exhausted.

hi. i'm mishabelle. all i ever do is work and sleep and eat. but we're really broke so i eat a lot of kd. i'm on tumblr now a lot more. one day i'll actually accumulate enough interesting stuff to make a whole post about. ♥

by the way, here's some highlights of my trip to china.

i made a friend in the people's liberation army.

i got to see panda bears have lunch.

i saw so many historic structures i could puke.

i made a friend with ronaldo, the cruise ship's bartender.

i considered getting ice crem.

i pet a cat in a buddhist temple.

i got to explore snowy jade cave.

i got harassed by red butt monkeys!

i'm lazy

and still slightly overwhelmed from china so i shalln't be posting about it yet.
in other news, i like this song. the music video makes me smile because it looks like everyone's having fun.




kid cudi is super cute anyways.

walking

    My favorite place to go for a stroll is an abandoned road right near my house.

      It's very peaceful. In some parts, nature's almost taken over the road, filling the cracks with mosses and grasses. Other parts have been graffiti'd. I read something new almost every time.

      Today was very quiet. When the wind travelled through the trees, the sounds of dead leaves crashing down sounded like waves on the ocean. A raven flew above my head and I could hear the swooshing of its wings in the air. The sun was warm, and it was lovely.

halloween

     Guys, I have no idea what I'm going to be this year. This is odd, because usually I've got my costume figured out by November 2nd of the previous year. I'm hoping I will find something in China, but I'm not too sure I will... do they even celebrate Halloween over there? I have no idea.

                                                   Mens vs. Ladies... hmm.
     So, every so often I take a peek online and see what the costume websites have come up with. Let me say, the woman's costume section is ridiculous! Sexy tin man, sexy Brian from family guy, sexy flasher? Really? And a quick peak over to the men's section reveals a multitude of superheroes, movie characters, pirates, and villains- none of which are labeled "sexy". How unfair is that? Just because I am a lady, does not mean I should be expected to dress up as a super skank at every opportunity I get. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with showing some skin! But when the media pushes that as the "norm" - girls should be sexy, guys should be scary? Fuck that. Dress up how you want, be it ghost, ghoul, or school girl. And whatever you do, have fun!

what do i paint?

umm, musicians and trailers, pretty much. hahha.

imagine.

five years gone.
a torrent of memories exploding across your synapses.
a rhythmic drumming of two hearts near.
is this the end?
a ruby sunrise blazes, rips apart the desert.
babe, i wish you were here.

photo:

freefallin'

Check out the youtube page for a free download of this track. I fakin' adore it.
If you can, go see them in concert. I would kill to, but flying to Spokane is sort of unrealistic. Poo.

shoutout

     First off, this girl is super badass. And, she's totally facking adorable. And we're going to get married and listen to awful music and eat cupcakes and it's going to be SUPER. Now who is this awesome little lady I'm talking about?

    She goes by Cellar Dorre! But she's not all just looks, you know. This cutie is also super talented! She creates zines, bakes tasty vegan things, and makes adorable comics. 

      Aweee! Isn't that so cute? If you agree, then you should probably go check out her website. It's totally rad, just like her!

http://cellardorre.webs.com/

how 'bout them resolutions?

    All this preparation for the new school year (which, sadly, I have no part in) has gotten me thinking about those darned resolutions I made last December. Did I actually fulfill anything this year? How about you?

• To finish my college prep so I can go to university.
• To save up some money.
      I've got about a grand in the bank, but I also just spent four grand on a trip to China. Practical? Nope. Exciting? Hells yes!
• To go completely vegetarian.
     I was doing really amazing until Carrington, a once-yearly music festival/rave on my lovely island. I gave into temptation and had a really amazing hot dog and beef jerky, and on one of my recovery days, steak with mushrooms and onions. Divine and so worth it. I'm reverting back to vegetarianism, I swear!
• To focus on more positivity.
• To learn how to drive.
      I practiced about three times all summer. However, my mother and I decided that once I move back home in a couple weeks, I must practice my little butt off until I can pass my driving test. Scary, indeed.

