A Final New Year's Message

In the coming 2014 year, I shall continue out my Dizzy writing through Tumblr, as well as start blogging from my new platform at Wordpress, at pariskimisawriter.wordpress.com. I love what I've achieved here on this blog, but right now I feel that the pace at which I need to run has picked up heavily-- time is fleeting as graduation from college finished and I'm heading in God knows where. I've mastered some tech-savvy skills at blogging from my Blogger platform, but I'm eager for a new taste of possibilities, and outlook.

I look forward to this new year, and what my new platform can achieve with it! Follow The Dizzy Writer here, and a Happy New Year!!

So Tonight I Got Home Late, Exhausted-- then I remembered "Moon River" exists in music box melody on Youtube.

I also stumbled upon this little musing of a quote:

stop for just one second.

think about all the people you’ve secretly had a crush on. all the people you’ve found attractive, but never said anything to. every stranger you’ve temporarily fallen in love with on public transportation. all the people you’ve dreamt of and thought of in the early mornings.

and now take a moment to realize that you have been this person for so many people… and you have no idea.

-- Tumblr user spookyphoque

Near-midnight intrigue of this though means one thing: Valentine's Day is approaching at work, and I'm starting to feel the sentimental affects of it.

Aren't strangers wonderful?

The Right Pen, Mightier in More Ways Than One

Late night writing. I cannot emphasize how much of a difference is made in the right pen when it comes to writing.

 

Any pencil feels unfinished; a cheap ballpoint pen gives you an uneasy hand. You struggle against the stiffness of the ballpoint, rather than working in unison to achieve what you want to write. Nowadays I always, always travel with 3 pens... 2 when one of them (soon) runs dry. The Pilot G-2. Pilot Precise V5, and lastly for fancier touches the American Crafters Metallic Gold Marker get my jobs done. Gold? Because there's just something about gold, is why.

 

For more tips on making sure you've got the "write" tools for writing, definitely check out this blog The Write Gear, in which you can really learn about the most reliable notebooks and pens to get you on the write track. Remember, writing is a passion, a process of being and relaying your genius to a paper-- it shouldn't feel stuffy.

 

 

Freezing temps and a snow warning for Friday.

This is my nine layers,  puffy jacket and hat and gloves AND scarf-strong look. Bring it.

Life as a Travel Sage

In these last few months I've emerged as one of the contributing writers to the new travel site Travel Sages. It's the perfect wanderlust place for intimate, personal experiences of cities widely know. Of course, I've been giving my insight to city living in San Francisco, and I'd love to have you guys check it out! I'm not the only sage, but I've written 4 articles so far for the site.

Go ahead, read! Here they are:

The Mystical Fog of San Francisco

A Happy Place and Happy Hour with the Original Irish Coffee

Join a Secret Celebration at Belden Place

Off the Beaten Tour Bus to Alamo Square

Check out their other featured cities and stories as well, all amazing and wonderful content! We have only been live about two weeks, but so far so good-- great feedback and following, especially since we've been reaching out on domains such as Yelp and TripAdvisor.

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"Cameron was a writer, and no one could really tell him if he was a good one. "

Revising my first novel from high school, given the guidance of college workshops, is definitely a rewarding process.

Happy Thanksgiving, thankful first of all for this gorgeous day in the East Bay :) but forever grateful for a beautiful family and dear friends… and these recent turnouts in my life that have made such a difference ♡♡

Minus one; my big sister who is currently in England right now. Missing her add I am deeply thankful for her too (and that she is happy)!

THEY LIVED AND LAUGHED AND LOVED AND LEFT.

As told by James Joyce, in the most simplest and loveliest words to sum up the universal human story.

This was written on a sympathy card at work.  It felt too broad to credit as just a quote. It deserves our  attention; it certainly caught mine. It’s one of the most beautiful proses concerning death. And the lack of punctuation keeps this a flowing, current little piece that captures It in writing.

Just keeping this in mind.  Always.

Sick day well spent. Reading David Copperfield to get me excited for England this January.

6 hours until I lead my first workshop at Paper Source!

