.
But she's an influential person.
I'm not even speaking influential as far as her influence in the music business is concerned or anything. I'm speaking about just to me, personally, she's an influential person. Her music speaks to me in a very unique way that only a few other people's music has spoken to me (Florence + the Machine and Flyleaf, for instance. I would say Fleetwood Mac, because they do, but she's connected to them, and it is usually the songs that she's written that give me feelings.). Her music is extremely emotional and it brings forth so many feelings: good, bad, happiness, disappointment, longing, loneliness...she's an amazing artist who is able to capture so much in her lyrics, and then make me feel what is being captured. I love works that make me feel. Maybe she's what would be considered a 'kindred spirit' of sorts. Who knows. All I know is that I feel a strong connection to her through her music and her writing.
[I write lyrics in class when I zone out sometimes]
So to pretty much everyone else that I know in the world, Stevie Nicks is just some person who is a rock singer and happened to sit behind me in a movie theater. But to me? I was greatly impacted yesterday by the entire experience, and I really do think that it changed my life. Not just seeing her, but seeing her film. It lit the spark for me to start writing again, something that I lost a lot of interest in after last summer. Honestly, I don't think I've done justice to explain her impact on me through her music, but this is as good as I can do without key smashing (a;lksdjfjlash) all over the place. Because when I try to explain it, it's mainly facial expressions and hand gestures that I think somehow convey what my words cannot. That also explains why all of my pictures of her yesterday have some caption like "in the presence of perfection" or "the perfection that is Stevie Nicks" because I honestly do not have words to accurately express these feelings.
Now that I have fangirled over my Stevie Nicks experience, I will move on to another amazing experience this week: seeing Jovanotti at Auditorium Shores! After leaving the Paramount Theater, I was basically on Cloud 9, and we headed down to Auditorium Shores to see Italian singer-songwriter and rapper, Jovanotti! It was absolutely fantastic, though he only sang one song that I know (L'Ombelico del Mondo). He's so crazy and energetic in person and he was jumping all over the place and rapping all over the place. I thought we were going to miss him originally, because we had a 20 minute walk from one location to the other, but we only got there a minute or two late and found my friend Amanda in the crowd. It was absolutely fantastic! Definitely the icing to a pretty much perfect cake of a day!
I think one of my favourite things was that suddenly, Jovanotti starts singing Michael Jackson's 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,' both in English and in Italian. I was super excited because hey - I at least knew what he was singing for sure and I was able to rock out to it!
And that is our crazy week thus far! We still have tomorrow and Sunday for sure. Hopefully Monday, I can bring Cheryl with me to classes (as long as my professors get back to me that it's okay) and then she'll be with me until Monday evening. Woohoo!
Now I have to go be a grown up and figure out things pertaining to FAFSA, and try not to cry out of frustration while doing so. It ends up happening every year. I'll just have to breathe.
Also - there was a small glitch last week with the Donate button. At first it wasn't working, but now it is! If you're having a hard time seeing the button and you're on mobile, that's probably because it would appear that you can only see the Donations button if you're online via computer. I also learned that last week.
If you're finishing up Spring Break, have a fun last few days! If not - have an amazing weekend! I know I am going to do my best, although I don't know HOW I am supposed to top yesterday.
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Il Più Grande Spettacolo Dopo Il Big Bang
Hello, members of the internet! (If you could see me right now, I'm waving my hands at you with spirit fingers and smiling).
So last week, I again had to forego writing a blog due to the fact that I had a ridiculous amount of homework to get completed. I had three novels to finish, an Art History midterm to prepare for, and as usual, a fair amount of Italian homework to complete. Unfortunately, I did not finish two of the novels and they are now on my list of things I need to get done before my British Literature midterm upon return to school after Spring Break, as well as the dreaded Italian Oral Exam. What is that, you ask? Oh, you know. I just have to hold a 5 minute conversation with my Italian professor...IN ITALIAN. It won't be il più grande spettacolo dopo il big bang, I'll tell you that for sure. I'm sort of nervous. Okay, really nervous. Okay, super crazy nervous.
By the way - IT'S SPRING BREAK!
Sadly, it's not as exciting as I was anticipating it to be, at least not yet. Perhaps that is because it's the weekend so I usually get this break anyways. My guess is that on Monday, I'm going to wake up feeling pretty great about the fact that I don't have classes. Although...I'll probably not be that stoked because I'll still have homework to complete. But hey - you win some and you lose some. With a break from classes, you sort of have to take what you can get...
