Vintage Chic.

Mood:Oh-so-happy[:

I went to the mall today with my Dad & Sophia (for all the wonderful new followers who don't know who Sophia is, she's my almost three year old sister.) I've been wanting to go to Hot Topic for awhile to get another band-tee, but I decided against it. I just got a very cute bikini from Wet Seal, and it was either a band tee or ... this amazingly cute dress from Forever 21 (see picture above.) It's just so much more ... me. Last year, my style was edgy and to be honest, almost punk-ish. I was going to get choppy layers and purple highlights in my hair, but I decided against that also. This year, I think I've finally found my style: indie & vintage chic. (:

Tomorrow's plan:
7:30-10:40 - Memorial Day Parade
11:00 - not sure - The ______ Zoo

Ugh, I have to go to school ... when clearly, if I wasn't a band student I wouldn't have to. Ah, the complications.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Mucho love,

Hero of War

Mood:quite happy [:

[Hero of War by Rise Against]

*Watch this music video. For some reason, it made made me cry. Twice.
**Pause the music player at the bottom of the page to watch.

---

On Friday, I thought I was going to die. We marched outside, in 90 degree weather, for 2 hours, with only a 5 minute break in between. It was torture. And if you're wondering why we were doing that, it's because our school is going to be in the Memorial Day Parade. I'm fine with that, but parade practice for two hours outside! Yeah, you bet I got a sunburn. It's going to be from 7:30am - 10:40am.

The cool thing is, after that, my family and I are going to the _____ Zoo. I get to see a tiger. Rawrrr! xD Haha, don't you love zoos? :-]

What are your plans for this weekend?

The Dreams We Keep: Childhood Memories

Mood:Happy&Chill

caption: me, in my first hometown, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. approx. age 3/4

Yesterday, while looking through elementary school scrapbooks from each grade that my teachers made for us, I came across my 1st grade scrapbook, which had some pictures, and several pieces of writing in it. Curiously, I opened it, wanting to reminisce on how wonderful my writing was in 1st grade...

The first piece I came across was a sticker story, where we had to choose stickers and draw pictures to make a scene and write a story about it. Underneath a sticker of a boy and a kite, a schoolhouse, and a grassy hill, was exactly this, in poor, childish handwriting:

"one time a Boy name Max wnte to school whis a kite sundley it faloow up all the wey. But thne he had a ide so he wnte to get a later so he did thne he got it so he is happy The End"

My first grade teacher was Mrs. Hargrave, who I remember well. She was really nice and was actually very pretty. (: The next piece was a sentence expressing what I was thankful for. It was captioned underneath a cute, childish picture of a puppy, what appears to be my mom, my dad, and my friend (with stick arms, mind you!) :

"I am thankful for My family My friends My dog and Emily and everyone even Kaileigh."

Next, underneath a creepy looking picture of "Santa", and a crappy looking Rudolph, was a letter to Santa. Once again, this is exactly what I wrote (including capitalization and spelling):

"Dear santa,

I Love you I woude wute a butterfly nuckelcse how are you Duooing how are your ringdeur how are Mrs. Santas plese snad a Pictier werv you Live."

Next: a picture of a scary looking doctor, and two injured people:

"When i grow up, i want to be a doctor bucause it's fun! it have lot of thing and it have a lot's of people."

A letter to the tooth fairy:

"Dear Tooth fairy,

Did you take my tooth? Next time I loose a tooth Please give me 100 dollers. and put it in a safe place.

P.S. I love you and plese take it."

And last, but certainly not least, a letter to the Easter bunny:

"Dear Easter bunny, I hope you have a great happy day. I wonder if you know where my dog is she is blacke and have a pink koller. i woude like her bak, plese find her for me."

Looking through those brought back great memories of my hometown, Norman, Oklahoma. Of course, I don't live anywhere near there anymore, (I moved during 4th grade), but I think it'll always be my hometown. :)

I'll see if I can scan up pictures of the writing stories/worksheets that I just told you about above.

* * *

If you're bored & impatient, then you might want to stop reading now. Otherwise, you may keep reading. ----------->

It has been SO incredibly hot outside, yet, we have been marching outside everyday for the past few weeks. (We = the Lincoln band). We're getting ready for the Memorial Parade, which we will be participating in on Monday. Tomorrow, we'll have to march for 2 hours. OUTSIDE. I can barely stand 30 minutes. Well... at least I get to miss gym class.

School goes out on June 11th. And then I will become a 9th grader, a freshmeat. (; But I find it stupid that we have to participate in a million reherhals for high school band. And the Fourth of July parade, and we HAVE to go to band camp. They should have told us earlier in the year.

My mom is a small-business owner. (She sells jewelery, wood art, hair accessories, stuff like that) and we're going to Indiana in the Summer. I'm going to help her with her shop and babysit Sophia sometimes. By the end of Summer, I'll have enough to get the Canon Eos Rebel XSi/450 that I want. If I'm not able to work for my mom this summer because of high school band stuff, I'll be crushed, because I'm looking forward to it really bad.

*Phew* Long post today. Keep me updated. What're your summer plans? Leave a comment or two about anything I've written in this post.