      So, that's not too bad, I suppose. I also learned to skateboard a bit, honed my guitaring skills, made a tonne of friends, and made it through the Summer of Learning To Love Myself (All By Myself)! Okay, yeah, I am fairly proud. Watch out, Autumn, here I come! Ka-POW!

you know...

      If I go to South America and it isn't exactly like in this music video, I will be seriously, seriously disappointed.

oldschool.

    

     There is officially one place in town that still does one hour photo developing. Everywhere else I go people look at me like I'm mad when I ask about ye olde dinosaur, film. Like, seriously, not only does our brand new Wal-Mart Supercentre not develop film ("at the moment," they're out of photo paper they claim...?) but when I asked the clerk at the head of the photo department where the film was, he squinted at me and said he thought it was somewhere in the electronics department. And, lo and behold, there it was! A quaint row of film between ear buds and rechargeable batteries. Why is the film not in the photo department? Why does no-one develop film anymore? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD THESE DAYS?! Now excuse me, I'm going to go into my 1984 Citation motorhome to put a pot o' tea on my gas range and watch a VHS tape in my video cassette recorder, which is hooked up to my CRT television, thank you very much!

a wee bit of advice.

      Don't settle for anything. And absolutely never, ever change yourself for anyone. That's my new rule. I am just going to be me- and who gives a fuck if I'm a bit shy, annoying, or batshit insane? Because as long as we act as ourselves, people will either love us for it, or they can suck my left one. Now I'm going to go paint. Have a great day lovelies! xoxo

Mixtape!

     Hello, lovelies! Here's a little tuneage for you. Enjoy!

Atmosphere - Free or Dead

Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved

The Doors - Soul Kitchen

Atmosphere - Lost and Found

The Distillers -  Young Girls

K-os - Superstar, Part One

Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in LA

Golden Animals - The Steady Roller

Major Lazer - Keep it Goin' Louder (So Shifty 1961 Ska Remix)

Outkast ft. Norah Jones - Take Off Your Cool

 Pixies - I Bleed

Sweatshop Union - I Got News

Nirvana - Drain You
   
      There you go! I hope you enjoy, and if you want any of the tracks, just email me and I can send them to you. Have a great summer, my dearests! ♥ ♥ ♥

Summer Manifesto

      Hello, lovelies! Are you enjoying your summer? I sure hope so! If not, why don't you try and write some rules to live by for these glorious few months? I sure did!

• Enjoy each day as much as possible. Want to go out and do something? Then go out and do it, dammit!
• Drink lots of water. Or lemonade. Or iced teas. Try to stay away from soda and coffee, hard as it may be!
• Lose your inhibitions. Go say hi to that cute person over there. Dance your hardest. Sing. Go crazy!
• Smile! It's the single best thing you can put on your face.
• Try something new! I almost have all the protective gear I need (sans helmet) to learn how to longboard. But, I want to try lots of new things! Yoga! Knitting! Everything!
• Make some friends! It's not hard, but it's so rewarding! You may be surprised at how amazing people can be once you get to know them.
• Also, cleanse your life of those poisonous people! Delete them off Facebook, your phone, your messenger, everything! If they don't make you feel magical, you probably don't need them around.
• Cherish every moment, it'll be over faster than you think!      ♥ ♥ ♥

     Do you have any words to live by this summer?  Share, share, share! It's good for the soul, love!
ps. I am totally working on a mixtape for you! Hurrah! xoxo

Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of  '97,
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Curious Tuesday 5

1. If it was your birthday tomorrow, what would be on your wishlist?
♥ Oh, golly! A Canon Rebel XSi, a Macbook Pro, Serato Scratch Live (well fuck, might as well wish for new turntables and a mixer while I'm at it), new computer speakers, a shopping trip to a lovely mall, a yellow pleather purse, oh dear... haha! I'm at a stage of lusting for objects!

