tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42068203965023841482024-03-19T03:49:39.717-07:00 Indigo InkAliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-17357066336182543572019-04-10T05:50:00.005-07:002020-03-18T05:34:29.261-07:00She's Gone Bookish - Five Spring Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Featuring: the revival of a seemingly ancient book series first formed four years ago, the return of the well-received short, "no-spoiler," review format, and of course, five tales that are bright, colorful, and/or remind me of spring - curated especially for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">A quick disclaimer: I don't consider myself a purveyor of modern literature, and very rarely do I venture into the depths of young adult fiction, so all of the novels I have listed (with one exception) were published at least 75 years ago. If you are a fellow reader of classic literature, these books are for you. If you aren't, I would highly recommend that you try your hand at reading some of these, as I thoroughly enjoyed everything featured below and think that you might too.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VkzHKxV0NAwF4TamWWx6L9OJsetPnyH8HLQzHc6GyY0j_OLuUmC02m_CvR_3BcvTkYtLR-a5OMl5C_xD-xTuYGP8qbfBDlFuuSAUx3ULf5Lvb7ayOGxJrwEACrO8ozeCqUYTb9DyAGsr/s1600/_MG_3834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1190" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VkzHKxV0NAwF4TamWWx6L9OJsetPnyH8HLQzHc6GyY0j_OLuUmC02m_CvR_3BcvTkYtLR-a5OMl5C_xD-xTuYGP8qbfBDlFuuSAUx3ULf5Lvb7ayOGxJrwEACrO8ozeCqUYTb9DyAGsr/s320/_MG_3834.jpg" width="237" /></a><b>The Secret Garden</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>"Mary did not know what 'wutherin' meant until she listened, and then she understood."</i></span><br />
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<i>The Secret Garden </i>is perfect for anyone wanting to relive their childhood. I read it for the second time only a few weeks ago, and was reminded of all the reasons I used to love reading classic children's literature.<br />
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This book follows the story and early life of Mary Lennox, a sour and spoiled little girl who moves to England and slowly discovers the secrets and wonders of her uncle's estate. Exploring the simplicity of naturalistic beauty, hearty food, and warm smiles, as well as the pleasure and happiness they can all provide, Frances Hodgson Burnett will stun you with her themes of un-selfishness and picture-painting descriptions, guaranteeing you a 100% happy ending. An absolute classic whose title, cover, and meanings all scream spring.<br />
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<b>The Inimitable Jeeves</b></div>
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This was my second read of the <i>Jeeves and Wooster </i>series (by P.G. Wodehouse) but was actually the first one written. For those unfamiliar with Wodehouse, he was a humorist and author belonging to the 20th century who has won the hearts of many with the ridiculous banter and wit of his characters and "elegantly turned phrases."<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>The Inimitable Jeeves</i>, in particular, is a collection of short stories all following the misfortunes of Bertie Wooster in his attempts to help his friend Bingo marry, and the many, many, times he must be saved from awkward situations by his valet, Jeeves and his brilliant solutions. A lovely, lighthearted book perfect for times like spring break when all you want to do is relax and laugh; </span><span style="background-color: white;">whether you decide to read only one or two of the short stories or tackle the entire collection in one go is entirely up to you.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hHrQ7jhEqDtdX34InfMWDz3I35aTizjApenjcyNcl0JxAaRhxBaKP1jwR1vJBgb52wZZvSBixT2qbvYStBgYdKKXKuALcpprtzTFdcVbIKngq0L-TxDR6AjFdcIDCUkF1blTSzugMIjo/s1600/_MG_3846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hHrQ7jhEqDtdX34InfMWDz3I35aTizjApenjcyNcl0JxAaRhxBaKP1jwR1vJBgb52wZZvSBixT2qbvYStBgYdKKXKuALcpprtzTFdcVbIKngq0L-TxDR6AjFdcIDCUkF1blTSzugMIjo/s320/_MG_3846.jpg" width="219" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Hobbit</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>"You certainly usually find something; if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after."</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I'm not sure if it would have been possible to compile another list of books to read without including Tolkien. I am also uncertain about how many times I've read this novel, but each time I do, I discover something new, whether it be a thought-provoking quote, an elegant description, or a love for an under appreciated character.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Taking you along the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, and the company of Thorin Oakenshield to reclaim their homeland of The Lonely Mountain, Tolkien doesn't disappoint with - what I consider to be - some of the finest writing and plots in English literature. If you've only ever watched the movies, please read the book, and if you haven't read or watched either, please read the book. I've never met anyone who has failed to enjoy the characters, themes, and the luscious scenery and journey across Middle-Earth that instantly makes you think of spring turning into summer.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Watership Down</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbZM4dVNfYT6IFCuSRp5iqBgMQJgeAxUIDKFTZ7rJJ1ptHeEXyQL5ePT3ushpLxA5RwxmfbAMrVIhXIji3VBnZRDbJ0rbIOhhWDvtmzIH8w5MPJt3hXRs3oTFnVaHBeoCI5LUBIaPCjFF/s1600/_MG_3864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1163" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbZM4dVNfYT6IFCuSRp5iqBgMQJgeAxUIDKFTZ7rJJ1ptHeEXyQL5ePT3ushpLxA5RwxmfbAMrVIhXIji3VBnZRDbJ0rbIOhhWDvtmzIH8w5MPJt3hXRs3oTFnVaHBeoCI5LUBIaPCjFF/s320/_MG_3864.jpg" width="232" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><i>"You want to run - I will run with you."</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white;">Though being the most sizable novel on the list (as well as the youngest), time flew by while I read <i>Watership Down</i>, and I was much too captivated and enthralled by the charm of this tale to care; it subsequently became one of my favorite books.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Another adventure story, but this time, a modern take on the classic 'hero' tale dating back to epics as old as <i>The Iliad </i>and <i>The Odyssey</i>. Here, we are privileged enough to follow the quest of two brothers - Fiver and Hazel - to find a new home and survive the challenges, perils, and temptations they must face in order to do so. Told through the characters of anthropomorphized rabbits, Richard Adams exhibits his incredible creativity and opens the door to this unknown world complete with culture and mythology in <i>Watership Down</i> (similar to how Tolkien created Middle-Earth, new species, and languages). Do I even have to mention its spring-themed appeal?</span><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmwOhxPwC6RZiiiqNlOd1VAG3a7_x-WN5RiPTdx-3QsN_UfbOaHNGBq-8XGnu52xgnSf8xzMXmnlY4p5qK6i1MxH8iGy1EahGr6aaZ8otGpJ86BUkDtAz-VKtMS0oEqmbPxK8KA3i9Uh_/s1600/_MG_3873+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1206" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmwOhxPwC6RZiiiqNlOd1VAG3a7_x-WN5RiPTdx-3QsN_UfbOaHNGBq-8XGnu52xgnSf8xzMXmnlY4p5qK6i1MxH8iGy1EahGr6aaZ8otGpJ86BUkDtAz-VKtMS0oEqmbPxK8KA3i9Uh_/s320/_MG_3873+2.jpg" width="241" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Yellow Wallpaper</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">"<i>The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing..."</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white;">This is the only book on this list that I discovered through a class, not originally meant for pleasure, but perhaps has had the most impact on me. It is much 'darker' than the others, but it is important to note that there are gloomier, rainy days in spring just as much as there are in any other season.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>The Yellow Wallpaper </i>is a short story that follows a woman's slow descent into madness and an obsession with the wallpaper covering the walls of her temporary bedroom. Based off of and inspired by the author's own horrific experiences of being diagnosed with 'hysteria' in the 19th century, this tale is historically significant as well as beautifully written, and should be read by all.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Well, that's the end of the list. These are just a few of my personal favorites that all exhibited 'spring-like themes' (at least, to me), and I wanted to share my opinions as well as love for the books. Even if you don't get a chance to read them this season, they are still just as good any other time of the year. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Have any of you read the books mentioned above? Will you? What are some of your favorite stories to read this time of year?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span>Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-10895546442154303212019-02-01T07:58:00.000-08:002019-02-01T07:58:11.324-08:00Feature: El Monte, California<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmoERvutHH8jdUccIe5hxzZ80deIhXICaB_NOASdZUVO6WXprE-2i8OvkKjceRHFPNrCby-ToG5IXKHf2OE7_fdE3wt4ienK74OS5ADy-VP_9NR2FJf7uR85JLaauDuxymaQgW2nhJ0cp/s1600/fullsizeoutput_12fc.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmoERvutHH8jdUccIe5hxzZ80deIhXICaB_NOASdZUVO6WXprE-2i8OvkKjceRHFPNrCby-ToG5IXKHf2OE7_fdE3wt4ienK74OS5ADy-VP_9NR2FJf7uR85JLaauDuxymaQgW2nhJ0cp/s640/fullsizeoutput_12fc.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Over winter break, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to the suburbs of L.A (plus, L.A.) to visit some family members. Though I only just got around to transferring the photos I took there from my camera onto my laptop, I still wanted to feature them on here.<br />
