It's All Yours

My heart is yours to fill or burst,
to break or bury, or wear as jewelry.
Whichever you prefer.

What's in my sketchbook?

Well I'll be honest, I am absolutely bored/lazy so I thought I might as well finally scan something while I'm sitting on my ass. So here are some doodles ^.^

prisma colours and ink

colour erase pencil & graphite

ink (work in progress)

pencil (some kind of attempt at a pin up girl)

pencil (some clothes i want to design)

pencil & ink (Sushi the Cat: a lil character i made up)

Wasting Away in Windsor - Wasted.

So it seems I'm caught in an eternal déjà vu here in Windsor... I work in retail and overhear a lot of conversations, and the typical everyday dialogue generally plays out as follows:

Bimbo #1: OMG Jenny these midterms are soOo killing me!
Bimbo #2: OMG me too.
Bimbo #1: I cant wait to get wasted this weekend!
Bimbo #2: Me too! Its gonna be sloppy!


Seriously?! That's your solution to all of life's problems? Oh no, you actually have to step up and work hard for a couple weeks rather than lazing around all day smoking pot and now your going to go burn out every brain cell you just filled with knowledge at the bar this weekend!?

Now keep in mind that my store usually has a limited range of society shopping there, but these conversations are not just limited to this niche. Whether it's a 4o-something year old who just lost their job to the economy or a generic Joe who is just plain stressed out, it seems the common thought is "There’s nothing else to do in Windsor but drink".


Open your eyes!

• Go visit family or friends: I can't think of anything more positive than making a relationship stronger.


• Read: I'm not saying you have to start out reading Shakespeare but reading anything will help you be more articulate and sound like you have half a brain when you talk to people. If its a non-fiction book you happen to pick up, you might even learn something too!


• Exercise: It's a fantastic way to vent stress and you will be doing a good thing for your vital organs rather than damaging them.


• Do something CULTURAL: Go to the Art gallery and expand your ideals. Go see some live theatre or music. Some people live in a world the size of a pinhead. Go expand your philosophical horizons!


• Get a Hobby: Collecting DVDs and video games does not count! Learning to do something new that you find enjoyable will teach you skills you never knew you had.


• Volunteer: Spending time helping those less fortunate than yourself will not only make you feel good but it will open your eyes. Suddenly your life does not seem so bad compared to others.

Next time you're stressed try doing something productive! Not only will you not be hung over the next day, you might actually find yourself doing something that’s rewarding!

Happy Birthday

Original video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhkab_john-lennon-imagine_music

A note-worthy cover by A perfect Circle:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/80483720/

Imagine

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

FreeRice.com

So I'm definitely addicted to this site and I find myself on it in my spare time when I'm feeling I haven't done a good enough deed for the day. It's the most fun earning good karma that i can think of. Try it for yourself!!!

*Tip:If you get bored of vocab you can change the subject to something more interesting like Art History :)

FOR EACH ANSWER YOU GET RIGHT, THEY DONATE 10 GRAINS OF RICE THROUGH THE UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM TO HELP END HUNGER.

ABOUT FREE RICE:

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Our partner is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide education to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site.

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your education can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you.

http://www.freerice.com/about.html

PS: I added it to my "Flavors of the Week" link list for easy access :)

Casa Loma

I believe I was born in the WRONG era!! I absolutely fell in love with Casa Loma, a 1900s castle built by Sir Henry Pellatt. While roaming the halls reading the little excerpts of history on plaques, I entertained thoughts of having my own castle with secret stair wells and gardens... I know these were overly romanticized thoughts but they were a good escape from the everyday banality that is Windsor. Here are some photographs ... feel free to entertain your own daydreams of being king of the castle. I won't judge ;)

Green Room

Secret tunnel under the castle... I want a secret tunnel, that would make me BA lol

Path to hidden garden

Hand carved marble mantle piece... they don't make things of this quality anymore :(

Antique tire in garage

Casa Loma

Photo-journey:Toronto 08/09

Okay, so leave it to me to be in a big city and still find the most un-urban subject matter to photograph! Maybe it’s the late Ansel Adams possessing my camera and turning it into a divining rod for nature... who knows!

YES I am a vegetarian; NO I don’t eat tree bark!

Ok so every time somebody, friend or stranger, finds out I do not eat meat I always receive the most dumbfounded look followed by the question “So, like, what DO you eat then?”

Answer: Normal people food!!!

I know the mind REELS as to what that could include: Try taking a stroll through the fresh produce area of your grocery store sometime! I know, I know… I’m asking you to step outside the comfort zone of your typical frozen, ready made, preservative loaded, filler crap that you’re accustomed to but trust me your body & health will thank you. Do you realize there are entire cultures that are meat or even just pork free?

I am by no means a vegetarian because of animal rights reasons because I think those people are contradictory in the fact they go home and almost every cleaning/beauty product in their house has been animal tested OR they wear leather shoes, belts etc… I also realize that by not eating meat, the chicken or cow that is cut up in front of me is already dead… So I’m not saving an animal. I’m really just leaving more for everyone else.

I am a vegetarian for the following reasons:
1. I’ve never really enjoyed meat
2. I don’t miss meat
3. I feel better when I don’t eat meat
4. Cancer (every type) and high cholesterol runs ruthlessly in my family and reducing your meat intake has been proven to lower your risk for the occurrence of both these diseases... I'll take what i can get on that war front!

Now that you have a small insight into my rational, please stop looking at me like I’m a three eyed circus freak. And next time you make the closed minded comment: “I don’t know how you can do that to yourself”, take a second to realize I’m thinking the exact same thing about you! I’m not trying to turn you into a vegetarian. I respect your own personal decision as to what you eat, so please respect mine.


Peace & Love
-Skilla O.

Corporate Wasteland: Windsor

I went to an art exhibit at the AGW a year or so ago titled Corporate Wasteland. It was an exhibit of photographic prints showcasing the old abandoned factories that have been shut down and left for dead in the industrial cities of Canada and the USA. Windsor, Ontario is considered to be part of the “rust belt” so this inspired me for my next photo-journey. Instead of focusing on the abandoned factories that typically mark a “corporate wasteland”, I focused on the cement. Cement is something that every major industrial city has a plethora of… and like a factory building it gets used, abused, abandoned and/or demolished.

So I snuck into a cement recycling/manufacturing plant… I could only bring my small camera and I got in trouble for being inside quite a few times… but I would just sneak back in a different way! I suppose it was a little dangerous with all the machinery but I couldn’t help myself.

I decided to post a few pics because I feel they are suiting to how Windsor looks like right now with the garbage strike and all... a wasteland.

Related Links:

http://www.artgalleryofwindsor.com/documents/page6_001.pdf

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Corporate-Wasteland/Steven-High/e/9780801474019

Extreme Makover: Electronic Edition

Ok, so I’ve realized that its time to put my digital life online. The combination of being sick of Facecrack (aka: Facebook) and needing a place to pull all my digital shit together is what brought me to creating a blog... I never thought of myself as the blogging type but yet here I am drinking a cup of tea whilst trying to figure out what blog layout defines me as a person…

PS: green tea with brown sugar and cinnamon... try it, it will change your life.