2. Do you look after your nails? Do you paint them? If so, do you have a colour that you keep returning to again & again?
♥ I try to look after my nails, but because I work with nasty chemicals and stuff, it's sort of hard to do. I keep them fairly short now and usually just use top coat, because nail polish only lasts a couple hours before looking icky for me! I do love bright colors for my toes, though! I'm in love with yellow and flamingo pink.

3. What star sign are you, & do you think it is accurate?
♥ I'm a Sagittarius. A quick look to my right gives me a definition off my favorite mug: "You love to love! You love life & the elements. You are bursting with energy & drive, certainly a little unpredictable!" Well, fair enough. I remember reading somewhere once that the body part associated with my sign is the hips, which is interesting because I've always had huge, bony hips!

4. What is something you have recently learned to appreciate?
♥ Hm... friends? I've spent a lot of time alone over here. Having someone to talk to is really nice, actually!

5. What is your favourite city in the world, & why?
♥  Sadly, I've barely traveled at all! My favorite place that I've actually been to would probably be Victoria, BC. But I think my ideal favorite place is somewhere in a warm desert, with no lack of fun things to do and see! The southern US, maybe? In Mexico? I'll know when I get there! 

I'm going out, I'm going to drink myself to death
And in the crowd I see you with someone else
I brace myself 'cause I know it's going to hurt
But I like to think at least things can't get any worse ♥

Cameras, Oh My!

       Good day, my loves! How are you? I've spent my morning lounging around and dreaming about cameras. Oh, how I would love a nice, new digital SLR! I absolutely adore taking pictures with my Canon A-1, but film and developing is expensive, and for someone who is completely new to photography such as myself, I need to take lots of pictures to experiment and find out what works and what doesn't! I think that being able to see my pictures right as I take them would be super useful. So, I've been saving up! Right now, I've got my eyes on the Canon Rebel XSi... but I'm totally not sure! A camera is a pretty big investment, and I don't want to just buy the first one that I can afford, ahah. So, I was wondering... do you own a DSLR? How do you like it? Do you have any tips for someone just getting into the field? Thanks a tonne, and I really appreciate you taking the time to read my blog! xoxo ♥ ♥ ♥

       Hello, lovelies! Just so you know, I'm not dead or anything! I've just been dealing with a super-nasty bout of depression lately. I have a few good days... and quite a few bad, bad days. It sucks! All I want to do is sleep. I have no energy or motivation to do anything. I even stopped caring about stuff like updating my blog, and that's just awful! I'm going to try and get my butt back into gear.
       Today was a pretty good day, I shared a cake that I baked last night with all my co-workers and they all said it was really delicious! I also went for a short bike ride, and found out how out of shape I have gotten! I really need to exercise more. I can't even ride up itty bitty hills without my knees aching, and my heart pounds so hard I feel like passing out! Not good, hahaha.

       This is my birdy friend. He likes to try and steal my recyclables and compost when I leave them outside!

       My cake baking in my tiny oven. Yes, my oven light is just a flashlight!

       Yumm! I used this recipe, and it turned out great. Other than being a bit dense, you couldn't tell it was vegan!

     My self-esteem has been pretty low lately, boo! But, I took the time to do my hair a bit and put on some makeup this morning, and took a few webcam pictures! It made me feel a bit better.
      Anyways, how are you doing? It's quite lonely over here, I don't really have any friends to hang out with. If anybody would like to be pen pals, or just chat, then let me know! I'd be absolutely delighted to! Have a great day, my dearests.
ps. Have a favorite song! ♥ ♥ ♥ Incubus- I Wish You Were Here

I've Returned! (With Hummus, Too!)