2 months ago I was at home and making pimped out book covers from grocery bags. Never thought I’d later on be getting paid for doing practically the same thing. Weird how the world works? Undoubtedly grateful,  everyday thankful to wake up and go to a job I’m so proud to be going to,  a company I’m so amazed by.

Shoot, I like paper, I write on it. And it occurred to me to get a job devoted to it. I may not have ended up at a magazine or publisher house straight out of college, but I’ve gotten out of a hard summer into this incredible and fun post-grad opportunity. All in good time, for my writing career— I’m still freelancing anyways. Right now, workshop captain is for me, I’m meant to craft something beyond my abilities of writing.

Fingers crossed!

A Happy Accident: my own Blackcurrant vanilla tea

French vanilla creamer
Twinings blackcurrant black tea
a shit load of sugar

that’s all. go drink!

Instagramin' it!

Writing on Big Smile has definitely been slow,  having been blogging from my Tumblr.

But if you are social media savvy and then some,  I've finally joined Instagram!

Follow me @pariskimwrites to see what you've been missing and what I've still been smiling about.

EMPLOYMENT!

the grisette period of my life (in the working-class, non-sexually connotation sense of the term). it’s just a leverage sort of position for now, one to at least dip my toes in financial while i secure time time time enough for further developing my writing skills.

i’m working at Paper Source now, in San Francisco. a writer working with paper (TONS OF PAPER) is something she couldn’t ask better for in a post-grad life.

so yes, that’s been life in particular for me.

The Exciting Month of May

I really don't know where to start, other than it's been awhile and frankly, and happily to say, TONS has happened.

I am a graduate. Can I believe it? Four years ago I couldn't wait to dip my toes into this exciting city and quickly those four years have gone by and I feel on my own. But nothing to worry, I'm not leaving, and though wiser than I was back then I am anew, a child faced with the uncertainty of the hunt for an exciting job and eyes peeled for experiences that shall fuel more writing-- most importantly more writing.

And I've already seen one chance! THE BEST AND TRULY MOST MEMORIAL WEEKEND that just came around the corner, a beautiful and lovely road trip into Southern California.

it's a place left behind in childhood, so reclaiming it (have i reclaimed it? can't think so when I've seen so much and overwhelmed by all of it, how wonderfully and excitedly different it was from being in the Bay for quite some time) has been a bright journey this past weekend. The joys of visiting a summer retreat you know all too well and still, coming into it just seems like coming onto somewhere like El Dorado-- golden, leisurely. isn't that the best part about California? you truly get surprised no matter where you go in this state, even for a native.

wasn't alone of course. best weekend with the bestest friend and boyfriend i could have ever known. and seeing my amazing cousin Jaclyn again? childhood revisited and revitalized for new traveling beginnings!

I AM DONE WITH SENIOR YEAR, I AM DONE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO.

it’s been such a busy last two weeks with my Senior Seminar Conference, Senior Stumble, and last writing projects to turn in. as an English major, i couldn’t have asked for a better experience than San Francisco + a college so caring and in tuned to the injustices and passions of this world, and I am very proud to have been a part of the Dons, to go out and try to do what i can to change the world and do good through my part in writing.

UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, CLASS OF ‘13.

Senior Seminar Conference, reading from my novel excerpts The Knight and the Businessman.

evidence of a fucking awesome Senior Stumble… BEST ENGLISH CLASS EVER

and did i mention that i got published in The Ignatian??

well yes. i did. and i had a marvelous time here and met the most amazing peers and professors ever. May the next chapter in my life be just as shaky and exciting.

April 2, another SUCCESSFUL Word Night Reading!

read aloud excerpts from “Break” that included spearmint soap, Nutella, and shirtless guys taking baths illegally in fancy fountains.

then one of the BEST chai lattes at The People’s Cafe on the Haight.

love everyone here. glad they could make it to a not-so-sleepy Sunday night out!

new name..... BIG SMILE!

it's a spontaneous little change to the blog site formally known as Mess of an Authoress. now i am fully comfortable with my writing blog, being led by example through the new title with which i have SO many personal connections.

so i hope you like it, and as for today, life goes on as always. just read the new title, and get into the groove of the good life.

this means that SOON, i shall start changing the name on the Facebook page as well as merging my personal and writing tumblr together to create BIG SMILE.

