The Rising

 a heart once cocooned

in speckles of light

seeping through

the mist of dust

forever enclosed

forever asleep

but never forgotten

a life once cocooned

now full of sparks

stepping out

into a world
of eternal lights

~ A.K ~

 

Rhythmic Magnetism (Désirée)

Désirée

....you are Erato in my heart....


~ A.K ~

Clicking play would help you see this much clearly.

Trust me.

Early Days (IF)

My early days, 1816

...when words sparkled and hopes glistened...

Between two hemispheres,

It lingers.

Infinitely,

Today,
Tomorrow,
For all mankind.

~ A.K ~

All Is Well in the Forest of Kings

Yes, I must say that despite all the troubles I'm undergoing to make sense of life, I admit that it is, in fact, grand. I've had my share of typhoons and the storm is probably just somewhere behind the purple hazed horizon. But typhoons and storms have their endings and every ending has a new beginning. So why the frown? Let me share a couple of things that made me smile today...

For one, I intended this as a black and white sketch, but then I got carried away and decided to play with some paint and water. I'm quite happy with it (being such a coward with watercolor!), not to mention I can now post one of my favorite poems with it! (^_^)

The Wood Nymph

A glint of her hair or a flash of her shoulder
That is the most I can boast to have seen,
Then all is lost as the shadows enfold her,
Forest glades making a screen of their green,
Could I cast off all the cares of tomorrow

Could I forget all the fret of today
Then, my heart free from the burdens I borrow,
Nature’s chaste spirit her face would display.

Ellis Parker Butler

Secondly, my sweet friend Lauren has so very kindly given me an award...

...and yes, yes, yes! The title fits perfectly, doesn't it??!

And here are the 10 questions I'm supposed to answer for the award (bear with me, Ill keep it simple):

1. What is one thing you wish to achieve this year?
Same old, same old... be better at what I do and who I am.

2. What is your favorite animal?
Owls and swans.

3. What is your favorite book and why?
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)... it taught me a lot about human nature.

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
The Lake District, UK.

5. What do you do to relax?
"Relax"??? What is that? I've never heard of it!! Heehehe....

6. What inspires you the most?
Past experiences.

7. If you could live in a different era, when would it be?
Somewhere along the 1800s, when men bowed and women curtsied (even if they didn't like each other :))

8. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
I get to exchange banters with ridiculously mad, fascinating and brilliant people! (you know who you are!!)

9. What is your favorite food/meal?
Sushi (meoowww...)

10. Do you have a special collection of things you adore?
Oodles and oodles of books.

Whew! So here's my favorite part... I'm passing this award to:

Susan my pencil sister
Cesalina the Viking's wife
Rossichka the puppet master
Mita the elusive witch 
Bella my pink cotton candy, and
Pinocchio (oops, I mean Andrew!)

And could you guys answer these questions for the award too? Don't worry, I'll let you off this time and give you only 5 to answer:

1. If you could have any profession other than the one you have now, what would it be?
2. What is the one word that describes you best?
3. Who is your favorite book character?
4. If you could have a super natural power, what would it be?
5. Which is worse, a bad haircut or a black eye?

Well, have a great life everyone! oxoxo

Leda and the Swan

Leda and the Swan

Mixed media

Leda and the Swan is a myth of ancient past. It is depicted in Greek mythology as a story about the attraction of Zeus for Leda the Spartan queen, who had protected Zeus from a pursuing eagle as he disguised himself in a form of a swan. It is told that one night Zeus came to Leda in this form and seduced her while she lay with her King, Tyndareus. She then bore two eggs from which hatched Clytemnestra, the twins Castor and Pollux, and Helen, later to be known as the beautiful 'Helen of Troy'. Although the legend is often referred to as The Rape of Leda, many great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo had portrayed it in such graceful and beautiful manners, revealing passion and emotional correlations between the two subjects.

This mythical story was brought up to my attention by a very intelligent friend whom I've met from blogging. Despite his sometimes puzzling and eccentric comments (^_^), I decided to look up my old college notes (yes, I still have them!) to discover that I had in fact briefly studied it in one of my classes. I suppose the reason for my ignorance would be my tendency to day dream during lecture, as always. Well, either that or I must have fallen asleep :) ... (Yes, yes, thank you, old chap, for the reminder!)

A word of caution: If you decided to visit this friend of mine, make sure you keep your guard at all time, as you may come across pirates and witches or even turned into stone by the gaze of Medusa. And be careful where you click, because you might end up with splinters or seeing 'inappropriate' things! :D

Fearless (IF)

Cocoon

A Little Vote Would be Nice, Thank You! (^_^)

Okay... this is not something I normally do. In the middle of all the chaos of trying to complete my deadlines, I have decided to push myself just a little bit closer to the limit. Insane? Yes, I probably am. I've been looking at my super tight schedule the wrong way and I realize now that time has always been an unbreakable elastic net that seems to surprisingly expand whenever I put enough will to use it wisely. So I took a challenge to test myself further more by entering a t-shirt design contest held at Design By Humans. I figured the experience would be exciting and I'll have the critics I need to improve my work!

So why don't you come check out the last threads of my sanity and vote for my design here!! Of course, just a little peek would be truly appreciate...( And by the way, you have to SIGN UP before you vote! )

Thank you all! Have a lovely weekend!