he-ARTFUL texas

Seeing how the new year is right around the corner, I realized I needed to get the rest of these 2012 posts up before it's too late. Hence, here's the plethora of street art that Jim and I stumbled upon in Texas. As I believe I mentioned in my last post, Deep Ellum had a little public exhibit hosted by the crossroads, which was pretty neat to wander around in the midst of the chilly nights as we did. 

Anyways, hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday season and congrats on surviving yet another "End of the World"! It's real amusing to see the extremes that some people will take up in full belief of something. As a bit ridiculous as I found it to all be, personally, the fact that society is willing to die for a belief is a beautiful thing. But like all beautiful things, your belief system needs to be well rested with a backbone of validity and reasoning. Otherwise, your beliefs can leave you astray, falling victim to unknown evils in the world, who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of you.  Common sense isn't as common as it should be all the time. 

Really though. Can't wait to survive another one... 

cowboys & crossroads

When one of my best friends, Jim initially brought up the idea of randomly traveling to Texas, I pictured a Western desert movie with a full on cowboy showdown in the middle of nowhere amid windy tumbleweeds... and I was sold. 

Why not?! 

I mean that was just my typical imagination taking a shot of what I thought Texas would be like. In reality, I was way off and actually a little disappointed that I didn't get to see any random cowboys wander. 

Anyway, Texas is pretty darn modern and urbanized. There were parts of the huge state that felt a tad bit like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and even Georgia. I was rather surprised to find that Downtown Dallas is purely business and, unlike a lot of popular downtown city areas, they didn't have any late night bars or eateries. Then again, I don't think my visit was long enough to really stand firm by my discovery, which then holds more as first impression. There was, however, quite a pleasant number of unique coffeehouses that definitely highlighted my stay with random cover bands working their magic and artistic details bombarding the shops. We also found ourselves swooning over some huge antique shop with a grip of goodness and a cute comedy station, which was located in a part of town that was plastered with what I love most: street art. Not to mention, we attended the Dallas Cowboys game at their ridiculously HUGE Cowboys Stadium, where the stadium's set up, big screen, and roofing was overall surreal. 

I'm still happy til this day that I got to meet up with my friend, Julie and her boyfriend while over there. They  took us out for one heck of a random fun-filled night even though they had work/school the next morning. Greatly appreciated that because who knew late night golfing could be so fun? 

Top Golf needs to come to California. 

I would definitely go back for another visit... I even found myself contemplating whether or not I would possibly live there... Hmm.

midnight fox

Photo Credits: Christopher Canon

www.chrisfotog.com 

Ever love the feeling of getting lost in the crowd or the night?

I do.

It's the element of uncertainty that scares many and leaves plenty astray. When, in actuality, uncertainty should be grasped as excitement and fuel... A fuel for driving toward a clearer vision.. of yourself, of life.

Too many people let themselves get lost in the midst of opinions. Don't get me wrong, I often find myself considering the opinions of others. But, when it really comes down to it, I don't allow myself to get lost in opinions as long as I know my true self... As long as I love my foundations and understand the reasoning behind my actions. When you don't know who you are is when you let the opinions of others thrash down your walls of confidence. Hence, you better know what you stand for and know what you're fighting for.

Know your self worth and embrace that with a humble sense of pride. There's no need for cockiness, but there is a need for confidence in everything you pursue through life. 

Uncertainty leaves room for unrestrained creativity. 

Get lost in that.

demonic hallow-day

Just wanted to share this year's Halloween Costume since I was quite the unrecognizable fright to many. This year, the boyfriend and I didn't have any laid out plans in advance until his friend invited us to a his random invites only venue party. I've been so busy and caught up with life happenings, as noted given my last blogpost was awhile back, that I wasn't adamant about needing to celebrate Halloween. I also thought I wouldn't get a chance to celebrate Halloween since I was flying out to Texas that weekend.. Anyway, seeing how we haven't partied in ages, we decided to go but had no idea what to dress up as... that wouldn't require unnecessarily blowing a grip of money. On the bright say, I've grown to appreciate having financial budgets because they really do trigger you to get creative, which makes the holiday that much more fun. At first we decided to be goths, which somehow merged toward the concept of punk rockers, and ultimately winded up being a blend of both. I like to think we were bad-ass Hell-raisers, simply put. 

Anyway, several people kept saying they lacked that "Halloween Spirit". I can definitely understand since my loaded plate has kept me deterred from thoughts of the holidays. However, I genuinely felt as though I couldn't completely agree with having no holiday spirit because, to me, every holiday sparks creativity. They're designated times of the year that allow people to get thinking about other things in life than just their schoolwork or jobs. These holidays are reminders to enjoy life with friends and family. With that in mind, I'll always have holiday spirit buried in my subconscious, regardless of how busy I get. 

Speaking of holidays, it's just that time of the year! Hope everyone wraps up their year well as 2013 is right around the corner! I sure have got to get some more posts up these next few weeks before then... 

Whew, time flies.

Cactus Cool

Photo Credits: Gian Carlo Torres

www.giantorres.com

As the temperature rises, become someone.

There's rich delicacy in curiosity.

If it takes going to and from the ends of the earth 

to discover what makes you whole and define yourself,

then so be it. 

Always go with gut feelings.

Expand your horizons. 

Explore.

So long sweet summer. 

I actually anticipate the Fall.

breeze please

Photo Credits: Shawn Pham 

www.shawnpham.com

This week has definitely been the hottest week of the summer in Orange County just yet. We recently had two minor earthquakes amid all this humidity, as well. It's a bit silly how Californians don't get too panicky when an earthquake initiates... but I'm sure that's just because we haven't had anything too drastic hit. Plus, we're known to be spoiled with our beautiful climates. Nevertheless, the beloved mother is constantly pushing preparations my way. Still, I've been too caught up with my days to really tidy down and prepare any earthquake related matters. A friend recently informed me that California is expecting a bigger quake sometime soon. Hmm...

Global warming's just taking its toll, while Mother Nature throws her warnings our way with these not-too-scary quakes. Swear.

It's too bad I haven't had a single chance to hit the beach and soak up the sun this week. Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in some beach bumming after my state exam and before work starts. 

It's times like these where you genuinely appreciate every breeze that comes your way during such torturous days. Anyway, stay hydrated, everyone! 

Keep cool. Keep calm.