Yet again i must apologize for my ridiculously unfaithful behavior to this blog. Out of guilt (as well as a somewhat burning desire to write), i will fill this space with words and hopefully continue to do so for the rest of the semester. Quite a number of exciting, awful, and beautiful things have occurred since i last blogged, so i will try to revisit some of them during this lazy Labor Day evening. Here i go:

1) On August 28, i went to see Owl City in concert at Pipeline Cafe. Their concert was truly inspirational, so much so that Owl City is now engraved upon my heart as one of my favorite live acts (and one of my favorite recording artists, of course). After experiencing the wonder of Owl City live, i immediately followed Adam Young on twitter and am now a devoted reader of his blog. He is an incredible writer and musician; his positive, enchanted outlook on life and his overflowing creativity have captured my heart and attention in the fullest way possible. Because of the power of his writing, i am motivated to express myself more through words through this blog, despite the fact that the meaning of what i write down fails in comparison to what springs forth from his amazing mind. Regardless, his words make me want to speak and write as honestly and prettily as he can. This is my attempt.

Related but still random sidenote: Tonight i realized that Owl City is the perfect soundtrack to a rainy night-time drive. If you have never done it, you should.

2) Recently, a friend of mine gave me a copy of Through Painted Deserts, a book authored by one of my favorite writers--Don Miller. i am loving the book and the book, i'm sure, is loving me back. Because i am studying way too much Hawaiian mythology at this moment, i am gendering the book--it is a he. He is my constant companion as he comforts me in the midst of my foreign, sometimes shocking surroundings. He grabs me by the heart and challenges me to view my world in a brilliant new light. i am thankful for him and recommend him to anyone in search of a good book.

3) Today i went to the movies with my roommate. We saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and all i can say is that it was epic. Marvelous. Mind-blowing. Haha, maybe not mind-blowing, but still, it is definitely necessary for the betterment of your mental health, i can guarantee it. Why was it so great? Well, i just really love Michael Cera. He is my most beloved dweeby actor boy and always will be. My monstrous Michael crush aside, the many video game-y details made the movie so very enjoyable and entertaining. It was a joy to watch, which is all i could ever want.

Tomorrow is the start of another week of school. For the past two weeks, i have been dreading school, therefore giving me an absolutely abominable attitude toward learning and anything at all educational institute-related. However, the three things i mentioned above are three things that give me great joy. i want to focus on these things that make me happy to be here. i hope to have a much more optimistic approach to the days ahead of me. These things were given to me for encouragement, to remind me that not every day is long and painful, that there are things worth struggling and fighting for in this complicated place. It is my wish and prayer that i might remember these things in the days to come.