Holy fuck! I practice stoicism and didn't even know it...

So I found myself reading a book review about A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, by William B. Irvine. Reading the snippets is all I can afford to do, with my self diagnosed A.D.D. But since I hold myself at such a high esteem, I can pretty much say I've soaked up all the book had to offer and can confidently expand on the topic...

So Irvine talks about how stoicism is living the act of living life free of "anger, anxiety, fear, grief, and envy." by exercising the "paradoxical recipe for happiness," that includes the practice of "negative visualization." This is done by vividly imagining worst-case scenarios -- the death of a child, financial catastrophe, ruined health. For example, we imagine ourselves homeless - and instead of striving for an extravagant house, we learn to appreciate the house we currently reside in. Basically, we appreciate people/things more when we see that your time is fleeting with them/it. I find myself doing this all the time! But it goes 50/50, I relish the moments with person/thing but the other half of the time I'm hastily grieving about losing them/it...

I mean this way of thinking is great for movies, I come into them with low expectations that can only go higher, and get my moneys worth that way. But when this is put in terms of relationships, it's almost like 'what's the point in investing into this? It's only going to come to an end'. Or all together, one tends to bypass opportunities because the negative just outweighs your willingness to do anything... OR is that negativity just laziness? Or is it insecurity and fear of hurt masked as laziness? Maybe I should read the book...

-Simply.Steph aka Sensitive Sally

Music to mull this over with

Sia (myspace) - Breathe

this post was motivated by http://lifewithknowledge.blogspot.com/

The XX is calling

If you're not on them yet, well.. get on em. If you're just not into them. You should just GTFO NOW. I'm a tolerant person, but your kind isn't welcome around here.

VCR - The XX(myspace)
Heart skipped a beat- The XX(myspace)
Basic Space - The XX(myspace)

I'm completely submersed in the XX right now... and I kinda just wanted to incorporate these photos in more than just my phone contact list. HA enjoy.

this post is a part of the Quantity over Quality initiative.

Wearing your raincoat? Cause this shit'll get you wet.

I'd make the greatest guy in the world. I'd have enough pick-up lines to awkwardly hit on every woman in the world, twice. But I'm not, so I shan't. And who am I kidding, I'd be such a stunning male specimen, I'd never understand the concept of delivering pick-up lines with the droves of women trying to hit it.

ANYwhore, here's some pick up lines for those of you that need em.

You in highschool? What a coincidence! I went to highschool too!
For you particularly scummy people that want to exercise their inner puma/papito. Now take your creepy pick up line, and get the fuck outta here. ya'perves.

*manage a cig off your prospective target* You know I don't really smoke, I just really wanted something of yours in my mouth
This one works for both sexes, but especially in favor for the women. If this doesn't have him buying you a drink or two, you're either hag ugly or barking up the wrong tree. Fortune favors the first reason though... I mean you're using a bloody pick up line.

*flip a coin* So what's my chances of getting head tonight?
For the men: Save this for the special little skank in your life. Or try it out on that girl that just got rejected for using the former pick-up line.

I give great hand jobs... with my mouth.
This is for ya'll nasty ladies that want to be direct and feisty. Do tell how it works out post-deployment. Or don't. I don't know?

If these lines fail, I'm going to blame it on your execution. Everything I write is golden, but you manage to fuck it up. No wonder Simon said such nasty things about you... Well, back to the wreckage that is rejection, ensuing from your fail execution of one of the above lines. Before you leave the scene, you might as well let the fucker burn in huge flames. Go mortal combat on their ass and 'finish' 'em with "you can't afford to be a bitch, you aren't that hot". Just a thought... Then mellow out on some LMFAO.

I'm not a whore - LMFAO (myspace)
Yes - LMFAO (myspace)

XOXO,
aSOS' resident Ronin Robot Dancer

Can I borrow your time machine?

&take me back to these moments in time, please and thank you.

Sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't be that person that got all mushy and cliche in light of finding some old photos. Regaining of Composure in 3, 2...

pursuit of happiness (ft. MGMT and ratatat) - kid cudi (myspace)

Sweetest gig of the summer

Got paid for 2 minutes of random public dancing to promote the new Labatt something or other. I would've pretty much done it for free but who'd turn down the gwop? I make an appearance 2 minutes and 14 seconds into the vid, don't blink or you'll miss me in the right corner.

What's a vagina for? storing things?

So barraging you with the word vagina to cover up for my bad. I accidentally re-posted the last post! Sad. Though no one noticed, I feel morally inclined to fix this... So here's another felix crane vid that lifts my spirit up to the heavens and gives me a serious case of the happys aka serious case of the gays. LOVE WHAT SHE DOES.

Just think about it...

"Men just have the upper hand aesthetics wise, I mean sure, girls look hot WITH MAKEUP. We (men) go all natural, you don't see us running around with huge bags full of make up and whatever. Sure girls are hot, but without make up their guy counterpart probably looks hotter than the girl. Even with make up guys beat girls, I mean have you not seen Jeffree star? " - A former coworker

photo cred by Austin young
leeched off Jeffree star's myspace

the coolest bo-Ezzzzz in the b.l.o.c.k

The end of the school year is here, and we all know how tough it gets. Most people i have encountered have either stuffed themselves with food or 'workedout' to calm down their nerves...but what does natattack do??? i have watched all and yes like a creeper i have seen almost all the episodes of Jake and Amir on their website . I dont know but it has helped me, obviously no motivation to do any better on exams...but it calmed my nerves for sure...and i love them because they are freakaliously hilarious.

Please click on the following Link to see my favourite work done by them.......

Does it offend you, yeah?

Does It offend you yeah is fucking genius. AS fresh as a freshly dished out backhanded pimp slap followed by some champagne. I just discovered them about a month ago. I may be behind the times but hey better late then never to gloat about their awesome and share some.

With a heavy heart (I regret to inform you) - Does it offend you yeah

epic last song - Does it offend you yeah

Dawn of the dead - Does it offend you yeah

btw image was off of the sounds bleh check em out.

brought to you by GI JOE

Just some montages that make utterly no sense to amend for me blowing off the blog for some real world living and whatever wrong I have done you...

All business

So I was looking through old files in my computer and I came across some old photos from my extreme tobogganing days. So extreme a sport it had to be done with a support team. We were THE HIGHLIGHTERS. As you can tell from our costumes we were all business. So business like, we took a trip to Pickering Ontario to do our promo pics. Never released till now. That's right! an aSOS exclusive. In yellow the stunt kid Kathleen, In pink the crazy crusader Jenn, Leaving me in green.

Some may wonder what a person may be playing in their mp3 player while extreme tobogganing. WELL FAIL, A real extreme tobogganing venture would take all of the tobogganers senses to concentrate on the task at hand. Would you expect pilots to listen to music while flying? Of course not, lives are at stake. But If I were to have music on the hill I'd def have some of these songs on heavy rotation:

All my friends are dead - Turbonegro
Inaction - We are Scientist
Dim remix - JFK
Dance in my blood - Men women and children
Here it goes again -OkGo

Tally-ho, OFF to not do school work! Procrastinator over and out.

In love with his sketch book

James Jean Frigging brilliant stuff.

listening to: strawberry fields forever - Jim Sturgess and Joe Anderson

Posting Twitter style... in 140 characters or less

Indulging on BLIP.FM Like twitter with music

add me http://blip.fm/simplysteph or don't. w/e

For your mindless amusement

A wunderbar commercial fail. For more amusing fails check out failblog.org.

Beyond smitten

It's not like I need a lot of persuasion to go see X-Men Origins: Wolverine, coming out may 1st 2009, with Hugh Jackman alone I'm already sold. But when I finally saw the trailer and realised Taylor Kitsch from FNL and the covanent was playing gambit... I swear I peed myself in excitement and watched covenent for the first time just to indulge in Taylor's sexy. All true, except the peeing myself bit. Just had to share that tid bit of info and profess my love for this boy.

