Thursday 25 February 2010

In My Shoes: Please write two

Photo from: Lace and Tea

This is a continuation of the Seeking inspiration post story I put up titled: Please Write. In this feature, I hope to be able to present life dilenmas to you my darling devotees and I hope that they will get us to think and feel outside our realms of experience. It will be part advice column, part cliffhanger tales. If you have any life problems or situations you want advice on, or if you want to do an In My Shoes piece, email me at aury4eva@gmail.com. Hope you enjoy the first piece.

Days, weeks, months go by and I have not heard from him since he left. Extreme anxiety turns into despair.

What did I do wrong?

Is he trying to break up with me?

Did something happen to him?

He Hates Me!

He's never coming back , is he?

At first, I made excuses for him. I told people that he was too busy, the post is really slow, the network is terrible out there, and at first they believed me. After awhile though, it got much harder for them to believe. I could see the doubt in their eyes, the ever-present gaze of sympathy and pity in their eyes. At these times, I would be ready to scream that he is coming back, although in the depths of my heart I no longer believed it myself. I stopped checking for letters an
d emails from him and instead began to live a ghost-like existence, one that consisted of merely going through the motions. I no longer lived fully. Each day became a struggle. Depression crept up on me and slid in through the cracks of my demeanor, soon engulfing me.

Then one day, six months since he left, a letter came in the mail.

Eliza my love,

I can no longer lead this half existence. I need to be with you but with each passing day, I come to realise that our work here, while incredibly noble, is not enough to satisfy my heart's thirst. Each time I try to contact you, to reach out to you, and let you know how I feel, they tear me away. We work all day and most of the night and hardly ever see anyone from the outside world, and although we have made progress, it has been very slow and today they told us that the projected date of completion is 5 years away. We can no longer take in any new scientists into the community and if any of us were to leave we would never be able to come back. We now have to choose between leaving our old lives behind us and surrend
ering ourselves completely to the program or disbanding from the project, never to return.

I want to leave. I know how many people I could save, how much praise and acclaim I could receive, how much success would be mine, but I also know that I could not live a life in which you weren't a significant part of. There are quite a few incredibly intelligent scientists in the group and I do not doubt they can find the cures without me. I am ready to leave. All I ask is will you take me back?


Will you marry me?

Yours Forever.


What should I do? Should I let him leave? Should I take him back? What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Love you all and stay inspired,



P.S. So let me know what you think. What would do if you were in Eliza's shoes. Would you take him back? Would you let him leave? Would you marry him despite it all? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Monday 22 February 2010

A Day in the Life: Thank you my darling Canadieren

Photo from : Jessica Ortwerth

Dearest Devotees,

So a little while ago, the fabulous Canadieren tagged me for the Beautiful Blogger Award! She is one of my favorite fashion bloggers and you should definitely stop by and give her my love. So now I'm supposed to say seven things about me and tag some of my favorite bloggers.
Seven things about me you may not know:

1. My real name is Frances but Aury is my Artistic Alias (sort of like a pen name, that I use for my books, this blog and other creatively linked things.)
2. I am Nigerian, and can understand and speak, albeit not fluently, a language called Esan.
3. I get really excited for the most random things... (Random thing of the Day: Hey Arnold! reminisces in Methods of Construction class).
4. I frequently wish I could fly but I am deathly afraid of heights.
5. I love the beach but huge bodies of water (read: the ocean) scare me too.
6. I wish Katie Soloker was one of my best friends.
7. I love people A LOT but I also really enjoy my own company.

It appears I am a paradox.

I pass this award to the bloggers of :




Love you all and Stay inspired,



P.S. So let me know what you think. Are you as paradoxical as I am? What is (or seems) really conflicting about your personality? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Sunday 21 February 2010

Checking in With Reality: 21/02/10


tumblr_kw00ed4WVp1qa9utro1_400_large.jpg

Photo from: We heart it

Dearest Devotees,

Since the last time I posted on this topic (two weeks ago. I know I'm sorry) I have accomplished this:

  • Redesigned and renovated my blog, complete with new header and tons and tons of new ideas I can't wait to share with you.

