Few hours left ;)

The last hours before school starts :)

I've had enough of holidays, I guess. I've enjoyed them, obviously, and now I'm ready to start school. There are so many things left to do this term, before high school is gone forever...

It's strange to think these are my last high school holidays... I guess I'm looking forward to college :)

P.S - I'm semi-hysteric because I've discovered an AWESOME software that finally allows me to download videos from YouTube (those Guns n Roses videos...).

yours,

millou

Here's my most recent addiction:

What keeps me from wishing time-travelling was possible is the existence of Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars.

Finally illuminated

We (my English class) are supposed to choose a painting to talk about, during these holidays. I, as the biggest ignorant on Earth on what comes to art, was obviously scared and decided to see all the "important" paintings available on the Internet. I had thought about going to an art gallery or something, but the best paintings are in very distant museums, which is kind of a trouble. So I spent this last Sunday immersed in Google Art Project and some other web sites. I've discovered I don't like Picasso as much I thought I liked (but I still like it a little bit) and that Monet is amazing. I also had no idea that the Milkmaid add for Nestlé was based on this Jan Vermeer painting:

 

Even more fascinating than Vermeer's Milkmaid is an English romantic painter I've found, Joseph Mallord William Turner. It seems to me (and I may be wrong...) that his paintings are like little photographs of feelings, which is basically what I try to do with my writing. He captures the moment and adds emotion to it, playing with gold or black, light or darkness. Here are some of his paintings:

 "Caernarvon Castle"

 

 "Melrose Abbey"

"The Fighting Temeraire"

I think I'm going to use a Turner's painting (none of those I've shown you) for that English composition. I've thought about Van Gogh or Dali, but Turner's are my favorites.

P.S - I don't feel such an ignorant after last Sunday. I know nothing about painting techniques, but looking at several paintings helps a lot on what comes to understand and "decode" them.

yours,

the illuminated millou

Oh, holidays!

Laying in the sun, smiling as the heat touches your skin and dancing freely to the sound of Florence and The Machine... I know I've announced here my hate to Florence, but I've changed my mind ;)

Enjoy the sun and the beautiful music people make.

yours,

millou

Day-dreaming

I can smell my holidays, feel them coming, almost here...
Ah, I'll be the happiest person on Earth after Monday morning!!!

To be printed and posted in every corner

Now I see I hate the Portuguese educational system even more than I did before.

Honestly, I used to think it was something like this:

Listen (or not) to the teacher. Memorize for the test. Forget. Listen to the teacher again. Memorize for the other test. Forget. Listen to another teacher. Memorize for the test. Forget.

But I've understood that, as if this wasn't bad enough, I was missing the worst part of all. The "let's make it easier, shall we?" and "I'm so petrified by the idea of making my students think" part. This fever is tempting and we end up sinking in laziness and uselessness.

School was supposed to teach people not only Chemistry and Maths but also how to think! And we're not even learning Chemistry and Maths properly! It's no surprise that this country is in such a bad shape. If we grow up surrounded by this "the easier the better" philosophy wherever we go, what kind of citizens are we supposed to become? We're being turned into (bad) copycats every single second of our lives and that's depressive.

The worst problem of all: it starts in school but it has already spread to the whole society. It's EVERYWHERE.

So, basically, what I hate so much is not the educational system itself (which is only disgusting and even somewhat offensive) - it's the national philosophy underneath it.

yours,

millou

A little break dedicated to meditation and introspection

To compensate the amount of posts released 3 weeks ago, I've been (once more) absent for these last days. Ok, weeks. I've been busy (studying...). The truth is that, busy or not, I don't have that much to say right now and I'm simply living my life, listening to my music and feeding my dreams of becoming a member of JSD (if you're not Portuguese you won't understand and, I'm sorry to say, I don't feel like explaining). Yesterday I would be offended if anyone questioned my happiness but now the hysteria is gone. Maybe I'm just tired, but the truth is that there are so many little things to worry about right now that I'm not able to keep myself above all the daily trouble. So many annoying little things, about the people you see everyday, about the people you wish you saw everyday, about this girl who's really getting on your nerves and that boy you can never catch. You just try to become better and better, but sometimes the process is too slow! And, even if you try to forget it, for yourself and for the others, you can't. It's real and it's there. I think I've mentioned it here before, but I still doubt I've got my karma and "happiness tower" (that was the expression I used here) back. I don't feel as confident and loved as I used to. But I'll get over it. It just that it's taking too much time.

P.S - Tomorrow I'll be smiling as I turn my face to the sun, as I do everyday (when it's sunny, at least). I'm not sad (in fact, I am happy), I'm just remembering the background of my happiness (and sharing it with you, apparently).

yours,

millou