However, though I am not excited about break yet, I am extremely excited that tomorrow morning, I get to go pick up my cousin with my grandparents and she's going to stay with me for a week or so during my break. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, so it's gonna be pretty exciting. There will be pictures and videos, I have no doubt. Adding on to that, SXSW is happening this coming week, which, if you don't know what SXSW is, it's a huge music and film festival type deal that happens here in Austin every year around this time and it's basically fantastic. Last year I got to see a few cool bands play free sets, and this year is going to be no different.
So far on my to-see list, I have Jovanotti:
MS MR:
And there is also going to be a Stevie Nicks Documentary playing, which I am dying to be able to see. I'm praying that I'll be able to get in. Stevie Nicks is just...beyond amazing and I just admire her so much. She's fantastic. [This is a trailer for the album of the same title, In Your Dreams]:
But before all of this, I have to take a copy of my passport - which thank God I was able to get within a week, my some insane miracle - to the Study Abroad office and give it to Arelis so that she can attach it to my completed Sussex application. YES! I COMPLETED AND TURNED IN MY APPLICATION LAST FRIDAY! IT'S FINALLY BEEN DONE! And once she has my passport number, she'll be able to forward it all on to the University of Sussex. Which means that yes, I can now breathe and I am just playing the waiting game now. Do I get to go or do I not get to go? Hopefully Sussex will accept me and I will start off one of the greatest adventures of my life! I'm so excited.
Now I just have to get over the whole fear of the Doctor's office so I can get medical clearance. That's...going to be interesting. I'm sighing all over the place at the thought.
In addition, you may have noticed a super cool little donations button over to the side of this blog that says "DONATIONS" - that's right, guys. I finally figured out how to do it! I'm really excited about that also. So as I've explained before, in order to go to school in England, I'm going to have to work to get a combination of donations and Financial Aid to pay for my schooling abroad. So if you've been keeping up with everything on the blog and you feel compelled to make a donation - or if you are just now starting to read this blog and feel compelled to donate - I would be beyond thankful and appreciative. Any amount helps, and all donations received are going straight to and being put towards my study abroad fund.
I haven't received any donations as of yet, so I don't know if it's going to show up who donated what amount, but if you do donate, be sure to let me know (you can comment below or send an e-mail to keepcalmandbrightonon@gmail.com) and I'll be sure to give you a proper thank you in the form of a handwritten thank you note, as well as a shout out here on the bloggerverse. I'll also be keeping y'all updated on how close I am to reaching my overall goal, which is $35,828 [$18,168 for the Autumn semester and $17,660 for the Spring semester].
Again, if you're curious about the program that I am working towards, as well as all of the financial details, you can check all of that out HERE. I'll get a couple of nifty graphics going with some of that information for you all as well in the next blog.
Alrighty - this one is sort of long, but I'm making up for lost time! I hope you're all off to a wonderful March. If you're on Spring Break or going to SXSW, stay safe, guys!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
EDIT: If you are on mobile, you may not be able to see the donations button due to the HTML formatting for mobile devices. In order to see it, you'd most likely have to get on the computer to see the sidebar and find the button.
So last week, I again had to forego writing a blog due to the fact that I had a ridiculous amount of homework to get completed. I had three novels to finish, an Art History midterm to prepare for, and as usual, a fair amount of Italian homework to complete. Unfortunately, I did not finish two of the novels and they are now on my list of things I need to get done before my British Literature midterm upon return to school after Spring Break, as well as the dreaded Italian Oral Exam. What is that, you ask? Oh, you know. I just have to hold a 5 minute conversation with my Italian professor...IN ITALIAN. It won't be il più grande spettacolo dopo il big bang, I'll tell you that for sure. I'm sort of nervous. Okay, really nervous. Okay, super crazy nervous.
By the way - IT'S SPRING BREAK!
Sadly, it's not as exciting as I was anticipating it to be, at least not yet. Perhaps that is because it's the weekend so I usually get this break anyways. My guess is that on Monday, I'm going to wake up feeling pretty great about the fact that I don't have classes. Although...I'll probably not be that stoked because I'll still have homework to complete. But hey - you win some and you lose some. With a break from classes, you sort of have to take what you can get...
However, though I am not excited about break yet, I am extremely excited that tomorrow morning, I get to go pick up my cousin with my grandparents and she's going to stay with me for a week or so during my break. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, so it's gonna be pretty exciting. There will be pictures and videos, I have no doubt. Adding on to that, SXSW is happening this coming week, which, if you don't know what SXSW is, it's a huge music and film festival type deal that happens here in Austin every year around this time and it's basically fantastic. Last year I got to see a few cool bands play free sets, and this year is going to be no different.
