What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed: Meditation and Writing

#DailyWings: "'Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work." -Stephen King

The funny thing about the end of summer school is that, after an intense three weeks of studying and fast learning and exam-taking, everything slows down and suddenly you have a wide space of time lying before you. 

Yesterday, I went to the interfaith chapel that is connected to the local hospital and spent five hours in one of the meditation rooms. I almost never see anyone in the chapel, even though it's a beautiful and peaceful place to spend time alone, reflecting. The meditation rooms are low-lit and set at cool temperatures. 

Doesn't this look lovely? 

Now, I don't really affiliate myself with any religion. To me, religion is deeply personal and individualized because it makes up your entire belief system and spiritual views. No two people's religions are alike, no matter what name you give it. And so even though I don't go to church or attend religious activities regularly, I still try to find the time to meditate. 

I hadn't meditated in quite a few months --bad, bad Wendy-- so getting back into the routine was kind of hard, especially when I set the bar high and sat for 20 minutes straight through (my phone beeped when 20 minutes was up). But in the past I have found that meditation helps clear your mind, leads to greater contentment and calms the spirit. Even now, I don't really know what constitutes as meditating; maybe the "sit and just be quiet" ritual catchphrase suffices. Here is how the 20 minutes of my meditation session went: 

0 Minutes: Okay! I can do this! 

3 Minutes: *fidgets* Has it been five minutes yet? No, I can't look at my watch! I'm not supposed to open my eyes! 

5 Minutes: Whatever...my phone will beep when it beeps. I need to stop focusing on the time and concentrate on blanking my mind instead. Every time my mind starts to fill with thoughts or images, I'm going to 'clear' everything out. 

8 Minutes: .................(nothing)....Hey cool! I'm doing it! I'm meditating! Wait, dang it. I'm thinking again. Bye, bye, oh sweet moment of zen. 

9 Minutes: Clearly blanking my mind is too hard right now. Let me try to focus on my surroundings instead. 

11 Minutes: I hear the air conditioner blasting from the ceiling, I taste tomato from the spaghetti I had for lunch, I hear nothing. I see nothing. 

12 Minutes: Uh-oh. My knee itches. 

12.5 Minutes: I'm not supposed to move! Oh, but my knee itches so badly! It's that darn mosquito bite. The AC must have blown air on it. And it's no wonder I'm cold...

13 Minutes: Has it been 20 minutes yet? No, I guess not. Now, I'm going to concentrate on not itching my knee. Think about something else! Quick! 

15 Minutes: Even though my eyes are closed, I still see colors and images with my eyelids pulled over like this. *moves eyeballs around* There goes a blue streak of - of light! Ooh, a shiny shooting star. And green squiggles. Never knew you could see so much with your eyes closed. Beautiful. 

17 Minutes: Hey, the itch went away. 

19 Minutes: All right, phone, you're concerning me. I'm pretty sure that I set an ala--

20 Minutes: BEEP. BEEP. End of meditation session. 

Well I wouldn't exactly call my session productive, but what I did afterwards certainly was! To be honest the meditation made me kind of sleepy and my shoulders were kind of sore from staying straight for so long, but I felt good. I felt more present in the room now that my eyes were open. 

And the next thing I did was a literary miracle. I sat down, opened my laptop and started writing for The T-Project. Writing, y'all! Word after word after word. Before I knew it, nearly an hour had passed and there on the Microsoft Word document were 700 words more than I had before! What's more, the meat of the back story had been fleshed out and there was even some good dialogue that had made its way onto the page. 

I  threw my head back and drew out a long sigh of satisfaction and, yes, contentment. I felt content and happy and strangely present in my environment. I also felt tired, though, so I packed up and went home with a smile on my face. 

Maybe the meditation wasn't productive, but the post-meditation writing session certainly was! I always knew there was something about meditating that changes attitude, work ethic, and thinking patterns. Hmm, perhaps I should start meditating every day right before I write...

* * *

To make yesterday even better, Precy Larkins surprised me with the Stylish Blogger Award - and she called me a diva! *giggles* Thanks, Precy! This award comes with a few questions for me to answer - and for you to get to know a little bit more about me!

What is your favorite song?

I actually happen to have an answer to this one! Right now, my favorite song is Dying Daze by Mipso Trio. It's got beautiful lyrics and unique melody. Another good tune by the band is their cover of Careless Whisper. Good stuff! 