  • Met and made friends with loads of lovely people in my classes and on my Catholic Centre retreat.

  • Found some scholarships to apply for, and begun to work on them.

  • Moved to whole new plane and level in my spiritual life, courtesy of fab CC retreat.

  • Come up with a new song and started recording on my new Mac!!!!

  • Formed study groups with aforementioned lovely people.

I have modified this:

  • I realised that I want to partake in NaNoWriMO with other people and since I only have one novel I want to get done this year, I'll do it then.

  • I need to spend more time on practicing piano skills and will therefore up practice time by an hour for awhile.


I have learnt this:

  • I need to make an all encompassing schedule-calendar that shows me all major projects, and minor ones and when they need to be done.


I will do this next week:

  • I will get up some of my new post ideas. I really hope you like them :)
  • I will get all of my files moved from my old laptop to my new mac.
  • I will study hard for all my exams and do all my major projects . If my costume design renderings turn out well I'll share them with you all.
  • I'll practice singing and playing my songs.

How have your aspirations been coming along?

Love you all and Stay inspired,



P.S. So let me know what you think. By the way, thank you for all of your constructive criticisms and beautifully encouraging comments. You help become better and give me such amazing support. I am so glad to have such amazing devotees and I promise to continue to give you my best efforts.

Saturday 20 February 2010

Seeking Inspiration: I always come back to you


Picture From: We Heart It

Dearest Devotees,

Love is probably one of the oldest and most popular sources of inspiration out there. Whether it is love lost or gained, unrequitted or acknowledged, young or old, fillial or romantic, love definitely emotes incredibly strong feelings from us. Art work is usually born out of a desire to express strong emotions, and this is why there is so much art work with the theme of love out there. Also since it is such a popular human emotion in all of its various forms, art work love as a major theme tend to resonate with a lot of people and are therefore very popular and usually high in demand. Artists use it again and again with the hope of being able to depict it more completely with each effort either by covering a less publicized angle or using a never-before-seen metaphor. Sometimes, when I'm feeling low on inspiration I find a way to tap into this familiar emotion and use it as a spring board to something great. The montage below is my latest way to connect with love:


I have been collecting a list of movies to see, particularly movies that could inspire me on some level. This montage reminded me I really need to see When Harry Met Sally. It has become a popular culture reference and that means it says something important about world today. If you know what this message is or have an idea what it is feel to let me know in the comments.

Links that inspired me this week:

I am loving these little treasures.

Desire to keep up with the Olympics has made me wonder if it would be good to invest in this. Any thoughts?

Fashion Week!!! I want to be a designer my loves. What do you want from me? :)

What is love?

Nothing like interaction with other artists to inspire the artist within you.

I wish I had such pretty dreams .

There is just so much truth in this post.


Inspirational Exercise


'Tis better to have loved and lost' ?
sometimes I truly wonder.
For can one miss what was never got and experienced at all?
It seems for most things in life the answer is a loud resounding NO.
But once again love is the exception that drives both those who've never had it and those who have lost it to perdition with desire.
Desire to feel pain, joy, anything but this utter emptiness that resounds like a hollow bass drum.

Oh this most cursed and blessed feeling!

(You can actually tell that the majority of what I've been reading lately has been Shakespeare :P)

Love you all and Stay inspired,



P.S. So let me know what you think. How do you translate the image above? What are your views of love? What inspired you this week? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Tuesday 16 February 2010

Fictional Characters I have been or currently am in love with

Photo from: craftmaster

Now I not I'm not the only one that has ever had a major crush on a fictional character, despite the fact I am very aware the person does not exist(at least in this world) and can not in fact return my feelings for him. This awareness has not been enough to stop me from practically spontaneously combusting when I see these characters. Nor has it been proof enough to dissuade me from planning alternate realities in which we can live happily ever after. It's not that I have anything against real men per se and in fact if anyone knows someone who possesses most of the human traits of these characters, call me. Just joking (not really :P).


