Nikki's Imaginarium

I don’t do this often, but since I’ve liked and reblogged too many posts on this Tumbleblog, I have had a new one for a few months now. To compensate for any urge of posting anything on here - this will be my reblog blog. It’s more personal and kind of erratic sometimes. Either way, no one really warns you the dangers of being. 

Have an incredible weekend! :)

You’ll learn to begin to know - maybe even, like - yourself, when you won’t tolerate being defined by others. 

So, I’m in the middle of doing 20 crazy things to do before I turn 20 - which my friends have come up with. I’ve done two so far, but, I’m still short. The list is incomplete and some of my friends are proposing too extreme and almost illegal dares. 

Any one of you have any ideas? Anything you’d like me to do?

And I’ll document it on my personal blog and credit you for my apparent silliness; it’s time that this girl becomes a little bit daring. :) 

Funny how time changes things; funny how time changes people. Funny how it seems to be constantly moving and some feelings remain to be unmoved. 

Go Team Aquarius!

This is our month to rule - awkwardness, eccentricities and all! :)

No matter how busted your seams may be, you have to keep it together. 

nikkiandtheimaginarium:

 Book One of 2012

Title: Inheritance or The Vault of Souls, The Inheritance Cycle

Author: Christopher Paolini

‘It began with Eragon…’ as the synopsis at the back of the book cover begins and as so, it does and it seems fit, that it should end with him as well.

The book opens, already, at the height of battle between the Varden, Eragon, Saphira and an illustrious collection of allies of the different races of Alagaesia. Apart from Lady Nasuada’s pact with the elves, dwarves and Urgals, the werecats, with their leader King Grimrr, have, also, sworn their allegiance to the Varden’s cause. After their victory and the successful capture of the remaining cities that surround the capital, the Varden continue their march to Uru’baen to overthrow the might of Galbatorix. There is little time left and the more they wait to strike, the more Galbatorix’s might and power grow strong to heed their company to achieve justice and peace.

With the tragic death of Oromis and Glaedr, it was bestowed upon Eragon and Saphira to protect Glaedr’s Eldunari, his heart of hearts. It seemed little to no progress were Eragon and Saphira’s attempts of contacting the elder dragon, until, he contacted them when Arya and Eragon were sparring. In the little time they had before their final stand in Uru’baen, Glaedr trains and prepares Eragon for the peril that he was yet to face - the unavoidable circumstance of facing Murtagh and Thorn in battle, as well may be, the king himself.

With the Varden’s success of capturing Dras Leona, their camp is attacked in the night by Murtagh, Thorn and a quantifiable size of soldiers. The Varden succeeds in suppressing the attack, although, greatly losing one of their own: Lady Nasuada, captured by Murtagh himself. Upon learning this, Eragon, as appointed by the lady herself, becomes the temporary leader of the Varden. Also, in the middle of the war, Eragon journeys to the land of the riders, Vroengard. There, he finds the hidden dragon eggs and Eldunari that was said to have perished in the uprising of the Galbatorix and the Forsworn.

In the battle of good and evil, the usurper Galbatorix and his black dragon, Shruikan were destroyed in a momentous battle that he, himself, underestimated, with Eragon with the aid of Murtagh, Arya, Elva, Saphira, Thorn and the Eldunari; the Varden, also, succeeding. The blood of many have been spent over the short course of that time, although, proved its worth and just cause in the end. Lady Nasuada becomes the ruler of Uru’baen; Murtagh and Thorn, although free from Galbatorix’s hold, flee to the north; Arya succeeds her mother, Queen Islanzadi, after death and also, becomes a Rider herself with her dragon, Firnen and; peace was restored. In the end, it was the only fit solution that Eragon and Saphira became the mentors of the new and becoming riders of the century, thus, decided to sail to the east - to raise the dragon eggs and for the safekeeping of the Eldunari and its existence.

In spite of it all - the tragic losses, death of friends and loved ones, the fear, sorrow and misery - friendships were made, allegiances were found, and hope, love and faith were the remaining testaments that led them to victory.

