a personal blog

sharing thoughts, stories and pictures from the life of an exuberant seventeen years old girl.

[eleonora-stella]

Plans after high school

As I have stated in my previous post, I am in fact in my last year of high school! *yeay* *applause* With all the test coming up, it also means that graduation is not that far away. That also means that, life is about to change 180 degrees.

So this might also makes people wonder, what is my plan after high school?Take a gap year? Travel the world? Try different jobs a.k.a do some internship?

Well, I’m planning on taking the somewhat rather boring path, that is I’ll be continuing my studies straight away after I graduate high school.

Yes, yes as much fun taking a gap year sounds like, I also find it interesting to learn things, to meet people who shares the same interests as I do, to figure out how to do things that I’ve never known how to do before! Because I know that there are still a whole lot of things that I don’t know about, that I can learn!

I’m applying to a couple universities at the moment. For those of you wondering what major I’m taking for university, it’s animation. Yep, the one that involves drawing, and cartoons, and all that fun stuff!

Even-though I haven’t been accepted to any of the universities yet (due to the fact that their admissions started later than admissions of a few other universities) I am very much excited. I know that it’s not easy getting into the university that I want to attend. I’m also sure that the other applicants are very talented and skilled. I might even be not at the same level as other applicants (yet), but I do believe in progress, in learning. 

I know that there will be people who are better than me, but the point of going to a university is to learn. So the position where I am today, is actually providing me the biggest room to evolve and to grow. To learn from others and from my mistakes.

There are still a lot of uncertainties in the future, but I will gladly take this challenge to go on a journey where I will discover more about myself, and others around me.

[eleonora-stella]

Advice that I ought to listen

This will be one of those self motivating post, but this one is also for everyone out there who are going to face something or just do something that feels important yet intimidating at the same time.

In my case, exams are approaching. All kinds of exams! Final exams, practical exams, national exams, universities entrance exams, you name it!

Life has been pretty hectic lately, and it does get kind of overwhelming sometimes to think about all the amount of work/studying/preparation to be done.

Well, at some point there are these voices inside my head, I can feel some sense of doubt creeping in and making me nervous. Which in some case makes me uncomfortable. 

But hey, good news! This is normal! It happens to everyone!

So when in doubt I like to tell myself these things:

It is possible. I like to remind myself that whatever I want to achieve, it’s possible. I just have to give it all that I’ve got, and try my absolute best!

Calm down. You always perform best when you’re calm, so take a deep breath, empty your mind, think something nice and relaxing, and try to enjoy every step you’re making.

Have some rest. Yes, you will want to work extra hard during these period, but don’t forget to take some proper well-deserve rest. Your body can only take so much before it collapses (maybe not literally but, well you get the gist). It is better to maintain your health rather than having to heal from some kind of sickness. So take care of yourself! By doing so, you’ll have more time and energy to do what needs to be done!

Have some food at the ready. This is serious! Exams are absolutely exhausting! After pushing your brain to process various information and (in my case, most likely) switching from one language to another, it is tiring! And more often than not I’ll be leaving my exam room feeling famished! So it might be a good idea to bring some snacks ;)

These are some personal things that I’d like to read back if I need to, I wrote this from my personal experience for what works for me. If you want to try these tips then be my guest! Or let me know your tips! Have a great day!

[eleonora-stella]

Woke up quite early on Sunday then took a spontaneous ride and traveled with my family to see these lovely animals

[eleonora-stella]

secrets to learning languages

I’m a language major at school, therefor I basically eat and drink languages (other than drawing that is). I have to be honest it is not the easiest thing to do, it looks easy and fun but in reality it is sometimes stressful..

These are some things that I’ve learn during my whole experience on learning foreign language. (I’m learning about 3 different languages at the moment)

1. Just do it. You can only be able to master a language if you just give it a shot, so stop making excuses and just spare some time and learn. You’re not too old, too young, too busy for it. You just have to do it.

2. It takes time, embrace that. You’re not going to master it in a day, it is just impossible. Learning a languages needs time and effort, you might not feel like improving much but you are. So don’t feel like you’ve wasted your time, think of it as investing your time ;)

3. Have fun. Learning grammar in a language is often stressful and you just got caught up to it, so beware! Language is an art form, there are beauty and elegance in it. Don’t just learn from the textbook, learn from the people, their stories told in movies or novels, their culture! Because when you learn a language you are opening a door to another culture that is completely new to you!

4. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everybody learns something in different pace, so don’t get discouraged if you find someone who are able to learn a language far more quicker than you :)

I guess that’s all I have for now! Learn a language! Have fun! Then use it for your travel benefits ;)

[eleonora-stella]

Woke up earlier on Sunday morning and took a spontaneous ride with the family to travel and see these gorgeous animals

[eleonora-stella]

Sound Of Music (the Musical)

Last Saturday, I watched the Sound Of Music (SOM) Musical here in my home country. I was super stocked when a close friend of mine told me that they’re going to have a show in my city. Because of reasons, such as 

1. I don’t think I’ve watched a proper musical before 

2. I’ve been dealing with a bunch of stuff and needed a break so badly 

3. It’s freaking The Sound Of Music! The actual musical that the movie was based on! The movie that i watch countless time during my childhood and kindergarten days, the movie where I remember every single song on it, and most likely every single scene and dialogues. The movie that starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the one that made me sing endlessly before turning 17, the one movie that is definitely without a doubt so special to me is actually being played as a musical in my country.

Well, how could I miss it?

I love it so much, I even made an illustration for the casts just because I want to give some appreciation to them for their hard and wonderful work. And oh boy how great they were, it is still unfathomable.

When I met and gave the illustration to one of the cast, Ella, who played the role Gretl, she was such a sweetheart! She was so kind to have come down before the show started to meet me, and oh how sweet and talented she was, I am so glad that I managed to meet her.

The show was absolutely great! The vocals are amazing, the costumes are so beautiful, the orchestra/live music was absolutely enchanting! Brilliant! It was definitely worth the money!

I must say that the cast had such great acting skills, I can’t believe how great they were on showing emotions with such simple gestures and expressions and.. Oh! I could ramble about this forever!

The point is.. I was very pleased with the show, it is nothing less than absolute greatness that brought me so much joy and content. I wish to share more about the show, but I don’t want to spoil it to you guys. 

So I guess you better watch the show if you have the chance to! Also because where else would you get glared at by a nazi officer during a singing event? oops ;)

[eleonora-stella]

Let’s donate (blood)!

My school hosted this event where we are allowed to donate our blood. Because I’m already seventeen, therefore qualify the first rule for donating, and as a first-timer blood donor myself I am happy to share my experience on the whole donating blood process. (it’s quite interesting if I do say so myself)

I wasn’t scared whatsoever about giving away some of my blood, it’s for a good cause! And I’ve accompanied my dad to donate his blood since I was a very young age. I remember clearly that my sisters and I would patiently wait for my dad to donate his blood so that we could eat the free instant noodles+eggs and milk. (oooh it taste so good)

So before you donor there are some rules that you must qualify, such as age, weight, not in a period (if you’re a female), blood pressure, etc.

They will do some checking before you’re allowed to donate your blood, just to re-check whether you pass the qualification or not. And I passed ;) 

Then you’ll wait for your turn, they will call your name if the time has come.

And when you get called they’ll have you lie down on a bed ask for your blood type and name (to match the blood bag) and then you’re good to go! They’ll insert a needle through your vein (in your arm) and then you’ll lay there and wait for it to be filled (it’ll help if you open and close your grip to help the blood flow out)

When you finish you’ll get a blood donor card and some foods to eat! (which is very good, ‘cause well it’s free food)

That’s basically it! See, there’s nothing to worry about! So what are you waiting for? Go donor some of em blood! ;D

[eleonora-stella]

my take on travelling (high school edition)

Don’t get me wrong I love to draw and to watch movie and all those stuff that I can do inside my house. But at the same time I love to travel.

It’s just the feeling of exhilaration and somewhat carefreeness that travelling gives you. It really is something else. For me travelling is bliss.

I always put travelling on top of my list, I really really need my dose of travel, I kid you not.

But I’m still in high school I can not pay for my own expenses, how can I travel?

Well, travelling doesn’t always mean that you have to go abroad. You can visit regions near you that you’ve never been before, go for a hike, go visit the beach or just go sightseeing! You’ll meet people and (most likely) get incredible views! You can also take a somewhat spontaneous train ride with your buddies and explore another town! These types of travels cost significantly less than travelling abroad. And it’s always a good idea to explore more about your own country!

Oh okay, that’s nice but I want to travel abroad with a cheap price 

So you do want to travel abroad! Fear not my friend! For I have a solution for you!

If you’re still in high school which you will probably have no money other than your parents’ but you still want to travel, I can suggest you to join some kind of International exchange programs, or International conferences.

These programs will still ask you to pay the expenses, but it will still be cheaper than the cost of a regular travel so if you have the money and are able to afford it then go with it!