5. Elliot from Mew Mew Power : It was love at first sight. His gorgeous blond hair, and long, lean physique only added to the overpowering aura of mystery and air of mystique that surrounded him. Co-guardian of the crew and secret protector of Zoey as the Blue Knight (at least I think he is), he somehow manages to balance professional aloofness and emotional involvement. He is debonair, charming and has the potential to be an amazing boyfriend to some fabulous girl in the series.



4. Haku from Spirited Away: If you haven't seen this movie you need to see it! Not only does he have all the stand-offish but totally caring charm of Elliot, he also has the whole wounded spirit but trying to be strong thing going on, that I am totally a sucker for. The fact that he is actually a river spirit and therefore possesses some killer magical powers does not take away from his awesome beauty either.


3. Jasper Hale: I know he's a vampire, from Twilight no less, but allow me to indulge in this guilty pleasure. I admire his desire to lead a "vegetarian" (non-human eating) vampire dieting experience and the strength he displays in being around Bella even though it is extremely hard for him. His silent charisma and old school charms and looks strike a chord in me that is devastatingly powerful and the indescribable love for and immense loyalty he has towards Alice is simply beautiful.


2. Fred Weasley: Every girl loves a guy that can make her laugh and Fred Weasly from Harry Potter signifies that guy for me. He and his twin, George are the ultimate practical jokesters and are also really well known for their mischievous and sometimes rebellious ways. Fred defies authority in almost every chance he gets and is not the kind of person to take things lying down. He is brave, courageous and not afraid to take risks. He is also incredibly street smart and has a clear idea of what he wants and how to get it. He is my tragic hero (spoiler).



1. Dr. Spencer Reid: I would really love to be able to say that my love is for the actor that plays his character, the amazingly gifted and talented Matthew Gray Gubler but right now this is just not true. While I am attracted to Matthew, the butterflies in my belly, sweaty palms and heart palpitations that I experience when he comes onto the screen in an episode of Criminal Minds are not for him, but for the loveably innocent but extremely well-read Dr. Reid. At the age of 24, he had already acquired 3 PHDs, a couple of Bachelors and a couple of years with the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit under his belt. Couple that with the fact that he can read about 20000 words per minute and has an IQ of 187 ( making him a genius) , one would imagine that he would be immensely arrogant and totally unapproachable. But he isn't and in fact the opposite is true. He is socially awkward and quite unaware of his potential appeal to women. He is not perfect and he does not pretend or claim to be. He constantly gets hurt on the job because he is willing
to put himself out there and sacrifice himself for his team. Although he comes from a difficult background he has a strong capacity to love and even after years of seeing
disturbing things and having experiences that may have broken a weaker man he is not desensitized and still has the ability to feel.



These characters possess certain qualities that really appeal to me and although they may be exaggerated in these fictional characters, these are some characteristics that I believe would attract me to The One for me.
(Photo from : Criminal Minds Fanatic )

Love you all and Stay Inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What fictional characters have appealed to you in the past? Which ones appeal to you now? Why? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
P.P.S I'm overloading this semester with 20 credit hours and last week and this week are my midterm weeks. I will continue to blog and I promise to get caught up with all my regular posts over the course of this week. I've been doing some technical work on this blog, that I will release to you all ASAP.
Monday 8 February 2010

Seeking inspiration: Reasons To Be Missed...


Photo from: We heart it


Dearest Devotees,



Last night, as I was reading Twelfth Night in the second floor lounge of the Law Building, one of my favorite songs ever Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park, came on and all thoughts of what would become of Olivia and Orsino instantly abandoned my mind. You see, a couple of days ago, a fellow sophomore died and although I didn't know him I was deeply saddened because I know what it feels like to lose someone, especially someone that was close to you in age, because it just reminds of our mortality. I've been thinking a lot about goals lately and this sad event combined with the song made me think about goals in a whole new way. This song's lyrics are so full of meaning I just have to write it all, because I could never put it better:




"Leave Out All The Rest"



I dreamed I was missing



You were so scared


But no one would listen



Cause no one else cared



After my dreaming



I woke with this fear



What am I leaving


When I'm done here.