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Most of the photos were taken during the morning walks that my mother and I took around the neighborhood nearly every day, so they aren't anything extravagant, just small things that caught my eye, and shots that illustrate life in California suburbs.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWWDA8gK7XmBUXmunEjqEeEXpG7vcq52mWa_i5BlXNgAjUP1B3OOpY7oDf1h3ETBjYaaHEZy4mnCKjs4kLWSAqyHl6TiKK-YvZwaeAPM69NcIgMbD8HHqfgGx3psEVhc_Z9kVwQCY0fMD/s1600/_MG_3578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWWDA8gK7XmBUXmunEjqEeEXpG7vcq52mWa_i5BlXNgAjUP1B3OOpY7oDf1h3ETBjYaaHEZy4mnCKjs4kLWSAqyHl6TiKK-YvZwaeAPM69NcIgMbD8HHqfgGx3psEVhc_Z9kVwQCY0fMD/s640/_MG_3578.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"> This photo was shot at a LAPD horse training center that we got a special tour of (thanks to a cousin who works there). Featured above is Stetson the horse. More similar shots over on my Instagram, if you're interested.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was taken during Christmas Eve (or as it is called in Latin America, Noche Buena). Above is my great aunt dancing with my cousin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bilingual signs are extremely common, haha!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the unique shadows in this one.</td></tr>
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Hopefully, you can expect some detailed posts that include more writing soon.</div>
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Also, I'm currently reading a book a week (or more, if possible) for year of 2019 - would any of you be interested in reading a recap of the books I read each month and my ratings? </div>
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Comment below if you would enjoy reading about me reading, and if you travelled somewhere during winter break.</div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-57574259808276878062018-06-13T04:59:00.001-07:002019-05-29T02:04:17.140-07:00Top Books to Read This Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With school having ended for most, and a bit more free time, some of you may be looking for a new novel to get your hands on. Below are some of my own personal favorites, curated especially for you.</div>
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A quick disclaimer: <span style="background-color: white;">I don't consider myself a purveyor of modern literature, and very rarely do I venture into the depths of young adult fiction, so all of the novels I have listed were published at least 75 years ago. If you are a fellow reader of classic literature, these books are for you. If you aren't, I would highly recommend that you try your hand at reading some of these, as I thoroughly enjoyed everything featured below and think that you might too.</span></div>
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<b>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA8JIHKlPitR5ur3FM92t1YBpkZuGXVHGGzh-owG_3bWHc1j_J9blDtee4NRCjRG6ob5HRbJp57VrsHCJ6lSeqym1cdngWJJJ059x5g3fUE6TmE1Qn0lgLto3efPXmsXAqsPiG9O8hkPU/s1600/brooklyn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1116" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA8JIHKlPitR5ur3FM92t1YBpkZuGXVHGGzh-owG_3bWHc1j_J9blDtee4NRCjRG6ob5HRbJp57VrsHCJ6lSeqym1cdngWJJJ059x5g3fUE6TmE1Qn0lgLto3efPXmsXAqsPiG9O8hkPU/s320/brooklyn1.jpg" width="222" /></a><i>"Francie, about a year ago he gave me that card all written out and two dollars. He said, 'when Francie graduates, send her some flowers for me - in case I forget.'"<br /><br /></i>In last year's English class, I was required to pick and read a coming of age novel from a provided list, and subsequently write a couple essays on it. <i>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn </i>is the book I chose, and ever since, I have been so grateful that I did.</div>
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It is a bit slow to start, but was a heartbreaking novel following the childhood and adolescent years of a Brooklyn girl living in poverty with her mother, brother, and father. Sort of like a 20th century <i>Little Women</i> - but with less sisters and no fashionable pickled limes - the reader is able to form a connection with the characters and watch them grow up.<br />
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<b>The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKH6BRsvYnTE2-BxwQd5SMV_5nSfBj8KlD7Otybmb6cVWOwzRGng8_T20KYXOCsPeHBtVaL91vJnImSDXDXWmPDZgTmXO8ZbNK8-mHQp4NdFLTZIE3wAhPp68lEvnwC3xCQiX2F-5vRxIm/s1600/bug+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1086" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKH6BRsvYnTE2-BxwQd5SMV_5nSfBj8KlD7Otybmb6cVWOwzRGng8_T20KYXOCsPeHBtVaL91vJnImSDXDXWmPDZgTmXO8ZbNK8-mHQp4NdFLTZIE3wAhPp68lEvnwC3xCQiX2F-5vRxIm/s320/bug+1.jpg" width="217" /></a><i>"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin."</i><br /><br />A novel that was on my TBR list for seemingly eternity, my copy sat on the shelf collecting dust on its pretty cover for months before I finally cleaned it off with the intention of reading it. I found the way it was written to be somewhat odd; definitely not what I was used to, since the first sentence of the novel begins with what might already have been considered as the climax of a novel. <br />
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However, since first reading the novel almost a year ago, I have reviewed it again several times, rereading some of my favorite chapters and quotes. Personally, I think it to be an absurd (in a good way, of course) and brilliant book on isolation and existentialism, and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic literature and modernist fiction. </div>
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<b>The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwJfCAs81NKq3lFwVFh4xt1ZT-Va6f4uA2cXzOr79klrj6YahovWaZHcAvd3J33FOBG1RF7HfikEXSejYg9ssdcBhOX6c7xhTsSiYRDyxpUKJ_E8awZ6p8EOoHq_XnTGtJTfjxuGFAHEx/s1600/gray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1043" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwJfCAs81NKq3lFwVFh4xt1ZT-Va6f4uA2cXzOr79klrj6YahovWaZHcAvd3J33FOBG1RF7HfikEXSejYg9ssdcBhOX6c7xhTsSiYRDyxpUKJ_E8awZ6p8EOoHq_XnTGtJTfjxuGFAHEx/s320/gray.jpg" width="208" /></a><i>"Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cave-man had learned to laugh, History would have been different."</i><br /><br />I picked this book up on a whim, partly because I had some leftover money on a gift card to <i>Barnes and Noble</i>, and partly because the elegant designs on the cover attracted me. I had heard from a friend that Oscar Wilde was an incredible writer, and after reading his only novel and a few of his poems, I think I can safely say that that is a marvelous understatement. <br />
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I've always been one for psychological novels that leave you a tad bit mind blown, but <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray </i>goes above and beyond with its artistic (if you get the pun let me know) cruelty and narcissism. The book follows the life of a vain young man who makes a wish to stay young forever, and the ultimate consequences of his actions. The novel is a profound message to all that it is our actions that define us, not our beauty.</div>
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<b>Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuMLiFDJwKM_h_NUpevUWpf7Cm4p8KXgMDXPuO3sbFkhSTv97BXjPt4TKf1vonNFRskBCwYBxSLy09PDKmVZGW43SeEZAgyNIl2_NIfdYZUD8elDVE1AAh928BunikNkK8pKhh5qq1E4K/s1600/cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuMLiFDJwKM_h_NUpevUWpf7Cm4p8KXgMDXPuO3sbFkhSTv97BXjPt4TKf1vonNFRskBCwYBxSLy09PDKmVZGW43SeEZAgyNIl2_NIfdYZUD8elDVE1AAh928BunikNkK8pKhh5qq1E4K/s320/cards.jpg" width="213" /></a><i>"He played the part of the devil too successfully. But he was not the devil. Au fond, he was a stupid man. And so - he died."</i><br /><br />A little fun to lighten the load. I don't know about you, but I've been an avid reader of Agatha Christie and her iconic literary detectives for a few years now, and am always eager to pick up another Poirot novel in order to use my "little grey cells." <i>Cards on the Table </i>was originally just another detective novel to help pass the time, but it is now one of my all time favorites (along with <i>The Murder on the Orient Express </i>and <i>The Murder of Roger Ackroyd</i>; both worth a read).<br />
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If you've never encountered Hercule Poirot<i>, </i>he is essentially a slightly more Belgian version of Sherlock Holmes, but with more moustache and less deducing (to sum it up). It begins with a man who was quietly murdered in a room with only four other people, and it is up to four detectives to solve the crime; though of course, it is Poirot who is the hero in the end. Filled with suspicious characters and surprise clues that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat until the very end, this thriller is one of the best that Christie has written.</div>
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<b>The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMzb5EvsUK4i8x3omfY5n2tIo3nIm6kUSIrriBsyVqpUNoTveQEKPx948mRQbU3xs-oMQsoe-ZEEPmUOURp-90FwlEuTH9inIeiV13vIq1lsbtuHJtaTOe8JR8zeqUWgmfj3d5JBkKhvJ/s1600/earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMzb5EvsUK4i8x3omfY5n2tIo3nIm6kUSIrriBsyVqpUNoTveQEKPx948mRQbU3xs-oMQsoe-ZEEPmUOURp-90FwlEuTH9inIeiV13vIq1lsbtuHJtaTOe8JR8zeqUWgmfj3d5JBkKhvJ/s320/earth.jpg" width="213" /></a><i>"Hunger makes thief of any man."</i><br /><br />The last novel on this list is coincidentally the one I read first. Recommended to me by my mother - someone who never seems to have read the books she suggests and yet is always right about the quality of them - for an Autumn read.<br />
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<i>The Good Earth </i>is a peaceful story, and takes you through the life of a poor farmer and his family living in China after the fall of the Qing dynasty. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932, and the whole book in itself represents the land; specifically, respect and piety for the land. It also deals with the corruption that wealth often brings, as well as the oppression of women during that time period. Since I read it, <i>The Good Earth </i>has been one of my favorite novels, mainly because of the author's ability to convey the emotions and thoughts of nearly every character.</div>
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Well, there you have it folks. I know this post was a bit longer than what I normally write (ahem, nothing at all), but I wanted to - and hope I did - convey not only the plots of these novels, but the themes, characters, and everything in between.</div>
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Have any of you read the books above? If not, will you? What are some novels that are on your Summer TBR list?</div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-91389938616320521962018-04-22T20:37:00.001-07:002018-05-07T06:31:21.916-07:00Hello + Ikea in Black and White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFuGLLb_xWyez94zUur45Em0L3RNY-4mPhxq2KH5qYvF8eA6dj8Cq_roanBNbngGL3ZUaNesHAf1bI_2U11U753S0nol9trCwutbiMIzdSTyOKFnFqLaX-v4ogz4iHx1Wz24pTiuYLCCm/s1600/light+1627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1045" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFuGLLb_xWyez94zUur45Em0L3RNY-4mPhxq2KH5qYvF8eA6dj8Cq_roanBNbngGL3ZUaNesHAf1bI_2U11U753S0nol9trCwutbiMIzdSTyOKFnFqLaX-v4ogz4iHx1Wz24pTiuYLCCm/s640/light+1627.jpg" width="417" /></a></div>