What is your favorite dessert?

Oh dear, this is such an unfair question given that I just started a no-sweets resolution for myself. I guess I'll have to say apple pie or Coconut Dreams. Mmmmm. 

When you're upset, what do you do?

I usually try to find a quiet place to be alone, like the arboretum on campus or my room. Then I write in my journal to get all the feelings out, or if I'm really upset I go to sleep. 

What was your favorite pet?

Hehe. I have had two adorable red-eared slider turtles, named David and Little Cloud, for almost three years now (I got them in August 2009). I got them at a festival in Boston, and they were tiny babies back then. Now they've gotten incredibly huge - so huge that I had to get a new tank for them! They keep me company and are super fun to play with. You can learn more about David and Little Cloud here. This is an older photo of them (they're much larger now): 

Aren't they such cuties?! 

What do you prefer to wear, black or white?

Hmm, that's an interesting question! I like both, but since I have black hair perhaps black is the way to go. Plus , black attracts the sunlight so wearing dark colors makes me get all itchy and uncomfortably warm. 

What is your biggest fear?

That I will grow old and then right before my time is up I realize I haven't accomplished anything with my life. 

What is your attitude mostly?

I try to be a positive and optimistic person - always looking on the bright side. That may make me seem like a really naive person, but I suppose it's more of a combination between optimism and common sense. 

What is perfection to you?

A fantasy! 

What is your guilty pleasure?

Buying comic books :D Yes, I am one of those silly superhero nerds who collects comics and holes herself up in some secluded area to read about Superman. #noshame

Time to pass on the blog award! Here are the five recipients, in no particular order: 

1. Albert's Sefuty Chronicles - for being an incredibly supportive blogger friend, especially throughout ROW80 Days. 

2. Lydia Kang (The Word is My Oyster) - for recently changing her blog layout and background (gorgeous!), and for showing that it IS okay to to pursue two of the most unlikely fields, medicine and writing (check out her Medical Mondays! Hilarious!)

3. Alyssa (Life is Good) - for having a blog that has delicious-looking noms and touches on a diverse array of topics! 

4. Rachna's Scriptorium - for always discussing thoughtful aspects of writing and the literary world (ex: Why Do We Like Imperfect Characters?)

5. Wendy Luane Barber - for having the same-ish name as me (haha, just kidding!) and for being super creative and talented with her art projects; check out the quilts and dolls she makes! 


Don't forget to sign up for the Roarin' Twenties Poetry Blogfest + Chapter Critique Giveaway! Only two more days!! Linky below:




Wendy Lu

What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed: Meditation and Writing

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30-Day Challenge 21: "Easy A" Movie Review

QOTD: Have you ever seen a movie that was loved by most but hated by you?

Day 21: A picture of something that makes you happy.

Why, do you ask, does this picture make me happy? Well for one, it's FOOD. More specifically, it's p-a-s-t-a, probably my favorite foods of all time (besides chocolate, of course hehe). But this particular dish makes me smile because this was the result of my very first independent cooking lesson. Using a simple recipe from my SparkRecipes BlackBerry phone app, I concocted this delicious lunch for myself last week. Reaction? Quite truthfully, it was one of the best pasta I've ever eaten--and that's saying A LOT! Two hours of squinting at the labels on ingredients and praying that I wouldn't burn anything was totally worth it.

So a couple nights ago I decided to have a break from Smallville re-runs (the series finale aired last week!!), and have a movie night! I decided on Easy A because I'm always in the mood for a good laugh and it's been a while since I've seen a chick flick.

I was really not planning on saying this about the movie because I'd had pretty high hopes for it, but the truth is, I have to give Easy A a D- for being one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It wasn't the acting or even the crazy sex jokes....it was the unrealistic, raunchy script that had me burying my face with my hands and groaning with embarrassment for the writers.

It could've been an okay film if it didn't have so much exaggeration in EVERYTHING. Plus, I couldn't help but think of it as a mix between Mean Girls and A Cinderella Story during the whole thing--except those two movies are way better than Easy A.

Note: I try not to include any big spoilers or give away really important information--I don't see myself as a party pooper! :) So read away.