So if you're asking me I want you to know



[Chorus]




When my time comes



Forget the wrong that I've done



Help me leave behind some


Reasons to be missed



And don't resent me



And when you're feeling empty



Keep me in your memory


Leave out all the rest



Leave out all the rest



[End Chorus]





Don't be afraid



I've taken my beating



I've shed but I'm me



I'm strong on the surface


Not all the way through


I've never been perfect



But neither have you



And if you're asking me I want you to know



[Chorus]


Forgetting



All the hurt inside



You've learned to hide so well



Pretending



Someone else can come and save me from myself


I can't be who you are



[Chorus]



Forgetting


All the hurt inside



You've learned to hide so well


Pretending



Someone else can come and save me from myself


I can't be who you are



I can't be who you are



- From AZ lyrics




When your time comes, what will people remember you for? What do you want to be remembered for? Because these are the major life goals that you should be working towards all the time. What are your reasons to be missed?


My Reasons to be missed



I want to be missed because...


I am a caring and loving person.



I give myself completely to the people and causes I care about.


My art work and the way I lived my life inspired and continues to inspire people.



I want to be that person. I'm not there yet but I will work on it and hopefully I will be there one day.




I feel like finding out your reasons to be missed is enough of a seeking inspiration exercise today so good luck in your search and when you're done may I suggest immortalising them by:
♥writing them down on an inspiration board



♥take a picture of list and put it online



♥writing them somewhere you can see them regularly



♥turning them into your motto




♥incorporate the list in poetry




Links that inspired me this week:


New blog love: Miss Scholastic and Creative Arts Anonymous : Written by two fabulously talented women that motivate me and inspire me.



I've been re-embracing my love for poetry lately and this site just works wonders for me.



Artistic personality in the sciences definitely left me feeling more than a bit miseducated.





I long for a change from my normal music routine, and I also miss Geneva, my home. Listening to its online radio brings it closer to me.




I fell in love with this photostream by Jessica Ortwerth
















Magical.


Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What are your reasons to be missed? How would you represent them or immortalise them What inspired you this week? Feel free to let me know in the comments below. And if you want to keep up to date with my posts you can Follow my blog with bloglovin
Sunday 7 February 2010

Checking in with Reality: 07/02/10


Photo from : brandydarling



Darling Devotees,

Its February now and the further we get away from January 1st the harder it is to keep to the resolutions we made at the beginning of the year. I find that when breaking down major goals into smaller ones that fit into specific time frames makes them more realistic and easier to accomplish. I've also found that telling people about your goals makes you more determined to accomplish them because these people, directly or indirect, hold you accountable. That's why I want to use this segment to break up my new year's resolutions into manageable smaller goals and hopefully by the end of the year everything will be achieved. I invite you to join me by commenting about your goals at the end of the post. I shall do this segment every week and try to let you know how the week went in the following week's post. I hope that we can achieve all we've set out to do together. :)






So over the next month I will:



♥ Write an approximately 50,000 word novel.


♥ Do something new and exciting on my blog (wait for it darlings).


♥ Become good friends with some people in my classes.


♥ Find scholarships and apply for them. I need them for next year.


♥ Improve in my spiritual life.


♥ Work on my music. That demo won't record itself. Good news: My voice and piano teachers have promised to help me!!! I'm going to record one in particular for my voice class.


Photo from: Sabino
Over the next week I will:



♥Write at least 2 chapters of my book.



♥Start the surprise on my blog.



♥Post out my acceptance letter to the National Society for College Scholars (I got the letter yesterday!!!). Scholarships and discounts here I come!!!


♥Go for Catholic Center Retreat, and deeply reconnect with my faith.


♥Practice my singing and piano playing everyday for at least an hour.



♥Form study groups with lovely people in my classes.


I'm taking the big leap into the unknown. Will you take it with me?