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Ahem. It's been so long I hardly remember how to begin a post. I hope a simple hello will suffice.<br />
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Hello. Some friends of mine were taking turns googling each other, and I happened to be in the room at the time, so they looked up my name as well. Buried among other links, a dusty old blog appeared that I realized had turned 4 in August, and I hadn't even been around to say happy birthday to it. I realize now <i>Indigo Ink </i>is now closer to being 5 than it is to being 4, but I feel like I have commemorate the many, many years of hard work my younger self put into these posts. So, I'll say it now. Happy birthday.<br />
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Now, I'm not going to make any promises, since there seems to be a continuing pattern of my making promises related to this blog, and then breaking them almost immediately. No excuses, either, since there are plenty of those here as well. Scrolling through my archives a few days ago, I felt a pang of nostalgia, and wondered whatever happened to that girl obsessed with books and her blog. Since then, I haven't been able to get blogging out of my head, and so to be able to sleep with peace of mind, I am bent on writing a post before I lay down, no matter how long it will take.<br />
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I think part of the problem is that I seem to have run out of all my creative inspiration for this blog. Perhaps, most people would move on to a fresh start and create a new website, but I am determined, that after so many years of hard work, this blog will continue to exist, and that I will continue to post, even if it will not be often. To quote Gloria Gaynor, "I will survive."<br />
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So, since I have absolutely no idea what I should post, other than my classic ramblings of course, I'll just share some photos that I took a few months ago. My poor old camera has been sitting on my nightstand since then, gathering dust, but I hope you will enjoy these. I tried to be a bit different and original when I took them, attempting to find beauty in the oddity and wildness of IKEA stores, so they might seem a bit unusual, for lack of a better word, to some, but I do hope you all enjoy them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yp4q7rtzdhION24G4YRkBwzNNpPaoGJuK_Ic2PKmLKQ67oO-BHRTxTmUf3qguNFJ5opyXs_w7vJy5q0rzc6WRQ6uSNnhnH_XCeKHtxYZnCi9GfR_chnZRSz7vBiQE12WVu2ZlYU1khkd/s1600/slippers+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yp4q7rtzdhION24G4YRkBwzNNpPaoGJuK_Ic2PKmLKQ67oO-BHRTxTmUf3qguNFJ5opyXs_w7vJy5q0rzc6WRQ6uSNnhnH_XCeKHtxYZnCi9GfR_chnZRSz7vBiQE12WVu2ZlYU1khkd/s640/slippers+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also, two more things before we part ways:<br />
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(1) Blogger always seems to lower the quality and clarity of my photographs whenever I upload them; does/has anyone else experienced this and/or know how to fix it? It has been going for years, and I can't seem to find anyone else online who has had the same problem.<br />
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(2) Did you all enjoy the life update and a random burst of photographs above? Would you like to see more photos of my odd little outings? And please, I beg of you, let me know if you have any ideas for posts on the blog, or if there is anything you would like to see more of on here; I am absolutely desperate for any suggestions.<br />
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I suppose that is all. I've missed this blog, and all of you, and sorely hope that you have missed me.Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-57397145221184692762017-07-24T09:00:00.000-07:002017-07-24T14:21:11.075-07:00finding inspiration: blog posts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It can sometimes be difficult to create new and exciting content that your followers will enjoy reading. I often struggle with this. One of the biggest reasons I've been away from this blog for so long is because I simply cannot come up with any ideas I feel are worthy of posting. And so, when in doubt, write a post telling people how to find inspiration on writing posts.<br />
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<br />Let's take a look into my mind, shall we?</h3>
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+ <b>Read the posts of others</b><br />
When I read the posts of my fellow bloggers, I sometimes think of something similar I could write that might appeal to my followers. Often times, I either simply admire what my peer has written, or come up with something entirely different for my own blog. However, I never steal content from others, but if I like an idea so much that I'd like to recreate it, I simply ask for permission from the original author to do something similar. </div>
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+ <b>Ask for ideas</b><br />
If I'm feeling particularly stumped, and need to produce some creative content, I often ask for the ideas of friends and family. More often that not, they give me a lovely idea for a new post, such as this one. Don't be afraid to ask for help; the ideas that sparked many of my favorite posts have been from my loved ones.</div>
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+ <b>Photography</b></div>
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Sometimes, I have no ideas for new content but I'm itching to write something up and post it. The first thing I turn to is my beloved flash drive that holds most of my photographs. It doesn't take long to edit a few of my best pictures from my most recent adventures and jot down a few sentences to accompany every other photo. In the end, I am left with something that didn't drain me or take days to write, but I am still proud of. Often times, my photography posts are my most popular.</div>
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+<b> A part two </b></div>
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What you are reading right now is an excellent example of what I mean. Two years ago, I wrote a post called <a href="http://thisandthatbyaliah.blogspot.com/2015/10/finding-inspiration-poetry.html">Finding Inspiration: Poetry</a>, where I shared things that may inspire me to write poems in my day to day life. This week, I found I was too occupied to come up with something more original, but since I am fond of irony, the idea for this post came to mind. I try to not write many similar posts, as I like everything I publish to be as original and creative as possible, but sometimes it may be a good idea to recreate an old post.</div>
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What do you do when you need an idea for a blog post? Let me know if you try anything suggested above.</div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-16534659484936343262017-07-08T16:23:00.000-07:002017-07-22T19:36:44.256-07:00a postcard to marrakech<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh609F9qyNNDEwn27EOKqRgHaxWGvL6bihbC27ILarO0Y5IZc39HFT9OZauhafajIJjbuHuCAchASo7WMIOTikT51RgybM7kZaW-PNgOXWIHToNJPWhdJo3JSRazI6ABY5XY8K_737BZgf3/s1600/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh609F9qyNNDEwn27EOKqRgHaxWGvL6bihbC27ILarO0Y5IZc39HFT9OZauhafajIJjbuHuCAchASo7WMIOTikT51RgybM7kZaW-PNgOXWIHToNJPWhdJo3JSRazI6ABY5XY8K_737BZgf3/s640/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+070.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Dearest Marrakech,</div>
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It's been about a year since I last saw you. When the doors of the plane opened up and I tasted the dry dusty air, you didn't seem like much. But then I saw your bright and clear blue sky, and smelled the kebabs and tagines cooking in the depths of your city, and thought you might be all right.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALuc97mjpMLAnMO5RU7aBU7MxSuPR-FpztU14HeVQMGruyLauiqPqSNfNBskP2b8KqCKOEIcwXwyzRky6J0q-jCcyq2tkbWdAJ5vO6XVONKy-NL5itKzmyLRHQr8MltN2Ad3HJc01r8jS/s1600/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALuc97mjpMLAnMO5RU7aBU7MxSuPR-FpztU14HeVQMGruyLauiqPqSNfNBskP2b8KqCKOEIcwXwyzRky6J0q-jCcyq2tkbWdAJ5vO6XVONKy-NL5itKzmyLRHQr8MltN2Ad3HJc01r8jS/s640/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+105.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyTxx0bzdseVB9KaubS5guoXGzfrC9JX1TbkoegP4u9yei3mLi5xKz46B0raPt5GwbaSXK86NZvJMRD2OjGf0QvMjxzfAUyvb2G-okVO9YJoG_jnuoWB-oiX2itxfnxGIQf3I3V8Z0qox/s1600/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyTxx0bzdseVB9KaubS5guoXGzfrC9JX1TbkoegP4u9yei3mLi5xKz46B0raPt5GwbaSXK86NZvJMRD2OjGf0QvMjxzfAUyvb2G-okVO9YJoG_jnuoWB-oiX2itxfnxGIQf3I3V8Z0qox/s640/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+267.jpg" width="436" /></a></div>
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You turned out to be so much more than that. Even with your terrible air-conditioning and the dust that seemed to coat my shoes at all times, you wove your way into my heart.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA6AFveVkqffwp45cX3g9su3EZeYw_SPh4fJgQyUlG_Hi2Zy9tknQTFUUqm8jg-maczBj8L5FqoXifXFiATkN7Z80oVELhpGFxa1V3I33X-MiqP80BGLUD6kjkBMU-OR2ZNgSGdov-x9O/s1600/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA6AFveVkqffwp45cX3g9su3EZeYw_SPh4fJgQyUlG_Hi2Zy9tknQTFUUqm8jg-maczBj8L5FqoXifXFiATkN7Z80oVELhpGFxa1V3I33X-MiqP80BGLUD6kjkBMU-OR2ZNgSGdov-x9O/s640/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+284.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfKlf3_hGCKa7OvDY80T5sdCnlVZrhNtU_3f73fTN79YwCyJNDKMiM-agYpKFN9ZmJAClHAW2XPmtin8snBOeCOPN5CQYIcz46haaiJxZxhP7cv6iYRMyvb6A9at6wwsUIyCfpCCPJvp9/s1600/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfKlf3_hGCKa7OvDY80T5sdCnlVZrhNtU_3f73fTN79YwCyJNDKMiM-agYpKFN9ZmJAClHAW2XPmtin8snBOeCOPN5CQYIcz46haaiJxZxhP7cv6iYRMyvb6A9at6wwsUIyCfpCCPJvp9/s640/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+893.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You, with your extensive history, your bright colors, your incredibly friendly citizens that would act as if we had known each other all our lives.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhnEohXc-iXVMEcXzjjDbxkWNdj2-4C7_S7Y-fy7DkTB9vjSQocK8wnKy4cgbHkkI4aUSHrxsABF8HM-w3OTKCrIJyY6w9Iute_tEzmW2b1IRa8qk1F5AffMH6sWWMbWCQm7xXNneR03N/s1600/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhnEohXc-iXVMEcXzjjDbxkWNdj2-4C7_S7Y-fy7DkTB9vjSQocK8wnKy4cgbHkkI4aUSHrxsABF8HM-w3OTKCrIJyY6w9Iute_tEzmW2b1IRa8qk1F5AffMH6sWWMbWCQm7xXNneR03N/s640/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+566.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWWqJFk2ZuvGb5S61DuWES9-YFZgJ1d8xdcb3cN0v4FV6DX6iasWGZ95EqCe7CSk5X72hPphQDjcJKY9gI-_YMjk_cwVIq1PYXZ0yZLEeVVj5kZbJFdVFhsgdwKuhrcaQSTtj-fOwWfyp/s1600/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWWqJFk2ZuvGb5S61DuWES9-YFZgJ1d8xdcb3cN0v4FV6DX6iasWGZ95EqCe7CSk5X72hPphQDjcJKY9gI-_YMjk_cwVIq1PYXZ0yZLEeVVj5kZbJFdVFhsgdwKuhrcaQSTtj-fOwWfyp/s640/Marrakech%252C+June+2016+866.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I want to thank you for your hospitality, for welcoming my family and I, and so many others like us onto your main roads packed with traffic, your tourist attractions, your quiet little restaurants, and your secluded alleyways.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeIjKkfhuFBg-PLLm2G2B9tEXrUaaHC7WyIdZmKFfUeJ4Etug5jr-9tOjS_VgT8dYOP_-2s8o_Xt4gwcuI_qNeun2yYsfuqkzXjyo-_HJ7WRmGQqJBnZb8ZK3r8AER-O39J1UYxVBEXHQ/s1600/Morocco+%2526+Soccer+Game+2016+356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeIjKkfhuFBg-PLLm2G2B9tEXrUaaHC7WyIdZmKFfUeJ4Etug5jr-9tOjS_VgT8dYOP_-2s8o_Xt4gwcuI_qNeun2yYsfuqkzXjyo-_HJ7WRmGQqJBnZb8ZK3r8AER-O39J1UYxVBEXHQ/s640/Morocco+%2526+Soccer+Game+2016+356.JPG" width="366" /></a></div>