      Hola! Sorry about the random lack of posts! I spent a week in town without my dear laptop, and then on the weekend I was super busy doing fun things! Friday night there was a dance at the hall featuring Flatfoot 56 and The Brains. I had a blast dancing with everyone, despite that my glasses got stomped on! Poor little things. I think I might just have to switch over to contacts. On Saturday after work me and Zack canoed around the lake, and played Mario Party!  Now I am just relaxing and cleaning up the aftermath of my weekend!

                                                  I look odd because I have a mouthful of hummus.
      I also made hummus for the very first time today! It was super easy and delicious, so I figured you might want to try and make some too! I used a itty bitty food processor, but I bet you could try and made it with a blender or hand mixer, or just by smashing it really well!
You will need....
1 can of Chickpeas, drained (but save the liquid!)
2 Lemons, peeled
1/2 clove of Garlic (or more, if you prefer!)
1 tbsp Tahini
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt, to taste

Put the lemon, olive oil, tahini and garlic in the processor and blend. Add the chickpeas and salt and blend some more! Adjust thickness to your liking by adding a bit of the chickpea juice at a time. And, voila! Delicious hummus! This made enough for 3-4 people, if you really like hummus (I know I do!).

Song love!

Hey, lovelies! If you couldn't guess, I haven't had much exciting stuff to do lately. I spend a lot of time just listening to music and playing Solitaire! The more I listen to my music, the more I pay attention to the lyrics. And I just love beautiful lyrics! So, here's a song that I am totally enamored with right now.

Feck Yeah, Friday! - May 28

                                   Basking in the sun... under a different tree this time!

      I have internet again! Hurrah! That's probably the most exciting thing going on for me right now, haha! I just finished my first housekeeping shift this year, and I am super tired! It was a very long day. Now, I need to figure out what to have for dinner. There's so much delicious healthy food over here, it's fantastic! I've accidentally been eating a really healthy vegan diet, because dairy products and eggs are super expensive. I really don't mind it at all! So, this week, I'm loving....
       ♥ Almond Breeze! It's really tasty, a great milk alternative, and it doesn't hurt my tummy like soy milk does! Yay! ♥ Sunshine! I love sunshine! There's been one sunny day in the past week, but I don't care! One is better than none, ♥ Tea! I love tea, forever and always. ♥ Zack's gonna get his ears pierced, and I'm gonna go with him! This excites me! ♥ Warmer weather! I know we're just about to head into Juneuary, but there's bound to be a couple really nice days here and there. I can't wait to go swimming in the ocean on really hot days, or canoeing in the lake! It's going to be a blast. ♥ Nintendo 64! Probably my favorite video game system, other than Super Nintendo. ♥
      Well, I'm super hungry, so the only other thing I can think about is food! I need to go start getting dinner ready. Hm, what to have? I'm feeling lazy, so I'm thinking.... pizza! Yum! Have a great weekend, my lovelies! ♥ ♥ ♥

Why Not? Wednesday, May 26

     Hello, my lovelies! This Wednesday, why not move to a stupid little island where it is realy hard to find an internet connection? Because that's definitely what I did, boo! In order to post today, I had to hitchhike all the way across the island, and find a hotspot under a giant tree in the rain. True story! I've got a soggy laptop to prove it!

      But seriously, today, why not take a step in changing something in your life? It doesn't have to be as big as just packing up and moving somewhere exciting, but it could be! Do something daring that you've wanted to do for a while! You'll never know if you don't try! Good luck, my dearests, and hopefully I will talk to you soon! There's no guarantee that I'll be able to make my usual posts, but I will try as hard as I can. ♥ ♥ ♥

Curious Tuesday 4

 1. Who is your favourite musician, NOT in terms of talent or aptitude, but based on pure sex appeal?
♥ I'm tired of saying Jim Morrison, so... Lil' Wayne! Weird, right?

2. What were some quirks of your past lovers that drove you crazy?
♥ Clingyness, insecurity, over-emotional behavior, trying to change me, loud eating/drinking/pooping, uhm... I could go on, haha!