Love you all and Stay inspired,


P.S. So let me know what you think.What are your new year's resolutions, goals or aims? Have you begun work on them? What will you do this week and month? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Thursday 4 February 2010

Trendlight: My Faves for Spring/Summer 2010


My darling devotees,
I simply can not wait for winter to end and spring to come anymore. A large part of my impatience though, is not because I despise the cold, or because I am tired of wearing my boots, lovely as they are, everyday (both of which are true). No darlings, the source of my impatience stems from the fact I have a strong desire to see the stores revamped with their Spring/Summer merchandise. I mean, Fall and Winter clothes are great and all but nothing beats the immense variety of colours, cuts and styles available to us when the weather gets warm. So, in order to get a sense of what I would be likely to find in the stores, I hit up Style.com for their interpretations of the season's trends. According to Style, there are 4 major trends for this season and they are :

Marching Orders (Utilitarian)

Clean Energy (White from head to toe)

Game Theory (Sports wear obsession)

The Big Reveal (lingerie inspired wear, a lot of lace)

Pattern Play ( various prints)

And Pastoral Interlude.

Of all the trends they listed, the two I love the most are Pastoral Interlude and Pattern Play in that order. Why do I love them? Well...
  • My personal style is something called Boho-Whimsical, which just means that I love mixing gypsy skirts, peasant tops and the likes with whacky polka-dot prints, random bows and butterfly brooches. Don't believe me? I will definitely see about doing outfit posts in the near future.

  • I don't know what you think about when you hear spring but after a pretty neutral winter, all I can think about is colour and plenty of it. I will wear white but it will be as a backdrop to my rainbow acccessories. I probably won't be doing the utilitarian thing because army green and khaki tend not to work on me.

  • They are just totally adorable. See...















(All images from Style.com)

I think these styles are also reminiscent of the 60s and 70s style scene, a scene I absolutely adore. I think the pastoral interlude options are probably going to be seen as boho-folk or country chic soon just because the clothes look very similar to the boho-folk trend of 2006. No matter what they are called, one thing is for sure: they speak to the romantic in me and are definitely my faves for Spring/Summer 2010.



Love you all and Stay inspired,


P.S. So let me know what you think. Are these trends you could/would follow? What's your fave for Spring/Summer 2010? How would you rock your favorite trend? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Trendlight: Princess Pea Coats


Picture from: Overstock




Is it a dress? Is it a coat? I don't know dear readers and quite frankly I don't care. These coats are the sassy and fabulously feminine way to look gorgeous in the deathly cold of the winter while keep toasty warm. Since, I came back from Christmas holidays, Boston has gotten distinctly warmer, and I think this may be the reason for the switch from the thick North Face parkas that were dominant in December to these cuter and categorically more chic forms of outerwear. Either that, or people just decided to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales period. Whatever the reason be though, I am hugely ecstatic because of the result. Their mix of stylish elegance and quirky modernity gives me shivers and reminds me of something a present-day princess would wear for an informal occasion. Dearest devotees, I implore you to indulge and submit to the powers of cuteness of this trend. But if you're not entirely convinced yet here are a couple more reasons to hunt for your own princess pea coat.




    Picture from: Guess


  1. They are fabulous seasonal transition pieces: Since they are still warm coats but not bulky in nature, they are the perfect pieces to aid in transiting your wardrobe into spring. A lot of them come in really bold colours and prints that make you stand out against the dull winter days left and hail in spring as it comes. They are also really good for dressing up and down your winter outfits, in case you need to go from day to night.
  2. Picture from: Forever 21


  3. They come in a budget-friendly price range: Check Forever 21, and Macy's for easier to handle prices. If you want to splurge on the perfect one though, do it!




  4. They are really good potential signature pieces: Right now, everyone is abuzz with the need to find a signature piece and I could not agree more. Your signature piece represents your personality in a physical way and becomes a key component of your personal style. The variety of colours, prints, cuts and styles of these coats available makes it really easy to find pieces that truly reflect your personality, and therefore would make a great signature piece.