You can also go to International learning sites, for example : Goethe Institut (where you learn german language and all that). When you take the language test (A1/A2/B1/B2/C1/C2) and scored the highest on your respective levels you are given the opportunity to go to Germany for a summer school for the duration of 3 weeks. (My friend got to go and wow she’s so lucky no school for 3 weeks). I believe it will be cheaper but I do not really know the details wether they will pay it for you or you have to pay for it.

Those types of programs are still too expensive for me, isn’t there a way to travel for free?

Why yes there are! I participated in one of those programs just a few months back!

Governments usually provides International exchange programs/conferences with other countries that they have partnership with. And sometimes programs also get sponsored by big companies, therefore they will pay for all your expenses. I swear. This is the truth.

It’s not a hundred percent free tho I should say, because to enter these types of programs they usually ask you to do some medical tests (in which you have to pay on your own).

But other than that, the important thing you should know is that you will most likely be representing your country on those events. So the place will be very limited and you will have to get through some selection process before you get chosen (cue when they ask you to do some medical check ups as well). The one that I participated in only accepts 2 students from the same school.

So you better give it your best on the selection process, and well don’t forget to apply through your school! Ask for it if you have to! It does takes some effort, but since they will pay for all your travel and other expenses, I believe it is such a small price to pay.

Will I be able to look around or am I bound with lectures and all?

Well.. You are bound to the schedule that they have, but they will most certainly provide you time to go sightseeing or just some kind of city experience! And because usually these kind of programs have participant from different countries they will need you to bond with each other, therefore the sightseeing schedule.

How about my school studies? I will be left behind..

That’s partly true, but you do get to go abroad and get tons of experience and stories to share and also friends from all over! It’s totally worth it!! It’s something that I would do all over again You just need to give a extra effort to your studies and you’ll be good!

But at the end of the day it comes back to you. If you do want to travel then go for it, you will always find a way to do so if you really put an effort to it. And remember that it’s better to travel now than postponing it over and over again, and regretting it when you’re older. 

So..  what are you waiting for? Go travel!! And enjoy life while you're at it! ;))

*I’ll post some pictures of my travels later when I have a chance/not lazy*

[eleonora-stella]

my current obsession. read: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E

It all started when allyallyonthewall​ invited me to watch this seemingly harmless movie with her. But little did I know that she was actually dragging me into this never-ending hole of the man from uncle.

But what I don’t understand is how people don’t really know that this movie even existed!! (read: most of my friends) And then there’s me who watched it twice and still feeling the hype from the movie after almost over a month.

It is such a good movie people!!! You have to watch it!! I literally can’t stress it enough!

So I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my opinions on why you need to watch this movie. (other than because I rave about this movie endlessly and got people annoyed by it)

The stars

I mean come on people have you seen who played in this movie?? They’re ridiculously-very-attractive human beings!! I mean come on..

There’s the man of steel himself and the lone ranger. Even the ladies in this movie are super attractive it sometimes felt unfair. As a teenager who goes to an all-girls high school, where school life has made my life (more often than not) dull, this is really something that made my eyes open and wanting more.

The director

You remember the movie Sherlock Holmes? Yeah the first one, the one with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. It was directed by this guy. Guy Ritchie. I remember loving and also obsessing over that movie, and I believe this feeling that I have right here.. Is also part of his doing. Like most of the stars on this movie said “it’s a Guy Ritchie movie” (you are just bound to love it I suppose). Remember that name people, it’s important.

The aestethics

This movie is so beautifully made, I’m not even kidding. From the pacing of the story, the colors and compositions, the cinematography, the lighting.. ugh it’s basically a very well made piece of art!

just look at it...

the intensity for goodness sake..

The humour

There are a bunch of hilarious moments in this movie, the jokes are very smartly written, it’s witty and it’s just.. spot on. For example: rivalry.

The setting

It’s a spy movie that is set in the late 60′s in Europe, how could that ever go wrong? The answer is, it never goes wrong + it is made by Guy Ritchie.

good old fashion car and cameras

of course.. the fashion as well.

Basically this movie is filled with a bunch of great stuff! And I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. But I have to admit story wise, it’s ok. It’s not super great but it’s not bad.

As a movie as a whole I still really enjoyed this movie and I encourage other people to join me in this wonderful world of the man from u.n.c.l.e, and afterwards if you’ve finished watching every interview with the casts and directors you can also check the old 60′s tv series that this movie is based upon.

That is all that I have to say, and I’ll leave you with links to the trailer and the fanart that I made.

And feel free to talk to me about this movie, but please for heavens sake don’t judge me and my obsession without watching this movie first

because if you haven’t,

ok that is all, cheers!