Keep Bleeding Love

Where did all the love go?

Now all we're doing is bleeding love.

It was many and many a year ago,

Mood:procrastinating

(photo: by o--tebem--o via. deviantART)

...In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me
Yes! that was the reason
(as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we
Of many far wiser than we
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In the sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

(Poem: Annabelle Lee by Edgar Allen Poe)

"OMG STUFF! WHERE?!"

Mood:better.[:

So guess what? My dad finally came home from China last night! Or rather... this morning, at 1am-ish. I missed him! (: He was there visiting family, and if you're wondering why he didn't go during Summer Vacation, it's because being a college gymnastics coach, he travels a lot and especially during the summer when there are a lot of competitions. Plus, we never really go as a whole family because my mom's a small business owner and she has to work at her shop; so when we go back it's either just one of my parents by themselves, or one parent and my sister and I. Someday I hope we can go back together to visit as a whole. ^^

But anyway, the purpose of this post: my dad brought back a whole bunch of presents and stuff!

1.My dad bought these shoes for me, which I adore. Haha, he knows me so well! Thank you Daddy! (And although, he's probably not even reading this post because he doesn't really read my blog, I'll say it anyway.) Thank you; I love you! My gosh, I love these. I am sooooo wearing these heels to the 8th Grade Fairwell Dance. (Oh btw, remind me to put up the picture of my dress - which is beautiful- for you guys to see.)

2. Isn't this shirt just adorable?

3. So this is a book I got from my grandpa. It's a book of teachings by the Chinese saint and scholar, Confucius. I love it because it teaches you how to building character and it'll help me learn Chinese too. ^^ Thanks Grandpa!

"Di Zi Gui or Pupil's Code is a book that was taught by the Chinese saint and sage Confucius. The book first teaches us how to be dutiful to ours parents, and how to be respectful and loving to our siblings. It then teaches us how to speak and act with caution in our daily life, how to be a trustworthy person, and how to believe in the teachers of the ancient saints and sages. Furthermore, it teaches us to love all equally, and to be close to and learn from people of virtue and compassion. If we have accomplished all of the above and still have energy to improve, then we can study further and learn literature and arts to improve the quality of our cultural and spiritual lives." - from Pupil's Code.

There are a lot of really cool stuff in China. I went last year -that was the first time back in 9 years!-, but I hope I can go again sometime soon. ^^

Oh and I almost forgot. Go here! I updated. xD

Alright guys. Stay awesome.

LOVE,

Miserable at Best

Mood:Miserable;(still sick)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” - John 14:27

Click here, please! (;

If you like what you see, then check out my photography blog! ♥

Flutter

Mood:I have a cold. :(

(photo by Christina** via. Flickr)

I am a single dandelion
that bloomed in a
field of
golden flowers.
Dancing in the bittersweet rain,
whispering to you
in the wind.
Dance, twirl, come, it whispers.
Pieces of my soul
Fluttering
Away
Like the summer bird
that migrates in
the Winter.

[poem: copyright © by Candice A. Anderson]

What Is Hope?

Mood:artistic

"The past" - copyright © by Candice A. Anderson

Gray.

Black.

Dark.

The world has no color.

My face reads no expression.

The faintest traces of life are gone.

Life is gone.

Life is hard.

I don't like hard.

I like my dark, dusty corner where I don't have to do anything,

talk to anyone,

say anything.

I smell the dirt on my shoes,

the blackness in my heart.

It throbs. I forgot. I forgot it.

What is love?

What does it mean?

I forgot it.

What is hope?

Is that a thing?

Where can I buy it?

Where is light?

I need it...

here in my dark corner.

[What Is Hope copyright © by Candice A. Anderson]

I Will Follow You Into the Dark

[photo: (c) by Candice A. Anderson. All rights reserved.]

there will always be a happy ending.

Love of mine some day you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark

No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles brusied by a lady in black
And I held my toungue as she told me
"Son fear is the heart of love"
So I never went back

If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
It's nothing to cry about
Cause we'll hold each other soon
The blackest of rooms

If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I'll follow you into the dark

[I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie]

Things Dreams Are Made Of

 dreams keep me alive.

*Please click on the word, "dreams" and follow through to my photography blog. I would really appreciate it if you commented on some of the photos.

Dead Blossoms in May

A dead blossom lands at my feet. I ask if it's okay. It doesn't answer.

Through the Broken Mirror

I can see you looking out at me through the mirror, smiling at me with your perfect hair and straight teeth. But there's something in your eyes. That cautious glance; that untrusting gleam. I can see through your mask of sunshine. The face you wear each day. The one that's gonna get you through another day. I'm looking at you in the mirror. Please, just let me know you're okay.

Do You Remember?

Mood:artistic

Do you remember the days when there was no worry, no pain, no hurt?

When the world was perfect inside our invisible little bubbles.

And we were so young, so innocent, going to sleep with lullabies in our hearts
and whispers in our souls.

Angels singing to us until dawn.

Laughing and running around the world

like there was no tomorrow.

Hugging our teddy bears close to our hearts.

So innocent. So free.

Do you remember?

(photo: via. deviantART/photographer: unknown)