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I know it might be cliche to say, but I miss you. So very much. I miss your clean white walls and your exotic gardens and your leather goods deep in your enticing souks. I hope, that my eyes will be able to feast upon your beauty again one day soon.</div>
<br />Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-49106923837501329652016-12-07T18:13:00.001-08:002016-12-07T18:13:15.931-08:00Travels to Istanbul + Returning To The BlogI believe this has been the longest I've been away from this blog, and I regret my decision to distance myself from <i><b>Indigo Ink</b>. </i>So much so, in fact, that I am determined to start posting regularly, perhaps once every two weeks. I wanted to start off this (early) New Year's resolution with some of my photographs from my trip to Istanbul back in February that I never shared.<br />
You can expect a few more traveling posts in the next few months (from my trip to Morocco in June and my travels to Iran in July/August, as well as my upcoming visit to California in December). I truly hope you will enjoy these little snapshots of my brief journey to a distant land.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0juP75rwf2lqRF8Afc7l66LL1_-HMsh1kdOoNqResZZ1ClheEM6VQtmvNvr5fXr5LvuMZBnPzcjtrCTE41upciTWSKh9Z_rWj2d1DvjLRpD90FOFLKawDs_qZtM51mxHNyD15ZLhLA3aZ/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0juP75rwf2lqRF8Afc7l66LL1_-HMsh1kdOoNqResZZ1ClheEM6VQtmvNvr5fXr5LvuMZBnPzcjtrCTE41upciTWSKh9Z_rWj2d1DvjLRpD90FOFLKawDs_qZtM51mxHNyD15ZLhLA3aZ/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+296.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvKVYmSs8sGNoNjH1KRE24K2i3zHbP05K10JXkNiuVN8Qo6FOB8o2sPxpS-eieEnFvvTzSys6XrG9Bd0JXmsTv_OLdwST0Kfz-y8jzo9Gsa6DAs-c12ZZC3xGCJ_KU3dDt4ttlLgKMVy8/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvKVYmSs8sGNoNjH1KRE24K2i3zHbP05K10JXkNiuVN8Qo6FOB8o2sPxpS-eieEnFvvTzSys6XrG9Bd0JXmsTv_OLdwST0Kfz-y8jzo9Gsa6DAs-c12ZZC3xGCJ_KU3dDt4ttlLgKMVy8/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+295.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hagia Safiya</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFVBOmP7jr_b202GcBB0dVnoXAC6xMEiHDrUCicGVZm8-Af9ZKGB7Z7hgghSdHDv-dFTY2PLhHWbiLLn8dKPF9qRUXM_8Xb4v8PfGBYgZ88d14iYh-aYo_ZbgoczGpD9Hbg7Iv66hMPTp/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFVBOmP7jr_b202GcBB0dVnoXAC6xMEiHDrUCicGVZm8-Af9ZKGB7Z7hgghSdHDv-dFTY2PLhHWbiLLn8dKPF9qRUXM_8Xb4v8PfGBYgZ88d14iYh-aYo_ZbgoczGpD9Hbg7Iv66hMPTp/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+296.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8PXE7dfGTkf1uJ5mqDcdGCLMivxybZdykTlwZp4_h7-0z1763sJXQD7J8EA8jeSSaxE6HPXTnmmAwievDNkmWcfSBbBoZgD3wBX03TlzSU3W47KjADDWiHJ6wVcvwbKeBLGst0UioprJ/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8PXE7dfGTkf1uJ5mqDcdGCLMivxybZdykTlwZp4_h7-0z1763sJXQD7J8EA8jeSSaxE6HPXTnmmAwievDNkmWcfSBbBoZgD3wBX03TlzSU3W47KjADDWiHJ6wVcvwbKeBLGst0UioprJ/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+297.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Istanbul was crowded with stray dogs and cats, and although some were frightened of travelers, some were extraordinarily friendly (like this one) and even posed for a picture. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3vAhDtmYXeSKIGgHSo0AyiPbFI9gvm8juKxFDMX6AEXkegOjPqtd2bjht57npCVCQDks-yw_klh9jWbOgda9qDkBbdxl0BBxkaZKZkLggMCvMZ4hd_luAwq9gfanYWIngdw6T5LiZgmK/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3vAhDtmYXeSKIGgHSo0AyiPbFI9gvm8juKxFDMX6AEXkegOjPqtd2bjht57npCVCQDks-yw_klh9jWbOgda9qDkBbdxl0BBxkaZKZkLggMCvMZ4hd_luAwq9gfanYWIngdw6T5LiZgmK/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+298.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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On almost every street there were various stands, selling not only food, but little trinkets and souvenirs. There was a variety of fresh baked breads in the mornings, served with cream cheese or Nutella, roasted chestnuts and grilled corn, available morning, afternoon and night. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglz7FH_kVE5MoCi7UnVO-TLE11v-vJcE4VrOqraHQ4IUtVXutNJa11jw37RmmMhDR_q-TIZTtXkAlpDxhEO8yF_aiQgJptfn2c44Lwycud-HKs3rRUrPHRc97vfo8bhGlWRAAUju9L52ut/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglz7FH_kVE5MoCi7UnVO-TLE11v-vJcE4VrOqraHQ4IUtVXutNJa11jw37RmmMhDR_q-TIZTtXkAlpDxhEO8yF_aiQgJptfn2c44Lwycud-HKs3rRUrPHRc97vfo8bhGlWRAAUju9L52ut/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+299.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Basilica Cisterns</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUmIMK8F9wIq28GVASRGomhgZ9ztRZBcgqMUpF71BZeN1YdctQgS-c5MA5NhiOTElUBycT2o1UBe5P6BU1CoHcmmBuhDTh9sgQFrVhM3cm9Fm3PTn-9I0rcMJVPF1-VgQCYtAV4dD6vrY/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUmIMK8F9wIq28GVASRGomhgZ9ztRZBcgqMUpF71BZeN1YdctQgS-c5MA5NhiOTElUBycT2o1UBe5P6BU1CoHcmmBuhDTh9sgQFrVhM3cm9Fm3PTn-9I0rcMJVPF1-VgQCYtAV4dD6vrY/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+300.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_X9yCHRVUHXU4CcDGU4hi_j59s_GpMFbWk93Oq42rvSce_Nan9jdcWpFmCYvi9JX-asBoTs5WwrZiKe1dMjQfoRiWzwmKTH7m-tmuKskaqjF4fR8Gw3RALHFsaZY-8ITrZUfl9SeM-hr/s1600/Istanbul+February+2015+301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_X9yCHRVUHXU4CcDGU4hi_j59s_GpMFbWk93Oq42rvSce_Nan9jdcWpFmCYvi9JX-asBoTs5WwrZiKe1dMjQfoRiWzwmKTH7m-tmuKskaqjF4fR8Gw3RALHFsaZY-8ITrZUfl9SeM-hr/s640/Istanbul+February+2015+301.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Also, <i>Indigo Ink </i>turned three in August! I can't believe I've come this far.Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-78863657307951411832016-04-28T12:32:00.000-07:002016-07-04T00:37:52.340-07:00Making Unplugging Easier + Why You Should Do It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We might just possibly live in the greatest time on Earth: <i>The Age of Technology</i>. We have easy access to laptops, smart phones, and tablets which give us knowledge and power with the world at our fingertips.<br />
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Twenty years back many people would sit at their dining room table eating meals together and discussing the weather, what they had done that day, etc. But now many of us eat dinners staring at a screen, work staring at a screen, and spend our free time staring at a screen. We connect less with people and more with electronics.<br />
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You know when it's time to take a break from that colorful, mesmerizing screen and hit the reset button; you can feel when your life is being consumed by electronic devices and things are out of balance. If you don't feel it, but friends and family are telling you that you should unplug - take their advice! But when you shut off all of your devices for the first time in forever, unplugging may prove to be a lot harder than you assumed it would be.<br />
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<b>Ways to make unplugging easier:</b></h3>
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+ <b>Start small.</b></div>
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The easiest way to accomplish something big is to do it little by little, changing one habit at a time. Don't suddenly ban yourself from every electronic device; allow yourself some limited screen time and slowly wean yourself off of social media, television, and websites. </div>
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+ <b>Turn off your notifications.</b></div>
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Everyone finds themselves constantly checking phones and social media because of all the notifications that sneakly distract you from what you really should be doing. When you stop waiting for your phone to buzz with the newest person who liked your Instagram post, you will find it much easier to focus on other things.</div>
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+ <b>Surround yourself with people.</b></div>
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I find that when I am having a conversation with someone, I enjoy myself much more than I do when I'm on my laptop wasting time. </div>
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Unplugging has many benefits, even if you keep up with it for only a little while.<br />
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The power of unplugging:</h3>
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+ <b>Get physical.</b></div>
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Lately, I have been feeling inspired to go on long walks around our neighborhood and to nearby trails. Bluebells have bloomed, making the woods seem like a silent blue and green wonderland when you enter it. It's so inspiring to simply take some time off from the busy world and relax.</div>
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+ <b>De-stress.</b></div>
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Connecting with nature is just one of the ways unplugging helps you de-stress. Laying down to read that book I've been wanting to read for ages, trying out new recipes in the kitchen, and getting rid of my writer's block are all results (from my own personal experience) of unplugging.</div>
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+ <b>Create.</b></div>