So far on my to-see list, I have Jovanotti:
[Mezzogiorno by Jovanotti]
MS MR:
[Bones by MS MR]
And there is also going to be a Stevie Nicks Documentary playing, which I am dying to be able to see. I'm praying that I'll be able to get in. Stevie Nicks is just...beyond amazing and I just admire her so much. She's fantastic. [This is a trailer for the album of the same title, In Your Dreams]:
[Trailer for Stevie Nicks's In Your Dreams]
But before all of this, I have to take a copy of my passport - which thank God I was able to get within a week, my some insane miracle - to the Study Abroad office and give it to Arelis so that she can attach it to my completed Sussex application. YES! I COMPLETED AND TURNED IN MY APPLICATION LAST FRIDAY! IT'S FINALLY BEEN DONE! And once she has my passport number, she'll be able to forward it all on to the University of Sussex. Which means that yes, I can now breathe and I am just playing the waiting game now. Do I get to go or do I not get to go? Hopefully Sussex will accept me and I will start off one of the greatest adventures of my life! I'm so excited.
Now I just have to get over the whole fear of the Doctor's office so I can get medical clearance. That's...going to be interesting. I'm sighing all over the place at the thought.
In addition, you may have noticed a super cool little donations button over to the side of this blog that says "DONATIONS" - that's right, guys. I finally figured out how to do it! I'm really excited about that also. So as I've explained before, in order to go to school in England, I'm going to have to work to get a combination of donations and Financial Aid to pay for my schooling abroad. So if you've been keeping up with everything on the blog and you feel compelled to make a donation - or if you are just now starting to read this blog and feel compelled to donate - I would be beyond thankful and appreciative. Any amount helps, and all donations received are going straight to and being put towards my study abroad fund.
I haven't received any donations as of yet, so I don't know if it's going to show up who donated what amount, but if you do donate, be sure to let me know (you can comment below or send an e-mail to keepcalmandbrightonon@gmail.com) and I'll be sure to give you a proper thank you in the form of a handwritten thank you note, as well as a shout out here on the bloggerverse. I'll also be keeping y'all updated on how close I am to reaching my overall goal, which is $35,828 [$18,168 for the Autumn semester and $17,660 for the Spring semester].
Again, if you're curious about the program that I am working towards, as well as all of the financial details, you can check all of that out HERE. I'll get a couple of nifty graphics going with some of that information for you all as well in the next blog.
Alrighty - this one is sort of long, but I'm making up for lost time! I hope you're all off to a wonderful March. If you're on Spring Break or going to SXSW, stay safe, guys!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
EDIT: If you are on mobile, you may not be able to see the donations button due to the HTML formatting for mobile devices. In order to see it, you'd most likely have to get on the computer to see the sidebar and find the button.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Down to the Wire
This week marked a monumental moment in my lifetime - probably in anyone's lifetime, but definitely in mine. This past Thursday marked my 21st birthday. Not only was it a day that I was counting down to because I would be 21 years old, but I would also be turning 21 on the 21st. That key detail made the day all the more special for me.
My birthday was celebrated much like my other birthdays: a family dinner. This year, however, I was able to bring my friend Judith along, so it was pretty great. There was a very awkward conversation which led to a mild argument about Catholics and the state of their soul (a conversation which I apologized profusely to Judith for after dinner), and then that calmed down, only for another one to pop up...so basically, I've decided from here on out to make a rule that on my birthdays, we're not discussing religion or politics at dinner anymore. Along with that decision which, trust me, it's definitely a decision for the betterment of things, I've also come to the conclusion that the Great Wall of Chocolate from P.F. Changs is most definitely the most fantastically perfect cake in the world. It's just....beautiful. Don't believe me? See for yourself:
My birthday was celebrated much like my other birthdays: a family dinner. This year, however, I was able to bring my friend Judith along, so it was pretty great. There was a very awkward conversation which led to a mild argument about Catholics and the state of their soul (a conversation which I apologized profusely to Judith for after dinner), and then that calmed down, only for another one to pop up...so basically, I've decided from here on out to make a rule that on my birthdays, we're not discussing religion or politics at dinner anymore. Along with that decision which, trust me, it's definitely a decision for the betterment of things, I've also come to the conclusion that the Great Wall of Chocolate from P.F. Changs is most definitely the most fantastically perfect cake in the world. It's just....beautiful. Don't believe me? See for yourself:
Quite honestly, it's perfect. I definitely think everyone should experience this cake in their life. At least once.
Saturday night was a night with my friends for my birthday, and it was a whooooole lot of fun. There were pancakes involved, and while I generally do not like pancakes, they were most definitely delicious. Unfortunately, Judith got sick and wasn't able to come, but it was better that she stayed home to get better. She seems to be doing way better today.