Short Summary: This comedy takes place in high school and follows Olive, a usually sharp "good girl" with a clean record who starts to believe that perhaps having a bad reputation is better than having no reputation at all--and thus begins to lie about her relationship status and virginity. It's a modern tale of the classic novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (which I read in high school and have to say is very good).

Story: To me, the story of a movie is the world that it was set up in (for example: "Harry Potter" set in the Wizarding World, "Pearl Harbor" set in WWII era, etc.). There's not really much to say about this category since the movie's reality is, well, pretty realistic--it's set up in the dramatic, over-the-top world of high school in today's age. In terms of the cliques, teaching staff, and student body portrayed in the story, everything was pretty accurate. Rating: 5/5

Plot: The plot equals the problem and is the whole reason why there's a movie in the first place. I think it was really interesting and clever how the film creators were able to produce a modern-day Scarlet Letter tale...it was based along the same lines but included its own twists along the way that made it unique. However, like everything else, it was a bit exaggerated and I don't know if anything like that would happen in real life. I can't actually imagine something like that occurring at my own high school. *rolls eyes* Rating: 4/5

Characterization: Eh, this was half and half I suppose. I did enjoy Olive's character, she was easy to like and easy to identify with. Without giving too much away, even though she made some bad choices, we as the audience know her intentions were good. I also enjoyed getting to know the other high school students who were represented in the movie--they were funny, realistic, unique in their own way, and all-around interesting to watch as they interacted with Olive. The main problem I have is how the adults who play active roles in teens' lives are made out to be irresponsible and immature, act practically like kids themselves, and lack morals that educators/parents such as themselves ought to have. Perhaps their characterizations were meant to be humorous, but I personally disliked those characters who should have served as role models in the end, not older versions of "juvenile delinquents." Rating: 3/5

Costumes: Well the characters mainly wore normal "high school" outfits, with the exception of Olive's infamous "Scarlet Letter" costumes (yes, she had more than one!). I thought that they were beyond cute, well-made, and did a great job singling her out amongst her peers as the "scandalous" one. Rating: 5/5

Acting: It's really sad...some of Hollywood's most well-known actors (including Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Michalka and Stanley Tucci) were brought together to create a hilarious teen comedy that could've been really great had it not been blown out of proportion. The acting was terrible--it was ish. It was what the filmmakers wanted the actors to say and do that was bad and made them come across as, well, outrageous. I do have to say that Olive was a charm. She was a very likable main character and was played by a great actress. Rating: 3/5

Script: I cannot fully express my disappointment over how awful the script was. It was overly excessive most of the time and constant repetition of the same humorous jokes just totally sucked the funny out of everything. Several times I wanted to look away, cover my ears and yell, "Stop! STOP! That's enough!" I feel so bad that such a wonderful cast had to work with such a catastrophic script. One major downfall that completely turned me off was that it tantalizes and makes fun of Christianity in ways that are extremely not cool. And this wasn't just lighthearted, appropriate jesting, but rather mocking and condescending banter. Bad, bad. Rating: 2/5

Action/Drama: There was a ton of drama in the movie--how could there not be when the setting takes place in high school? A lot of it was pretty funny, but only when the situations weren't highly exaggerated or unnecessarily complicated by unrealistic turning points (see how I'm trying to be vague so as not to give anything too much away?). I know a comedy is a comedy, but still. Way too much is more than enough. Rating: 3/5

Digital Design: Not much was used here (unlike in movies such as Avatar and Inception) I did like how zooms and slow motion were used to show passage of time and communication between students when the rumors were being spread around the school. Free pass. Rating: 5/5

Direction/Production: The direction itself wasn't too bad...I thought that the webcast that Olive publicized online and used to tell her story was pretty clever, and I liked how things were angled so that it was constantly in Olive's perspective. The scenes flowed together well--I didn't think anything was missing or too choppy. But it could've been better. Rating: 3/5

Overall Quality: While this movie had some aspects of ingenuity, to me its cons outweigh the pros. Above anything, this movie is a satire of the craziness that is high school culture--hmm, perhaps I didn't find it amusing enough because it was only a few months ago when I myself was a part of that jungle? Anyhow, the filmmakers (especially the writers) tried way too hard to make it seem funny and witty, when the result was just very strained, weak, and rather embarrassing humor. I feel sorry for the Hollywood stars who played in this movie and had to use their remarkable acting skills to pull off stupid, over-the-top lines and outlandish, unrealistic behavior. I also didn't feel like the ending was well-handled....a lot of issues brought up in this movie are pretty significant and prominent when it comes to adolescence, and the overall message was there, but it just didn't seem like there was a strong enough closure.