This goes out to Taylor Kitsch
Are you going to be my girl? - Jet

Why haven't I heard of this movie before?...have you?

The Fall, costume designs done by Eiko Ishioka, the same costume designer for the Jennifer lopez movie the cell and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Todays mission: watch all 3 today.

braved boxing day

Got a sexy pair of boots and a lovely pair of trousers from FCUK. I don't know if it was worth the sea of frugal warriors, but I made it.

Listening to Dead Meat by Sean Lennon

An appropriate song to sum up the aggressive atmosphere today, with lyrics like:

"Dead meat,
Don't you know you're dead meat?
You just messed with the wrong team
Better not try and fall asleep now."

Yeah Just stopping by since it's been awhile... random but true
Don't mess with the bargain shopper

I should learn how to shut up...

So I was getting on with a stunning coworker of mine really well today, till I lied, which led to a long sequence of lies. I feigned knowledge in a field I had no business faking pundit status in. Then when I got home and wiki-ed the shit I was talking in such great detail about, I realized that I truly was stuck waste deep in it. Based on that, I decided on making a list of things that YOU can do to get in a similar Cluster F*ck situation:

(1) Talk about subjects you know nothing about, be very specific and detailed in these lies. Being general will give you more leeway for exoneration, this wont help in achieving the same situation though... that is why it's important to keep very detailed.

(2) When they argue that you're wrong, ignore them. Back yourself up with fake scenarios that "happened" in your life to enforce that you are right, since you have first hand experience, act like their argument is flaky and stupid.

2 easy steps to look like a complete and utterly incompetent fool. You can hybridize it and make it one easy step, but then it just wouldn't be a list. And I love lists...

Have any of you been caught in a lie to impress someone?
please share. God I need to hear some shit stories to feel better...

just seems appropriate: killing lies - the strokes
(photo cred by David Maitland)

Me and sleep don't hang out anymore

figure 1. restless steph during exam time


Subsequently my face has permanently taken shape as such in figure 1. I could be sleeping right now, but right before the final exam I had 4 hours a go, I had a lapse in judgment and drank a nice venti double shot on ice. The equivalent to 5 shots of espresso, nice.

So, since I've had no time to sleep with exams/work/living. I've been taking naps whenever I can. Came across an article that spouted random handy facts on the sleep cycle.
things I found helpful:

(1) If you don't limit your naps to about 45 minutes or less, you'll fall into slow-wave sleep, killing the good effects of napping you're trying to reap.

Figure 2. noob guide to napping

(2) NASA research says taking a nap for approximately 26 minutes can increase overall alertness 54%. Yet you have to wonder how one can really measure overall awareness percent wise...

(3) Caffeine takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in, within this time take a 20 cat nap. When you wake up the coffee has probably kicked in and the rapid eye movement during the cat nap further boosts sensory processes.

To see more on sleep and stuff click on fig 2. Or geek out and google some articles. HAH! finally feeling the caffiene wearing off. Off to bed I go...

taking cues from mr. rogers.

Exam time, just got pummeled by an orgy chem final and have a cell bio final in T minus 24 hours. Yet I felt it fitting to post what I wore today. I truly do suck with the autotimer like I suck at studying... both impossible tasks

So today I just went with whatever was clean in my closet and came out with this. Totally had a feeling that I was channeling someone through this outfit but couldn't think of who till I took the picture.... MR. ROGERS!

bright colored sweater, check
White oxford, check
Tie, check
white sole shoes, check

keep in mind I did not plan this at all, but here I am comparing the photos and I feel like the biggest biter ever. I even use a wood bench in my photo...how random.

ok well here's a mini monday mix, some things I've been listening to while "studying".

Kate Nash - Caroline's a victim

Justice - The Party (Luvtek SMBU Remix)

Of Montreal - so begins our alabee


and yeah, a slightly better view of the outfit? not really a big deal...