XD

weather post, mood forecast

yeah San Francisco is great. born and raised in the Bay and it's always seem fantastic for me. but getting older, the veil is lifted, and the weather-- kinda sucks.

it'd be alright if it were consistent, and not sporadically switch up with clouds or fog or dropped temperatures by 10 degrees. all in all, it's seasonal-- cold when it's winter and fucking HOT when it's springtime. but summertime and fall switch places, usually, like some contracted spite for the people who live out here. i'm only making a fuss because you're never prepared with the right clothes is all i'm saying.

it's seemingly warm outside now, writing this from USF. but in a few minutes the fog might burst in or the heat'll turn up so intense due to low winds-- or none at all. especially as a commuter from the East Bay, i changed outfits last minute from a skirt to jeans and now the skirt would have made sense right about now. damn.

but thank God for the warmth today, or for being warm when i still got out here in a light top and cardi. sunshine really does do it for people. it feels like a different entity too from the suburbs or countryside. sunny urbanism is like, to me, shelves-- shelves stacked with stores and restaurants and countless activities you want to tackle under your sunglasses and a grin. but when i woke up this morning, the sun brightened the sky to a lush pale blue over the treetops of my neighborhood on the outskirts of a mountain which i can see from my window-- you don't want to do anything than just let the heat hit your shoulder and sit outside and sniff the air that smells damp in a nice, mineral way.

it doesn't really matter whatever the hell i'm saying in this post, but sun is sun and it just sets the mood for all the right ways-- even when i've gotten on the wrong clothes.

i think i seriously have one of the best internships ever.

if it weren't for McSweeney's, i don't think i'd ever get the once in a lifetime chance to meet a band-- not just any band, but my own favorite band-- THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT.

going backstage, i met up with Mikel, Anna, and Steven from TATE and got a really awkward (on my part for being so nervous) but honest and insightful interview about these guys. this interview shall hopefully go into publication soon in an upcoming issue for The Believer, published by McSweeney's.

and as if the interview was enough, i got to just take it easy, have lunch, some salad and jambalaya with Noah and Steven-- no big. not only did i get to hear about radio shows, Coachella, and kittens, but i got to ask the two of them insight on being a band on the road that would help me write my new short story, "Break."






the best perk was getting to be front row ahead of like, everyone else later that night.

 

so to myself, let this be a reminder of the following, to remember for forever:

- i can accomplish anything. if i didn't put it up to myself to go out and track down the publicist, i'd probably have a horrid and distorted view of my limits.

- have faith, more of it in this case. i really have to stop being timid and shy. this was when i had to do my best to put all this aside and just have fun, enjoy the moment.

- if this happened, just keep on forward and remember just what other exciting opportunities can happen in my lifetime. i am young, and so i am still ready for the impossible in the rest of my life

and a shout out to Matt, who made this beyond any doubt the best Christmas present i could ever ask for!

revisiting the man

yesterday it was nice to have extra time to go into the library and check out books, read. and of all the titles there, there was only my go to section in the Classic Literature aisle that i always feel is specially reserved for me: the Steinbecks.

i read Tortilla Flat for the first time, and it was pretty fantastic. the paisanos of Monterey really do exemplify that the best things in life are always there, in wine, friendship, and the idea of goodness-- even when the goodness falls short in the results. here is another piece by my guiding light, my favorite author since i first read The Grapes of Wrath in high school and saw the Steinbeck Museum for myself. in finding your favorite writer, that one muse to jumpstart your EVERYTHING in life, you really do change. you reevaluate what you want and how to get it, and the road to your personal success seems clearer. every time i dive into Steinbeck literature i find myself uplifted about anything and disappointed that i'm nothing like this yet:

pure gangsta.

but i've got a long way to go; Steinbeck didn't get mass-marketed until after his 30's. and that means that there's still time, excitingly still enough time to hone my skills and craft my words into being just what i want to say.

 ME AND ROCINANTE. ROCINANTE.

Steinbeck was teleological in his stories and mistook everything to be based in human goodness. we'll just have to see with me.