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As I just mentioned, I had writer's block for several months before I unplugged for a little while. Being online can put a damper on creativity and potential projects. Taking time away from my screen has returned a steady flow of inspiration and I once again feel motivated create things that are truly my own.</div>
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<b>Will you try unplugging and experience it's benefits? Let me know!</b></div>
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Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-81383120104010242482016-04-24T19:27:00.000-07:002016-04-24T20:15:12.808-07:00There Is A Tree Outside My Window<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love trees. I used to climb this small little tree at my sister's house when I was younger, but eventually I outgrew the little branches and discovered another one in the front yard which promptly became my new play thing. I used it's branches as make-believe seats and built a pretend fire beside it's roots. I still climb it sometimes.<br />
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There was a lovely old pine outside my window. It wasn't strong and tall like the one I used to climb, but it's many branches overlapped and billowed in the wind. It broke my heart when that old pine fell down. Leaning against the glass from which I once looked out on it with it's roots up in the air so pitifully.<br />
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It's brothers and sisters looked down on it with woeful glances. It's branches snapped, it's core laying on the dirt when it should be standing tall and proud. It will be gone soon; dragged away to make way for a new tree to take it's place. I'll miss that lovely sight outside my window.<br />
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<br />Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-73808157334334003782016-02-23T08:04:00.000-08:002016-02-23T08:04:14.148-08:0072 Hours In Athens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I returned from my most recent trip to Athens and Istanbul just a week ago and my experience there was so dream-like that I simply had to share it with all of you. The only negative thing about our visit was that we were only in each city for three days, but I think we made the most of our time there.<br />
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Our first day was the busiest; we took a walking tour of the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus, and many other ancient ruins.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple of Zeus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hadrian's Gate (The Arch of Hadrian)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odeon of Herodes Atticus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Theatre of Dionysus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Parthenon</td></tr>
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The view from atop the Acropolis was simply stunning; it took my breath away. The climb looked more difficult than it actually was, and the windswept hilltop was filled with lonely pillars and blocks of marble from ancient ruins that no longer survive. There is so much history in each carefully carved stone, it simply astounds me.</div>
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The next 48 hours in Athens were spent touring the streets and soaking up the Athenian culture. People there were incredibly friendly and helpful and had such a positive attitude. </div>
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As we walked the streets of Plaka and Ermou, we got a little lost and happened to stumble across a small flea market that was several blocks long. Normally, I love visiting flea markets and going antiquing, but the fact that everything sold there not only had it's own story, but was from such a different place than what I'm used to made the experience so exotic. </div>
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Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-35689277372887451882016-02-07T20:12:00.000-08:002016-02-07T20:12:14.016-08:00Athens + Istanbul Photo Checklist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As many of you know, I have a love of travel, and will be visiting a new country: Greece; more specifically, Athens. Later on in the trip, I will also be visiting Istanbul, Turkey, but as this is not a new place for me I may not be spending as much time putting together lists of what I wish to see there.</div>
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Nevertheless, I am excited to travel to both places and have decided to put together a small photo checklist of moments I would like to capture with photographs while I enjoy my time there. In my past visits to different places, I have simply walked by gorgeous sights and have not spent time soaking up the culture of these far-off lands. However, I will now be on the lookout for sights rather than just blindly passing by. Hopefully, I will check off everything and will share the photos with all of you at the end of my trip. </div>
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<b>Here are 20 things I'll be on the lookout for:</b> </div>
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+ First glimpse</div>
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+ Something I don't see at home</div>
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+ Down the street</div>
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+ A beautiful sunset/sunrise</div>
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+ Dialouge</div>
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+ Something blue</div>
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+ (Temporary) home sweet home</div>
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+ Local fauna</div>
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+ Written</div>
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+ Delicious cuisine</div>
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+ Beautiful flooring</div>
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+ Currency</div>
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+ Lost</div>
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+ To the market we go</div>
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+ Like a local</div>
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+ Laughter</div>
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+ Looking up/looking down</div>
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+ Literature</div>
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+ Memento</div>
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+ Scenery </div>
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+ Saying goodbye</div>
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<b>What would you add to this list?</b></div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-5996749674658721602016-01-12T11:39:00.000-08:002016-01-12T11:39:33.916-08:00My Favorite Things<div style="text-align: left;">
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Autumn leaves falling. The smell of homemade brownies. That wonderfully cool side of the pillow. Making somebody laugh. Waking up to a rainy day. Wandering the beach alone. Finding a piece of sea glass. Seeing a bluebird. Capturing an incredible moment in time with a photograph. Climbing a tree. Looking out the window. Knowing that I've been missed. Being around people. Loosing a whole day to a good book. The smell of a sharpie marker. Painting a room. All shades of blue. My bookshelf. Warm apple cider on an autumn evening. Big red barns. Reading new comments my readers have left me. Staying up late. Blogging. Wrapped up in a warm blanket eating ice cream. Late night talks with my friends. The black and white keys of a piano. The ticking of a clock. Handmade gifts. Cloudy skies. Bundling up. Beautiful handwriting. Fairy lights. Tissue paper. Hide and seek. My birthday. Fresh baked bread. The sound of a pencil against paper. Old books. Breakfast in bed. Fuzzy blankets. Biting into an apple. Black and white photographs. Freshly fallen snow. Morning dew. </div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-50123990456063468742016-01-07T18:57:00.000-08:002016-01-12T14:44:45.932-08:00My Reversed Bucket List: 25 Things I Already Did<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many people share the things that they wish to accomplish in life, whether it be their life's dream, or smaller things, such as simply going camping. I myself have a list, my bucket list, and I have shared it quite a few times on this blog. However, in this post, I decided to turn the tables, and instead share the things I have already accomplished in this life of mine. Also, a very late happy New Years! :)<br />
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<b><i>1.</i></b> I have visited three continents and will soon be traveling to a fourth.</div>
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<b><i>2.</i></b> Smile much more often.</div>
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<b><i>3.</i></b> I have saved someones life.</div>
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<b><i>4.</i></b> I stood with one foot on the North American plate and the other on the Pacific plate.</div>
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<b><i>5.</i></b> I made a wish on a dandelion that came true.</div>
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<b><i>6. </i></b>I once shot a bulls eye. </div>
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<b><i>7.</i></b> Written something I am truly proud of.</div>
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<b><i>8.</i></b> Fallen asleep on grass.</div>
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<b><i>9.</i></b> I read all my books on my To Be Read list (and now I have a new one).</div>
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<b><i>10.</i></b> I have gone hiking in <i>El Yunque</i> rainforest (in Puerto Rico).</div>
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<b><i>11.</i></b> Learned to read and write in Arabic and speak, read, and write in Spanish fluently.</div>
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<b><i>12.</i></b> Seen the Golden Gate Bridge.</div>
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<b><i>13.</i></b> Visited the Cliffs of Moher.</div>
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<b><i>14.</i></b> Gone white water rafting.</div>
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<b><i>15.</i></b> Learned to play the piano.</div>
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<b><i>16.</i></b> Sung in a choir at the National Cathedral.</div>