Overall Rating: 3.7/5

All that being said, I do think that there is a movie out there for someone. What I may think is absolutely ridiculous may just be your perfect Blockbuster. :)

30-Day Challenge 21: "Easy A" Movie Review

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Interview: An Evening With Writer Jordan-Marie Smith

Today we have Jordan-Marie Smith from Where Lies My Tarp? here with us to talk about her thoughts on the writing process and what her source of creativity comes from. I have known Jordan since the near beginning of high school, and she is simply AWESOME.

JMS will be graduating from high school in June. She will be attending American University in the fall with a major in International Relations and a minor in Journalism. Jordan enjoys writing various short stories and poetry (both fiction and non-fiction), all of which come from experiences that she has gone through in reality. When it comes to writing, it is her wish that readers will be able to "feel the weight of the characters' emotions". Her favorite color is black.

TRA: Why do you write? What drives you, inspires you?

JMS: Frustration, anger, and the inability to be honest with myself forces me to write. I'll create a character who acts as myself and faces the same complexities in her life between her boyfriends, her mental illness and the world in general.

TRA: Every writer goes about the writing process in different ways; it's a unique experience for everyone. Tell us, what is the writing process like for you?

JMS: I don't really have a process. If you mean process in terms of planning when to write, I've never really been into that (as you can see from my lack of recent blog posts). I've tended to trust myself to spontaneously burst onto the keys of my Netbook and begin. I will say, though, that I must must must have music to write, especially creative writing. I find it much harder to sit and write and not get distracted when I don't have music. When I have something playing in my ear, it seems that it almost guides me beat for beat into beautiful words. I usually listen to UNKLE, Radiohead, Underoath, Boards of Canada or Crystal Castles--powerful and unique.

TRA: What is your favorite piece that you have written and why?

JMS: These are actually a bunch of pieces made into one big piece, but I'd have to say "The Masses" is my favorite. It's essentially a collection of very short stories written about people that I may or may not know or may or may not be me. For instance, one is about a girl who despises the company of others, another is about a boy urging to be a stud...there are others about a girl stalking a couple on a date, a girl alone and hopeless, and more. I am an observer by far (maybe even to an extreme extent). I love wondering what people's lives are really like below the shadowy exterior, even if I have to make those people up.

TRA: What is your favorite book and why?

JMS: Oooooo! I know this one! A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies by John Murray! It's pretty much the same as "The Masses", but I hadn't known that when I'd written it. The book has at least seven short stories about different people's lives. Some of the running themes are dense and include marriages that are falling apart, Indians (whom I love), immigration and the loss of home, helping others through medicine, and realizing that your life may not be what you want. I absolutely love this book, he writes so beautifully and speaks so truthfully about human nature.

TRA: Tell us about your literary accomplishments.

JMS: Hmmm, well I am the Editor-in-Chief of my school's Literary Magazine and have been the Assistant Editor of my high school newspaper's Entertainment section. I wish I could have devoted the time to writing a short book or novella, or to winning an essay contest but as of yet I still have achievements to make. My mother constantly urges me to write because she sees that as my way of making a difference on the world, so I'm taking her advice and--in the near future-- plan to start concocting more short stories to make in a novella.

TRA: When you suddenly get a brand new idea, do you first plan out what you're going to write or just wing it?

JMS: Sometimes I plan what I want to write. I wanted to do a weekly syndication article and that was called Inspiration Fridays. But most of the time I just write what I want, when I want.

TRA: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

JMS: Your sucess is built upon your perception. You may not be where you want to be in a year or two as a writer, but if you can tell that you have grown as a person and as a writer - you've made it.

TRA: If you could ask anybody, living or dead, any question at all, who would it be and what would you ask?

JMS: ....[ten minutes go by]. I would ask God for 13 more questions. I'd ask if aliens were real and for him to give me their history in American culture. I'd also ask about the secrets of the presidencies, when the world will end, why he put us through pain, what Heaven and Hell are like, how the world will end, and such questions like that.

~~~

To learn more about Jordan-Marie Smith, visit her About Me page here and ask questions here.

Interview: An Evening With Writer Jordan-Marie Smith

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