There was a reason it took me months to pluck up the courage to read this book - I did not want to say goodbye to another series of my childhood, although, I knew it was inevitable. Here we are, now - 4 books later. Four, glorious, books later. I think Christopher Paolini could not have ended the series in any other way. The book, I would have to say, was lengthy (surmounting to 860 pages in total), although, another book would have just prolonged the wars and agonized the characters; so, kudos to him.

I have, now, realized that at times it would seem predictable that even I can guess its outcome. But, there are moments when it simply catches your breath; this book, entirely, was it. It was fast-paced and the moment you feel as though you have exhausted the air in your lungs, you begin to race again - the climax continued to rise and more surprises were behind every corner, waiting to pounce at the exact moment; it was brilliant. Except, maybe, for the ending… it was somewhat bittersweet - knowing that Arya showed that she shared the same feelings as Eragon consoled me, if not a lot, a little.

So, yes, I highly recommend this book - even if the film adaptation (pardon me if I will offend anyone) made a complete mess out of the first book.

Together, I grew up with them, watched, waited and learned with Eragon and Saphira. I have learned to love all the characters, despite their underlying madness and hunger for power; I have truly empathized with all of them. As Eragon began to realize his true name, I felt as if I had begun that part of unraveling my being. In a way, the book is a coming-of-age - but, the kind wherein one has to immediately mature without the choice not to.  As I look back on my journey, even with this book alone, and write this, I, still, swell with emotions inside as I have had when I ultimately flipped the last page and read: The End. In a way, it has not really - the story will live on beyond the last remaining words, beyond the corners of its pages. (And somewhere, Eragon and Arya are happily together - ruling the land and fulfilling their rightful destinies as Riders.)

Thank you, Christopher Paolini for this extraordinary masterpiece.

Danger of Being: The Reading List

nikkiandtheimaginarium:

With the 2012 Book Challenge at hand, I have made a personal reading list.

1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll (Currently reading)

2. One Crazy Summer – Ines Bautista Yao

3. Inheritance – Christopher Paolini

4. Fragile Things – Neil Gaiman

5. My Name is Memory – Ann…

(Source: recurringdreams.wordpress.com)

Parisian Thinking 

Accomplished something today; I’ve never felt so stimulated and inspired, coupled with a tremendous sense of wanderlust. Somewhere new, please.

“I can never decide whether Paris is more beautiful by day or by night.” - Midnight in Paris (2011) 

Some people will move you, some might want to change and you, yourself, might want to push for that change; you will love something for a passing interest or love something for your entire lifetime and there are those simple, but, monumental things you will always look for, that will persist and you may have not known it, but, it has always been there ever since.

(Source: recurringdreams.wordpress.com)

This was how I met the New Year: a fireworks display. Greeting everyone a proper, Happy New Year!

Food for thought

As my focus begins to drift away, I am honing this brief’s moment of distraction to do something productive. 

Today, I was asked why I chose my course, what am I going to do after graduation, where I would see myself in the next 10 years and which profession would I be geared towards. 

In the grand scheme of things, I would like to believe that I have my life-plan in the upcoming years mapped out - internships, summer programs, travel the world, work experience, further studies, a second and a Masters degree and put up my own company. These are what I intend to do, although, I am still stumped - do we map our lives for ourselves completely or do we let ourselves be slightly drifted as the spaces are filled in by the unexpected? 

I love and hate surprises, therefore, I, now, choose to dwell on present things - another resolution. I may not know where my life will lead me, may not know if I will become the person I have always wanted to be, all I know is that, everything may not be sorted out at once, but, I am getting there. Some people are so driven to what they want that they know they are going to do it for the rest of their lives. I’m not like some people - I am me, terribly complex; sometimes, I do not even understand myself. I admire that attribute in others, but, I cannot help the fact that I am beginning to be my own person.

Earlier on, as I mechanically answered the mentioned questions above in class, I forgot to answer the last one: ‘Which profession do you find yourself in?’ If I asked, I would have, then, answered, regardless if I pursue my Interior Design, An artist - to create beautiful things, to create chaos out of order and order out of chaos and simply, to create wherein everything we see, touch, feel, belongs. 

I hope you, reader, find that - for the lack of a better word - thing you are good at, keep doing it and become who you were meant to be; change the world, if you must! 

Until then.

The Resolution