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<b><i>17.</i></b> Learned pottery.</div>
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<b><i>18.</i></b> Started a bookclub.</div>
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<b><i>19.</i></b> Seen the sun rise and set over the ocean.</div>
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<b><i>20.</i></b> Hugged a redwood tree.</div>
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<b><i>21.</i></b> Gone snow tubing.</div>
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<b><i>22.</i></b> Seen a show at the Kennedy Center.</div>
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<b><i>23.</i></b> Built a sandcastle.</div>
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<b><i>24.</i></b> Survived an earthquake.</div>
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<b><i>25.</i></b> Started a blog.</div>
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Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-39783803636156338502015-11-17T10:32:00.000-08:002015-11-17T10:32:21.942-08:00Interview With Rachelle MarieWell, my friends, I have returned! I apologize for the rather long, unintentional blogging break. School has been keeping me on my tip-toes for awhile, but I promise that more posts will be coming this way.<br />
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Anyhow, I recently had the opportunity to interview the remarkable and talented Rachelle Marie from <a href="http://belovedbluebird.blogspot.co.uk/">Beloved Bluebird</a>. She is amazing at what she does and is one of the most talented and accomplished bloggers I know. Special thanks to Rachelle for allowing this to happen.<br />
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<b>Q. "Hello Rachelle! I'm so glad you were able to join us today! Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself; your personality, your hobbies, and anything else you'd like to share."</b><br />
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A. Hello Aliah and readers! My name is Rachelle and I live in western Washington state with my parents and two brothers (one older and one younger). I am fifteen years old and spend my days painting, reading, writing, making music, taking photos, filming videos, and acting in musicals. Another favorite pastime of mine is adventuring. I live amongst lakes and forests and between two mountain ranges which separate me from the sea on one side and the desert on the other. I love people a lot and enjoy having deep conversations and making new friends! If you would like to know more about me, I blog over at <a href="http://belovedbluebird.blogspot.co.uk/">Beloved Bluebird</a> and sell greeting cards in my shop, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/thelittlebirch">The Little Birch</a>.<br />
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<b>Q. "I would like to start off with the usual questions: what inspired your blog and when did you decide you wanted to create your own blog?"</b><br />
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A.<span style="color: #666666;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"I started my blog back in June 2012 after running a little magazine-style website for a few months. I decided that I wanted a more personal website where I could connect with other people and have creative freedom. At the time, I wasn't very familiar with blogs, but there were a few that I was following along with. I decided to give it a try, and thus, my blog was created!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Q. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"You mentioned that you enjoy both painting and photography. If you couldn’t do both and had to give up either painting or photography for the rest of your life, which one would you pick and why?"</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">A. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"Oh dear! I hope that is a choice that I never have to make. ;) However, under the very unfortunate circumstances that I would have to, I would most likely choose to give up painting. Although it is something that I love to do very often and is very important to me, photography is a vital passion that I don't think I could live without. In the future, it would be much more convenient to take photos of my children and my life rather than to paint them."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Q. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"If you ever got a chance in the future, would you ever move from where you live? Or would you simply stay at home and travel to other places instead? Why?"</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">A. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"I do hope to study abroad somewhere in Europe for a year or two, but after college I think I'd like to stay home and just travel. While I do love visiting other places, it is always so good to have a familiar home to return to after my adventures are over."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Q. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"What do you enjoy most about photography, and what inspired you to start taking photographs?"</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">A. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"Photography is enjoyable for me for a myriad of reasons, but I suppose the best aspect of it is the ability to capture a single moment and make it infinite in itself. It is so special to return to those moments in the future and to have the ability to capture them for other people! I think I was inspired to start taking photos around 4th grade. My parents had a little photography business and I always loved seeing their shoots - I really wanted to learn to take photos like theirs. I took an old digital camera on our trip to California and snapped loads of photos and I haven't stopped since!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Thank you so much for doing this Rachelle, it means a lot. :)</span></span><br />
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Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-39565871350760991142015-10-13T06:14:00.001-07:002015-10-13T06:14:55.106-07:00Finding Inspiration: Poetry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lately, many people have been asking me how I come up with my poems and short stories and what I use for inspiration.<br />
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This sparked an idea for a blog post. I thought that all of you lovely readers might be interested in how I write my pieces and perhaps you will take some of this to heart and start writing your own pieces.</div>
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Let's take a look into my mind, shall we?</h3>
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I love to take inspiration from ordinary things. My favorite poems and short stories are all results from odd little things in my ordinary life that I turn into a piece of writing.</div>
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For example, I love Disney and Pixar films. I have only watched it once and it was years ago, but the beginning of the movie <i>Up</i> inspired my short story,<i> <a href="http://thisandthatbyaliah.blogspot.com/2015/06/dear-you.html">Dear You</a>. </i>I wrote it during a long car ride. Because I love letters, I had been meaning to write a short piece that was made up of unsent letters. When I placed my pen onto my paper, the words simply flowed.</div>
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I prefer to write on pen and paper. I find that I am prouder of the pieces I have written on paper than the ones I have typed. Some examples are <i>Dear You, Don't Tell Anyone, and When Everything Was Golden.</i></div>
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The idea for <a href="http://thisandthatbyaliah.blogspot.com/2015/10/when-everything-was-golden.html" style="font-style: italic;">When Everything Was Golden </a> was when my mother and I were reflecting on some of the past vacations we had been on and she said "the good old days," which is what <i>When Everything Was Golden </i>was originally going to be called. When I was writing the piece, I changed "the good old days" to "when everything was golden" and it stuck.</div>
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I also often get inspiration from photoraphy. Whether it be my own or simply a photograph from Pinterest, I've always thought of photographs as "little snapshots of life" which carry so much inspiration.<br />
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Finding inspiration can be difficult at first, but once you open your eyes, everything will seem like potential for a new poem or story. Be creative. </div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-46678740063214213122015-10-06T08:06:00.000-07:002015-10-06T08:06:15.128-07:00When everything was golden<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO0YmFThetrheAQK3wIcO1qXlhleQPSh7WZBBel3XwiAQ-ueDmOc0l4NVRrHH8VbmXAuH40W26HKoKO3CWSFqtOkkUZ0ZvFiDfYXr9SSgX32pkxkpwf7RsgEQnrgbgdUQzp3duTXz0BIC/s1600/golden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO0YmFThetrheAQK3wIcO1qXlhleQPSh7WZBBel3XwiAQ-ueDmOc0l4NVRrHH8VbmXAuH40W26HKoKO3CWSFqtOkkUZ0ZvFiDfYXr9SSgX32pkxkpwf7RsgEQnrgbgdUQzp3duTXz0BIC/s640/golden.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/">via</a></td></tr>
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<i>I can still remember,</i></div>
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<i>When everything was golden.</i></div>
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<i>When we used to splash</i></div>
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<i>in the puddles together,</i></div>
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<i>And when when we would catch</i></div>
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<i>Each other when we nearly fell</i></div>
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<i>From the trees we were climbing.</i></div>
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<i>I can still remember</i></div>
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<i>When the grass was high in fields,</i></div>
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<i>And when we would prance about,</i></div>
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<i>Worryless and full of hope.</i></div>
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<i>When everything was golden,</i></div>
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<i>Far back in my forest of memories,</i></div>
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<i>We were always together, inseperable.</i></div>
