a letter from (part of) my brain

Dear Sheena,

Please use us sometimes. We know you're an engineering major and you mostly do science / math intensive activities, but don't forget about us.. We really enjoyed when you took an art class a couple years ago because we were able to get a chance to exercise and grow. It's not fair that the logical / analytical side of your brain gets so much attention and we don't. Today when you went to Color-Me-Mine with Allison, it felt like we were finally being attended to. So thank you for that, but we want something on a regular basis. The other side of the brain keeps intimidating us and we won't keep quiet any longer.
Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
The Right Side of your Brain.


p.s. good job with that plate; we're excited to see the finished product :)

^ bye bye until next time

the art of the personal letter

I love letters. Especially handwritten ones. Especially handwritten snail mail.

I remember the first time I received a letter (in the mail). My friend had just graduated high school and was moving to New Jersey. In order to stay in touch, we decided to exchange addresses and write mail to each other. One day I got home from school and my dad said with a slightly confused voice; "Sheena? I think this letter is for you. From a Japanese friend?" I rushed over and saw my name and address neatly written by my friend. I was so excited that I waited until after I was done with my homework to sit down and enjoy reading the letter. We still write from time to time, even though we first started writing to each other about four years ago.

Although a letter about updates in personal life are my favorite, I do also love thank you letters, congratulatory letters, apology letters, love letters, encouragement letters, sympathy letters.. you get the idea. There's a lot of power in words - it can heal relationships, lift up spirits and warm a heart. When a person takes the time to sit down, ponder, draft, and write a letter, I think the words that he or she will write will have deep meaning and care.

I recently read a book about writing letters, and I learned that it takes a lot of time and effort to write a good letter.  I want to write more letters and try to master the art form. It may seem old fashioned or out of style, but it's something that I think can have great meaning and impact.

bye bye until next time ^

wondering where i'll be

Here I am, sitting on a random bench at UC Davis... And wondering, "Am I going to be going school here?..." I recently applied to eight schools - two Cal States, four UCs, one private, and one out of state.. They are all so different, it's impossible to tell what my lifestyle is going to be in a year. The future is a strange and scary place - I'm honestly terrified of what is to come...

 I'm going to write a letter to my future self, just for fun... and edit this post in the future to see where I ended up:

Dear the twenty year old me,
How are you? What have you been doing for the last three years? I feel like I'm just wandering around, unsure of what is to come. I hope that your life is a bit more secure than now.. Is college great? Stressful? boring? I hope it's fun - make sure you keep learning and not let your curiosity die :) I bet this letter and blog sounds immature now that you're three years older. Don't be scared to make mistakes twenty year old me! Did you ever switch your major?... How do you feel after reading this letter to yourself? I bet it's really weird... Have a nice day ~
- the seventeen year old me

^ bye bye until next time