Ukraine

Many people know the situation in Ukraine. You know that the president has been impeached and he along with the leader of Kyiv have been on the run. No one knows exactly where they are. There have been many deaths. If you want to know more about the revolutions, click the YouTube links below. I found some videos on what is going on in Ukraine that may be helpful.

Here’s a video on Ukraine’s history from WWI to the current revolution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZkqFRByOM0

Here’s a video on Crimea’s division:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw7ZOXii3so

Here’s a 25 minute documentary from both sides of the Kyiv barricades:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lGLA-cnsxg

 

Vacation

Where can I start? It was fabulous all together. First off we went to an ice cream shop that also sells various other things like mugs and candy. The ice cream I had was called Cookie Monster, and I ended up putting hot fudge, sprinkles, and M&M like candies on top of it.

 

 

Then we went to an arcade called FunSpot. It’s allegedly one of the largest arcades in either the US or the world, I’m not sure which. I ended up about 20 away from 2000 tickets. I topped everyone in my party by almost 1500. I was surprised myself because I don’t consider myself the lucky type.

We went to one of the local Common Man restaurants for dinner. The next day we went skiing at Waterville Valley. My father went skiing as well as everyone else (except my mother who took photos). I don’t have any photos unfortunately. The next day we went into Plymouth. We went to a half ice cream shop, half bookstore.

We also went on a sleigh ride earlier in the day. Neither father went, but everyone else did. The dog liked my friend’s little brother a bit. By a bit I mean the dog was on top of him being a bit inappropriate. The dog even rode on the sleigh with him.

We also visited the ice castle at Loon. It lit up at 6 at night. We got to see it in the daylight and at night when it was all lit up. Someone even built Olaf from Frozen. The ice castle looked very cool when it was lit up.

If you want to see all the kids with Olaf minus me, go check out my flickr. My username is ainsli3eliza and it’s in with the most recent photos. As of now I haven’t put the photos from this vacation in a set. I had a fun time!

 

Perfect Shirt, Perfect Timing

With all going on in Ukraine, this would be a perfect time to wear my “Я ❤️ Киев” shirt. Weirdly enough, without thinking I packed that shirt for vacation. So guess who’s wearing that shirt today? Me. I would link everyone to the site that sells these shirts but I am on my phone and I no longer have the link. I’ve already gotten questions about what the shirt says and what language it is in. Of course you could say either Ukrainian or Russian. It is the perfect shirt to show support for either side you’re on, I happen to be on the side of the rebels. I’ve heard news from the capital, like the Heaven Hundred (Ukrainian: Небесна сотня). There are also pictures all over of the center square of Kiev before and during/after the riots. Pictures during the riots are also circulating the Internet. Let me tell you, some are awful. I hope anyone in Ukraine is staying safe.

Vacation Has Begun!

Thus, I have taken a few photos already of adventures taken. Already we [my family and a family close to mine] have been to FunSpot, which is an arcade in state. There I won about 20 tickets away from 2000, topping everyone else by almost 1500 tickets. We also went to an ice cream joint called Kellerhaus, in which we always visit. They have an old fashion candy shop within the entire store, with old fashion prices as well. I ended up having Cookie Monster ice cream because they didn’t have any cookie dough. Today we went skiing. I ended my afternoon early due to the fact that I couldn’t feel my fingers. My knee has wonked out now. While sitting in the lodge with my father after checking out for the afternoon, I checked onto tumblr and found out about a newly released song from The Horrors. They also announced the release date for their new album and allowed for preorders to be taken from their website, all happened while I was skiing. Last night they announced the name of their newest album and released the album art. If you knew me personally, you would know The Horrors are one of my favorite bands, therefore I had to preorder their album. May 5th is the release date for this new album. 

Of course when vacation is through, I will edit and publish many of the photographs I took.

Dear Rebels of Kyiv,

Congratulations! You guys got the leader of your city to run, now you have control of the government buildings. 

Dear Rebels of Ukraine,

You have so many people like I, rooting for your cause. If you haven’t seen my Facebook, have a look:

 

I am one person out of many who are raising awareness through a few pictures of the situation of Ukraine. I am so proud as are many. The fact that you guys are fighting back is fantastic. The loss though, it’s devastating. So many people should not have lost so much to stand up for such a cause. All I am saying is do not give up. You have your support all around the globe. Unfortunately you aren’t the only country fighting. Countries like Venezuela are also fighting, so the spotlight isn’t only on Ukraine. In my opinion there should be a huge spotlight on Ukraine, not just little blips about the state of the country on the morning news. 

This little victory is Kyiv is huge in the battle. It’s one step closer to the victory of the rebels. If anyone has seen pictures of the happenings, it’s awful. I congratulate all the rebels. I fully support your cause.

Sincerely,

Ainslie

Fighting Fire With Violence

When the notion that another had taken over my life by laying their hands on me washed over and sunk in

Every bit of recovery slipped through my fingers

The progress was erased

A feeling of violation took over

I lost my smile

Again

“Why me” and “what did I do to deserve this” ran through my head

But a light went on

Maybe I’m a spark that could ignite a wildfire of revolutions – the revolutions that many fear

Some of these people want to put out these fires by acting as if their hands creating violence towards me was the water that would put out the fire burning inside me

Thus making me think taking a razorblade to myself was ok because they acted with hatred towards me

So why couldn’t I?

As the PTSD and bruises outwardly show my suffering

Rock bottom is a destination I’ve already visited

I made home there for a while – hell it’s still my home

But the fire is still raging within me

Butterflies

There’s a gaping hole

Located in my heart

Something is stealing

Air from my lungs

Maybe

It’s the butterflies I once had for you

That now belong to her

 

Butterflies

There’s a gaping hole
Located in my heart
Something is stealing
Air from my lungs
Maybe
It’s the butterflies I once had for you
That now belong to her

Butterflies

There’s a gaping hole

Located in my heart

Something is stealing

Air from my lungs

Maybe

It’s the butterflies I once had for you

That now belong to her

College

Ok coring post today. So I being a junior in high school, I need to look into colleges to apply to. See I’m thinking about art school. There are a few majors I’m considering. I’m thinking of a photography major, art education major, or art major in general. It’s nerve wracking thinking of what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’m only 16, why am I doing this now? I think the only think keeping me excited is going to school in San Francisco. There’s an underlying worry that I won’t get into the colleges I want to attend. There’s also the fear that I’ll end up being a bum on the streets. Hopefully the opposite of that will happen.