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<i>But now, you are gone, and without you I am lost.</i></div>
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<i>When everything was golden, </i></div>
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<i>You were there.</i></div>
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<i>You were the sun and I was the moon ,</i></div>
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<i>And together we made everything golden.</i></div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-60814915247286412952015-09-17T10:08:00.000-07:002015-09-18T16:25:53.469-07:00Simple Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/19/b6/b5/19b6b54e82e028d13957c640685956b2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/19/b6/b5/19b6b54e82e028d13957c640685956b2.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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She loved the smell of the earth,</div>
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The touch of waves, </div>
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The taste of berries,</div>
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The sight of trees, </div>
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The sound of laughter,</div>
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And the feeling of being fully <i>alive.</i></div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-91067229068232019392015-09-01T10:43:00.000-07:002015-09-18T16:23:41.404-07:00She's Gone Bookish #1: The Book Thief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirL9xrVp3dkrmXxn6wTW0Fo27a6tv8Hfm_zcDvkQLKjHgjXjpSE6njxsRv92NGzEOV7DIljh9Ft1qnNz5DnOvV0BhLsNtH2RkqkkONwhu4yQ0qOqwBEDwEeb9nUjCrcbCUKpxmp4e2-rqp/s1600/books+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirL9xrVp3dkrmXxn6wTW0Fo27a6tv8Hfm_zcDvkQLKjHgjXjpSE6njxsRv92NGzEOV7DIljh9Ft1qnNz5DnOvV0BhLsNtH2RkqkkONwhu4yQ0qOqwBEDwEeb9nUjCrcbCUKpxmp4e2-rqp/s1600/books+5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">The Book Thief </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">and I have a bit of a long history. The first time I ever heard of it was when the movie came out, nearly two years ago. Back then, I didn't even know that the movie was based on a book, otherwise I would have read the book before I watched the movie.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">When I first saw the movie, I completely fell in love with it. It wasn't until later that I found <i>The Book Thief </i>was a book and I added it to my TBR list.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">Now, two years later, I finally got around to reading it, and I'm here to share with you what I thought of it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">Summary: </span></span></h3>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">"It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">Set during World War II in Germany, Marcus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resister-books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen book with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul."</span></span></span><br />
-<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief?from_search=true&search_version=service">Goodreads</a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.1000003814697px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16.9400005340576px;">My Thoughts:</span></span></h3>
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I have only positive things to say about <i>The Book Thief.</i><br />
The first thing any review will say about this book<i> </i>is that it is narrated by Death. So I may as well get it out of the way. Yes, Death, The Hooded One, The Angel of the Night, narrates. He is very busy during the war years, as you might expect.<br />
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One of the many things I loved about this book was the unique writing style and the narrative story telling. The fact that the entire book is narrated by Death was something I had never heard of before and gave the book a somber mood at times.<br />
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Most books these days do not have the same eloquent writing style as old classics from back in the day do. I loved that this book had both a captivating plot and an expressive and fluent narrative.<br />
The author did not tone down anything about the difficulties of war time and described everything realistically.<br />
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Liesel Meminger was a strong, sarcastic, and yet kind character who fit well into the plot. Many times, she risks her life to "borrow" books from libraries and rescue books from burnings. She has received them as gifts and a few people have even written them for her.<br />
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But the fact that she finally decides to put her knowledge of words to good use and write her own story saves her life. Books and words not only play an enormous part in this book, they are characters.<br />
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This book made me cry and laugh and kept me on the edge of my seat all the while. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something that will make your heart swell with joy and sadness. It is truly one of the greatest novels I have read. <br />
<br />Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-60762461260964259442015-08-29T09:35:00.000-07:002015-09-01T10:37:49.422-07:002 year anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfqyEf2pwC-9ftXHWrt381lXKsD7SDkhyphenhyphenHVwHfHXwqZNRaZ80LgHWDyulEP6uNUvOivOEGmF5H2v5O-B02g9K4KOFIg8RKcnhtga2-v6udeiiUlNVCY8jlww1L_5g31peBczIHR6Q__5I/s1600/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfqyEf2pwC-9ftXHWrt381lXKsD7SDkhyphenhyphenHVwHfHXwqZNRaZ80LgHWDyulEP6uNUvOivOEGmF5H2v5O-B02g9K4KOFIg8RKcnhtga2-v6udeiiUlNVCY8jlww1L_5g31peBczIHR6Q__5I/s640/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+093.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you may have guessed from the title, my blog has recently hit it's two-year anniversary! All I have to say is "wow!" I never, in a million years, thought that this blog would hit that mark. Two years! And I have 86 wonderful followers to show for it.<br />
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A huge thank you to all of you!<br />
Those who have been following my blog since the beginning: I cannot believe you have stuck with me so long!<br />
To those who have been anonymous readers: thank you for the crazy amount of page views every day!<br />
And to those who have only recently begun to follow my blog: thank you for raising my hopes when I thought that I was losing my readers!<br />
Yikes! 2 years! Wow!Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-24062670006493252192015-08-23T19:39:00.001-07:002015-09-18T16:26:17.793-07:00A Pocketful of Delightful Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqo7hzKsB8OCtnUDO2rk4KMOoKne03NGdP2wej4hKFAyGHYhWLr9tXEncqVa6eKqRGXe03qCSMUMeqeK8ZPkGEbTnACzdsNU4Gh-7QSE64dNmFzK2QPZQNYaBI8kRVn3P-YAlbW6tuLA2p/s1600/photo+2+%25288%2529+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqo7hzKsB8OCtnUDO2rk4KMOoKne03NGdP2wej4hKFAyGHYhWLr9tXEncqVa6eKqRGXe03qCSMUMeqeK8ZPkGEbTnACzdsNU4Gh-7QSE64dNmFzK2QPZQNYaBI8kRVn3P-YAlbW6tuLA2p/s640/photo+2+%25288%2529+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love to collect delightful words which can be used in my writings or in everyday life. Here are a few of my favorites. </div>
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<i>Elsewhere -</i> In another place.</div>
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<i>Yonder </i>- A place more distant.</div>
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<i>Pluviophile - </i>Someone who finds joy and peace of mind on mind on rainy days.</div>
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<i>Brood - </i>To dwell upon a subject.</div>
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<i>Eloquence - </i>The practice or art of using language with fluency or aptness.</div>
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<i>Inglenook - </i>A cozy place by the hearth.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-1772316824954635372015-07-29T19:15:00.000-07:002015-09-18T16:35:59.573-07:00Wildflowers PhotographyRecently inspired by my latest poem, <i>Don't Tell Anyone </i>(you can check it out <a href="http://thisandthatbyaliah.blogspot.com/2015/07/dont-tell-anyone.html">here</a>), my mom and I went out for a little drive looking for wildflowers alongside the road. Below are the results. I hope you enjoy! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_FvTouhxNJk9sxVsZEitJ6qaFiT8IKkNL2OyLxMKpa43_jRKPzsiKGqPVmpC8jDCaPT4LxSfvUxxHDMKWjanXZD4sNnZZUCgnc52TSSoXpG9ACG1aJHUzXNWvNtMyXFnXGvWKeBbI78Q/s1600/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_FvTouhxNJk9sxVsZEitJ6qaFiT8IKkNL2OyLxMKpa43_jRKPzsiKGqPVmpC8jDCaPT4LxSfvUxxHDMKWjanXZD4sNnZZUCgnc52TSSoXpG9ACG1aJHUzXNWvNtMyXFnXGvWKeBbI78Q/s640/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+085.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjblzw_bI_naPEJT43BygdN7kLymDaiPVvCYYATJ60xMuprhVL3kj7idxahwTX-lKO1QooqdKsAshBa_6vtlD2UXZvnkWgPneZC-X2KjXnPYnLVlh851DT1_fFTwLiZkiKVTLPGSR6pHYA/s1600/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjblzw_bI_naPEJT43BygdN7kLymDaiPVvCYYATJ60xMuprhVL3kj7idxahwTX-lKO1QooqdKsAshBa_6vtlD2UXZvnkWgPneZC-X2KjXnPYnLVlh851DT1_fFTwLiZkiKVTLPGSR6pHYA/s640/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+090.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgsF1cwWVFV06bytF4yGLu8dgfsBXFbkkHKJVqUSk91wxw8n-x81QYWUkkrk1sAa1ZEHJa116LZreQ-B7oLsZZ1EWYLyPwIP05jChNmLfjJ4QCGcvHtCKCE0XgGKZ82d57b2PbsA_NlQT/s1600/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgsF1cwWVFV06bytF4yGLu8dgfsBXFbkkHKJVqUSk91wxw8n-x81QYWUkkrk1sAa1ZEHJa116LZreQ-B7oLsZZ1EWYLyPwIP05jChNmLfjJ4QCGcvHtCKCE0XgGKZ82d57b2PbsA_NlQT/s640/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+087.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my two favorites</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_eFlsEsSCq5tD6NXnKm0EXB8S_NyiRgYyCeazpXHfObV2h7tbbBR9raUf339sHK68a4z4SVUq6acVeW4-RjIWyGwwnwQnVxcm-voYLEb9Ss7_7PONWIt2L9LBtWcQiGKUd_O7WvxMDy7/s1600/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_eFlsEsSCq5tD6NXnKm0EXB8S_NyiRgYyCeazpXHfObV2h7tbbBR9raUf339sHK68a4z4SVUq6acVeW4-RjIWyGwwnwQnVxcm-voYLEb9Ss7_7PONWIt2L9LBtWcQiGKUd_O7WvxMDy7/s640/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+091.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMjdpJEIO8aBEL9EelXVUy43GdrkcjPXKjwblCQMjvrxU6GvPLehMd_VjEySHBsqziClstOn8uCaSS-riCPqw1HMoARvlzeW4DOqlJ_Je4sPkM3w-r6qIT48oIGEaQtUBPWJGaDxkKEVa/s1600/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMjdpJEIO8aBEL9EelXVUy43GdrkcjPXKjwblCQMjvrxU6GvPLehMd_VjEySHBsqziClstOn8uCaSS-riCPqw1HMoARvlzeW4DOqlJ_Je4sPkM3w-r6qIT48oIGEaQtUBPWJGaDxkKEVa/s640/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+088.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZy42qMaP0enImZ7JJmyswHsgb2Hb-sKzr2JzIHwGMeCw_Ct1TenCzdY1FtJdP6BS2lB6PJiECs6x07T3L7Sb345r-tPJIdfxW4VgHA5uO82B6TPi4HXPFbFYfAMRWk9HWxOBSjQHi3UN/s1600/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZy42qMaP0enImZ7JJmyswHsgb2Hb-sKzr2JzIHwGMeCw_Ct1TenCzdY1FtJdP6BS2lB6PJiECs6x07T3L7Sb345r-tPJIdfxW4VgHA5uO82B6TPi4HXPFbFYfAMRWk9HWxOBSjQHi3UN/s640/Afternoon+In+Town+Summer+2015+089.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My other favorite</td></tr>