[eleonora-stella]

祝你生日快乐! (Happy birthday!) Dear my most hug-able, marvel addict, and drawing buddy Michelle! It's been what, almost 2 years since we met? I still remember your 17th birthday and now you're already turning 18?! Time sure pass by quickly when you're enjoying it! And oh boy thankyou so much for all your positive vibes, hillarious laughs, crazy acts and also of course our drawing sessions. <3 And my my, what a perfect timing, we're currently discussing about birthdays in the mandarin class! I may not be able to speak or write chinese properly (heck I even made a mistake writing your chinese name, sorry about that) but I am able to draw (kind of), and I do know that you're also a big fan of the marvelxdisney's Big Hero 6 franchise. Soo... Surprise surprise! I'm dedicating the birthday card for you! The real life baymax deserves to get a baymax hand painted drawing as the cover of their birthday card! Please enjoy your birthday! And don't be sad anymore ok (frau was only pulling a joke on you, we love u tho) I hope you like the card and hopefully this year you can improve your drawing skills even more, get accepted in the uni that you want and graduate from this school as soon as possible! 😂</p>

[eleonora-stella]

A little intro

Hey there world! It’s me stella, I realised that I haven’t really updated nor used this blog much. There’s a lot of underlying factors to it but the strongest one that I can reckon is just my strong-willed power of laziness :P

I made this blog a few years ago actually but it was absolutely hidden, I used it to reblog stuff that inspires me and that I found interesting, as you might know (or not) I have an art-blog (eleonorastella)​ which I use a slight bit more. I actually made that blog as a normal/regular/useless blog where i reblogged everything, but it slowly turns into an art-blog and I intend to keep it that way.

But I do want to write and share more of my thoughts, stories and experience to the world and hopefully be able to look back on those moments as well. 

Therefore I’m pleased to announce that I’ll post more frequently and regularly on this blog, whether it be something unimportant or something more on the serious side it’ll all be here. 

So yeah, I’ll be updating soon! Stay tuned!

-eleonora stella

[huffpost]

Why You Should Never, Ever Listen When Someone Says ‘You Weren’t Born To Do That’

Most people probably pass by Misa Kuranaga without realizing who, exactly, they just overlooked. At 5’1 with a delicate build, Misa blends into the crowded Boston populace.

However.

This woman, who hails from Osaka, Japan and probably weighs less than most American sixth graders, is a principal dancer for the Boston Ballet. And while her stature and size may defy the standards of “ballet beauty,” she is an international success story in the ballet world.

For a full interview with the inspiring Misa Kuranaga go here. 

(Source: SK-II via Youtube)

[wavesheep]

Part I

1.Thingol&Melian  2.Beren&Luthien

3.Earendil&Elwing  4.Aragorn&Arwen

5.Feanor&Silmarils  6.Three Rings

7. Turin the Slayer of Glaurung  8.Bard the Slayer of Smaug 

9.Battle of Five Armies 10.Valar

[awcwardhumore]

“The Harry Potter books are so magical so mysterious and so adventurous. Basically these books are on the border of childhood. Therefore my goal was to redesign them with such illustrations that able to show this extraordinary atmosphere of the books. I started to experiment with interactive illustrations what not distract attention from the plot, but add to the story” - Kinsco Nagy

To earn her BA degree, Kinsco Nagy redesigned the Harry Potter series. Each book glows in the dark and features interactive pages! 

Photos taken by Richard Kelemen, and binding by David Petro

[sarakipin]

Inquisitor Lavellan - Page of Wands

[zenpencils]

FRIDA KAHLO: Strange Like Me

[forgetmeparanoia]

Reminders to myself (and any other artsy people who follow me i guess)

-You don’t get better at drawing by avoiding drawing until you are better at drawing.

- You don’t have to make a new masterpiece every day it’s okay if all you drew is a doodle of a bug. You are now +1 bug doodle better at doodling bugs. 

- Also it’s okay if the thing you drew didn’t turn out very good. Everything you draw makes you one step closer to being able to draw good. You are still +1 step better at drawing whatever you drew no take backsies.

- You are the only person who knows if your art didn’t turn out as good as you wanted it to. You are the only person who can see the things in your art that weren’t what you imagined in your head. No one else will know unless you tell them.

- Comparing yourself to other artists just isn’t fair. You get to see all of your art, the best stuff and the worst stuff. You usually only get to see the best stuff other artists make. You don’t get to see that half drawn badly propotioned face they drew at 2 am and immediately scrapped. So don’t compare your badly drawn 2 am face to their best work.

- Just keep making art. The only way you can really fail is if you give up.