3. If there was a movie made about your life, what song would you absolutely INSIST be on the soundtrack?
♥ Vivrant Thing by A Tribe Called Quest! 

4. What is your favourite quote right now?
♥ "You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened ... Or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on" -- Tupac

5. Connect up with other nonpareils! Post links to your website, Facebook, Twitter, etc., here! (We haven’t done this in a long time & it’s so much fun! Thanks to Vixxie for reminding me!)
♥ http://www.facebook.com/mademoiselle.mishelle
♥ http://twitter.com/mishabelle
♥ http://mishellemabelle.tumblr.com/
♥ and, of course, http://www.mishellemabelle.blogspot.com !

I just wanted to say...

      That my life might juts be a bit more awesome if I had these boots to wear all day, every day.

      They are just so lovely! So, instead of packing like I should, I have spent a ridiculous amount of time on Polyvore imagining just what I would wear if I ever managed to get them. Voila...

no, i will not just pick one style. by mishabelle 
 

Musical Monday - May 24

       Good day, lovelies! I have had a major lack of structure in my last few days, so I do apologize for my blog posts being all over the place! I'm moving back to Cortes tomorrow, and so far I have packed... nothing. Hah! I'm such a huge procrastinator. Oh well, as long as it gets done in time, right? Exactly! So, here's a song. I haven't really been feeling much music lately, boo! This has been like, one of my favorite songs for so long now. The lyrics are amazing, have a look!

                                            [image via: ♥]
Atmosphere - Summer Song

She came back to visit, she says
'Cause in some ways, Minneapolis is more real than L.A.
But I won't go to the triple-rock on a Tuesday
Too many people pop out of they pimples and play
And at night, we can watch these people in these bars
They're all insane, they all know my name
Who won the game? no one's in pain
But either way girl, I'm glad you came
And if the elements and irrelevance I strain
Hair's wet, who cares if it's sweat or rain
As long as it doesn't leave a permanent stain
It's all in vain if there's nothing left to gain
And somethin's in the way she looks at her prey
There's no way she'll allow you to live
Swallow the fight, inhale the night
There's not much else left for you to give
Who's leaving (who's leaving)? there she goes
Who's leaving (who's leaving)?
Who's breathing (who's breathing)
as opposed to who's bleeding (who's bleeding)
 Caress the rooftop and stare at the space
For the flesh that you gave just to get a taste
It goes... nothing comes close
Scream with a smile and choke boy choke
Passion come death, and death bring power
At the top of the hour we sing for the monster
And here she goes, with that look in her eyes
The souls of those that got took by surprise
Crooked little smile that clings to her lips
On a night like this I sing for the bitch

Just a lonely summer
Slowly dying
I was smiling hard
But I was lying

So what's the time? it's almost time for her to go to work
The sun is shining but I'm the shadow of my smirk
I keep my breathin' under my breath
Tucked within the untrimmed bushes next to her front steps
And when she leaves to make trek towards the bus stop
My love erupts (POPS) a thousand tiny blood clots
Damn I wish that she was mine but time and time over the discretion
On my right shoulder whispers to my ear
Advising me to admire from way over here, play the rear
And struggle for the view to clear
It's been 2 years and quite a few beers
Too many loose tears and a few souvenirs
And if she only knew, how long I've waited for her
How her smiles enough to make my winter warmer
If she knew the way she walks could take away my storm
She'd probably call the cops and get a restraining order
As much as I hate myself, I hate you more
But I still smile when you come through that door
And as much as I hate my life, I hate yours too
Just can't seem to teach myself to ignore you
This is for the ladies, not every lady
Just the ones that drive me crazy, the ones that scream, "Save me!"
I wanna thank y'all for everything you gave me
Now lean in and taste me (kiss)

Right up to your face and kiss you!

♥ ♥ ♥ Wonderful! Have a good monday loves xoxo