Talking to you about my love affair with these coats has increased my desire for one. Pleated, belted, plaid and red princess pea coat, here I come!





Love you all and Stay inspired,



P.S. So let me know what you think. Would you buy one of these adorable coats? Do you already have one? How does it look? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Monday 1 February 2010

Post at Secret Society of List Addicts: The Airline Travel Packing List

Photo from: Caribb

Hey Darlings,

So there is this fantastic blog called The Secret Society of List Addicts and ever since I first found it, I've desired to become a member of the society and publish a post on the blog. I joined a couple of weeks ago but today, I feel like I'm come full circle because my first post, The Airline Travel Packing List, was put up today! It's a list containing all the most important things I feel one needs when flying. Feel free to check it out loves and let me know what you think about the post.


Love you all and Stay inspired,

Seeking Inspiration: Carry Me Through


Photo from: John Corvera

Dearest Devotees,

We all need someone who inspires us. Someone who believes in us, in our ability to create, to improve and to grow. We need someone that shows us that when times get hard, we should not give up but instead we should increase our pace and work with even more zeal than before. These people can inspire us just by showing that they have been through similar times and have emerged victorious. Or they could be our friends, families, or loved ones, people close to us that provide security and the faith in ourselves that we sometimes lack as portrayed in the song Crawl (Carry Me Through) by Superchick. Even if we see ourselves as completely independent, we need people to give us a push in the right direction, to critique our work and sometimes to be our muse. Relationships bring about experiences and experiences are the substance of life. So if you don't already have someone that inspires you, make an effort to find that person today and you will soon find yourself reaching heights that you never dreamed of.

Here are some of the links that inspired me this week:

These teapots take self-expressive home dècor to a whole new level.

Why would anyone have a thing against princesses? Super Kawaii Mama gives us more reasons to love them.

I'm a sucker for little kids but this little guy singing Jason Mraz's I'm Yours is just too precious!

I have found some more kindred spirits in the girls from Shimmer Like Gold and Live Life Deeply.


And now for this week's exercise:




Photo From: Farlane




Dashing past the little burst of colour that were the newly blossomed cherries, with her bubblegum pink skirts rustling in the wind, Carnatia raced to the top of Daela hill with Lorelei close on her heels.



'Tag you're it!' Lorelai squeeled with delight as she hurled into Carnatia. But Carnatia had other plans.

'Not if I have anything to say about it!' she shrieked as she began to tickle Lorelai all over and before they knew it they were in fits of laughter, giggles and squeals on the grassy hill. Soon their peals of laughter died down, and they lay in contemplative silence amongst the dandelions and bluebells.

'I'm really happy you came this summer, Natie. I don't know what I'll do when you leave with your family,' whispers Lorelai, all 8 years of her displaying her misery at the mere thought of being without her newfound bestfriend. After being quiet for awhile Carnatia said.
'Cousin Reina says that it we really care about someone we can always feel them there and find them in everything around us, if we believe. '

'Do you believe?'

'Yes.'


Love you all and Stay inspired,


P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you have a muse/someone that motivates or inspires you? Do you have a critique? What does the picture make you think of? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
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Welcome!

"Come with me,
and See this World,
Through the eyes
of an Ordinary Girl"

An Ordinary Girl's World is a blog for stylish and artistic teens, college students and young adults, creatively finding their way in this world. Its about expressing yourself through your personal style, your lifestyle, your relationships and friendships.
This site will feature articles on fashion, love and life in general, with topics ranging from the latest trends in fashion, beauty and lifestyle, personal style, artistic inspiration pieces and real life survival guides.
Email address:
aury4eva@gmail.com


About Me

Frannie
Hello! I am Frannie a.k.a Frances Anne and I am a 21 year old Catholic Missionary. I am Nigerian but have lived all over the world and I currently live and serve in the U.S. I love God, others and life in general. I bubble over with joy everyday and would love to share my joy with you.
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Say Hey My darlings

Say Hey My darlings
Have questions, comments? Need advice? Feel free to email me:aury4eva@gmail.com

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