And in everything Sussex related - this Friday is the application deadline! I've still not heard back from Arelis, which is honestly really frustrating to me. I emailed her a week and a half ago, worried because I don't have a passport still. Processing is a 6 week deal, and though I've had the paperwork completed, I haven't been able to go to the passport office yet due to conflicting schedules. Fortunately, tomorrow morning I will have the opportunity to go to the office and get the paperwork processed. The problem is that on February 7, she moved the deadline for the Sussex application up to March 1, even though the university itself does not need the application until May 1. So even if I'd gone to get my passport during that week or the week following, I still would not have had the passport number for my application in a timely manner that would allow me to have it by March 1.
So basically, I'm getting nervous and worried. I'm going to try and stop by her office tomorrow morning after I go to the passport office and see if there is any information that I can get pertaining to the situation. If everything gets derailed over something as simple as this, I am going to be so wildly upset, it'll be ridiculous. This is something that I've been working extremely hard for, and if all the hard work and effort was for no reason, I'm going to be absolutely heartbroken. Prayers and good vibes would be welcomed if you could spare them.
Aside from that, everything is going well. I'm ordering my transcript tomorrow, my Italian professor is writing an academic reference for me, and everything seems to be in order. I'm just starting to get worried and nervous because it's me and that's what I do.
I hope everyone's having a wonderful February!
Until next time - Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Lent: The Language of Exhaustion
Sitting at my computer currently, it's actually difficult to come up with a sufficient blog post for everyone this week. My head hurts, I'm super tired, and all I know is that my dryer is taking a decade just to dry a simple load of laundry.
This week began what should be a Holy time, but it's actually just felt like hell week for me. Why might that be?
Well. Lent started.
What did I give up? Coffee and caffeinated drinks.
Which, if you know me in reality, you know that is like telling a car to run without gas. It's been a total of 4 days and I still have a dull headache and I want nothing more than a Venti Iced Vanilla Soy Latte from Starbucks. I'm almost positive that by the end of this 40 day period, I'm going to be dreaming of coffee far too much for one person. But that's the point, right? Give up something that matters. If I gave up something like cheese, it wouldn't really matter because lactose intolerance limits my cheese/dairy intake as is. Giving up coffee, though? As a college kid? As a person who probably has more coffee than blood in her veins? Yeah, that's a struggle, and though it has only been 4 days, it feels like it's already been ages. The second day of Lent, I was so tired and wiped, I came home and passed out for four hours when I only intended on a 20 minute pick-me-up nap. At least that's not a problem now.
In addition to Lent starting this week, Thursday marked 1 week until my birthday. It's pretty exciting if you ask me, and my friend and I went shopping today for birthday supplies. Hence the exhaustion that I am currently experiencing. I'm thinking that sleep is in order, but I still have homework to do. Looks like an early morning for Tayma it shall be!
I realize this post hasn't much to do with Sussex, but I'm waiting to hear back from my current adviser on some information. I don't hear back from her as quickly as I heard back from Bryn, but when I hear anything, you guys will hear all about it! Next weekend, you guys should have an extremely quality post coming your way with birthday anecdotes and pictures! Yay!
Alrighty, then! Until next time!
Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
This week began what should be a Holy time, but it's actually just felt like hell week for me. Why might that be?
Well. Lent started.
What did I give up? Coffee and caffeinated drinks.
Which, if you know me in reality, you know that is like telling a car to run without gas. It's been a total of 4 days and I still have a dull headache and I want nothing more than a Venti Iced Vanilla Soy Latte from Starbucks. I'm almost positive that by the end of this 40 day period, I'm going to be dreaming of coffee far too much for one person. But that's the point, right? Give up something that matters. If I gave up something like cheese, it wouldn't really matter because lactose intolerance limits my cheese/dairy intake as is. Giving up coffee, though? As a college kid? As a person who probably has more coffee than blood in her veins? Yeah, that's a struggle, and though it has only been 4 days, it feels like it's already been ages. The second day of Lent, I was so tired and wiped, I came home and passed out for four hours when I only intended on a 20 minute pick-me-up nap. At least that's not a problem now.
In addition to Lent starting this week, Thursday marked 1 week until my birthday. It's pretty exciting if you ask me, and my friend and I went shopping today for birthday supplies. Hence the exhaustion that I am currently experiencing. I'm thinking that sleep is in order, but I still have homework to do. Looks like an early morning for Tayma it shall be!
I realize this post hasn't much to do with Sussex, but I'm waiting to hear back from my current adviser on some information. I don't hear back from her as quickly as I heard back from Bryn, but when I hear anything, you guys will hear all about it! Next weekend, you guys should have an extremely quality post coming your way with birthday anecdotes and pictures! Yay!
Alrighty, then! Until next time!
Keep Calm and Brighton On!
-Tayma xx
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