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<br />Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-28476435407868097552015-07-29T17:07:00.000-07:002015-09-18T16:30:16.846-07:00What's In My Travel Carry-On?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image via Pinterest, editing done by Aliah.</td></tr>
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For a young person, I travel quite often, and have over time, begun to learn the vast extent of traveling knowledge. Learning how to pack only light necessities can be difficult, and so I thought of sharing a "What's In My Bag?" (type of) travel version post with all my lovely readers. <br />
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<b>A Book </b><br />
Books are a must-have anywhere, especially on a plane. I usually bring one paper-back book (don't ever bring a hardcover on a trip; they're way to heavy), and the rest I check out from the e-book library on my tablet. That way, the books won't get damaged, I still get the feel of the pages on my fingers, and I save space and reduce the weight of my carry-on.<br />
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<b>My Tablet</b><br />
Useful for checking your email at the airport, social media (I don't have a phone), books, and is similar to a laptop. Unless you are going for a business trip and absolutely need a laptop, I wouldn't suggest bringing a one on a trip. They weigh a lot and inconvenience you if you're in a hurry. Bring a tablet or i-Pad instead.<br />
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<b>Earbuds</b><br />
I don't normally use earphones because they are to large for me, especially on a trip. Earbuds on the other hand, are compact and great for listening to music on an i-Pod or phone. They can also be used to watch movies if your airline provides a built-in seat television. Plus, this saves you an extra five bucks if you buy earbuds on the plane.<br />
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<b>A Blanket</b><br />
Airplanes have always been chilly to me, even if I turn off the seat air conditioning. I don't really have to explain the purpose of a blanket, do I? :)<br />
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<b>Neck Pillow</b><br />
You might often get uncomfortable during the flight because airplane seats don't have the best neck/head support, right?<br />
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<b>Snacks</b><br />
The plane usually provides some drinks and snacks such as chips, nuts, or cookies/crackers, but say you don't really like what they have or are allergic to something. It's always good to have some dry cereal, chex-mix, or fruit (such as an apple or tangerine) on hand in case you get hungry.<br />
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<b>A Notebook</b><br />
You're always gonna need something to write on no matter what, right? If I feel like working on a poem or short-story, I won't have to write it on a napkin. Oh, and make sure to bring along a pen or pencil! :)<br />
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All right, there you have it! Those are my basic travel essentials. <i>What are yours? </i><br />
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<i>-</i>Aliah<br />
<br />Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-12755859824411400512015-07-27T17:14:00.001-07:002015-09-18T16:30:30.881-07:00Don't Tell Anyone<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/">via</a> </td></tr>
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Don't tell anyone,<br />
but I sold my soul to the wildflowers. </div>
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I let their shades of indigo and</div>
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purple hues</div>
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devour what was left of me. </div>
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I let myself roll down </div>
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the dark green hills and let the grass' </div>
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uneven edges prick my fingertips </div>
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as they brushed through. </div>
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Don't tell anyone, </div>
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but I sold my soul to the golden beams</div>
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of sunlight fighting to shine through the </div>
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small holes in the treetops. </div>
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I let the humid air swirl around me</div>
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as the faint breeze touched my cheeks.</div>
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Don't tell anyone,</div>
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but I sold my soul to the fluffy white clouds</div>
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that looked as if they had been</div>
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painted onto the baby blue sky. </div>
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I let the richness of the dark earth swallow me</div>
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and let the scrap-booked leaves </div>
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crunch beneath me.</div>
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Don't tell anyone, </div>
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but I sold my soul to mistiest of things,</div>
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to the dreamiest of things, </div>
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to the brightest of things, </div>
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to the greatest of things.</div>
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Don't tell anyone, </div>
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but I sold my soul to the </div>
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<i>wildflowers.</i></div>
Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-87659608273019212772015-07-25T19:02:00.000-07:002015-09-18T16:31:17.127-07:005 Ways To Become More Joyful<h4>
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1. Be positive</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Standard stuff, I know, but it's true. Don't focus on the negative, it only makes you upset about what went wrong and you won't focus on what went <i>right</i>. Then, you will be constantly unhappy because your mind instantly turns to the negative and not the positive. It becomes a habit, and you have to break it. Optimism plays a big factor in true happiness. </span></div>
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2. Stop comparing</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Stop comparing yourself to others. It will only make you </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">want</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> what other's have. I compare myself to others a lot; it just makes me jealous because I do not posses the same qualities or items. I become obsessed with those things and my mind refuses to accept that I simply cannot have them. </span></div>
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3. Don't worry</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Worrying won't </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">stop</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> bad stuff from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good. Save your worrying for when you actually need to be concerned, not for a time when you have a chance to smile.</span></div>
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4. Surround yourself with happiness</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">How do you do this, you ask? Surround yourself with people who are happy and <i>enjoy</i> your life, not people who make you unhappy. Surround yourself with nature's beauty and things you love to do.</span></div>
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5. Smile</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">You know why. </span></div>
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Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206820396502384148.post-51273977142833059022015-07-24T20:25:00.000-07:002015-09-18T16:32:31.915-07:00This Blank Page Haunts Me<br />
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For weeks now, I haven't been keeping up with my blogging duties, and nearly every post is an apology post. I haven't been inspired lately, and have the dreaded blogger's block.<br />
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I don't want to be one of those bloggers who only does little post once every few weeks. I want to be consistent with my posts, and come up with original ideas.<br />
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But, as you can see, that plan hasn't been working out very well for me. Every time I close my eyes to relax the blank page of an un-typed blog posts bores a hole into my mind. And so, I have finally pulled myself up from the place where I tripped and fell.<br />
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I have several posts I'm working on now, including a book review (which I haven't done in ages!). I have also changed my blog design once again, to help me become more motivated.<br />
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Hopefully I will post tomorrow or Monday. I'm currently on vacation in Florida (beaches are the best!) and will be leaving on Sunday. Don't forget to remind me to share some photos from my trip with all of you! :)<br />
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So, that's all for now.<br />
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-Aliah<br />
<br />Aliah Showkatianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669657561231183355noreply@blogger.com7