crazy pink monkey

shofi's super cool and interesting digital corner.

Cuz I'm a super cool and interesting person, obviously. ♥

This is just a silly little archive for some of my stuff that I definitely want digitalized and kept somewhere that can be browsed, without it necessarily being on a social media account. I am both scared shitless and terribly desirous of posting my pictures (and showing my face) and talking about my life in public (because yes, we live in an age where the hyperreality created and sustained by the internet counts as 'public space').

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.

— Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre.

very important information about me, because I love talking about myself:

Born and raised in Venezuela, but I lived in Belgium for a few years as a child (and I miss it everyday!)

Taurus Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Gemini Rising. I don't particularly believe much in astrology, but I do think it's a fun way to explore your identity and give your life some meaning, and like, my Natal Chart makes a lot of sense! I mention my big 3 because I find that I'm probably the most Taurus girl you'll ever meet. Mwah.

My favorite color is pink.

I'm currently studying poli-sci in uni and having an existential crisis about it.

I love my friends.

I love cats.

I'm a pretentious pseudo-intellectual that spends too much time scrolling through Twitter (fuck elon musk i am NOT calling it X) and inside her own head, who cares too much about aesthetics and other people's perceptions of her. See how this page is in English and not Spanish, my mother tongue? I've read more books in a language that is not mine, and I still don't really know how to feel about that fact.

a little q&a that nobody asked for

What are your top four movies?

I don't watch that many movies, but I'd say my all-time faves so far are Marie Antoinette, Star Wars V, Queen Margot and La Haine. Honorable mentions go to Conclave and the Grand Budapest Hotel.

my ten rules for life (subject to change)

Be kind. Be respectful. Be nice. Be good. Make good conversation.

Be as impartial as possible: try to see both sides of the argument, always, before arriving at a conclusion. This doesn't mean you can't have your own established opinions--this is just my little methodology to avoid dogma as much as possible (though, as Zizek says, everything is ideology). It also helps to keep a clear head, and not let my emotions rule me.

There is beauty in imperfections. There is beauty everywhere. A little change in perspective helps you find beauty and meaning in every single thing. Romanticize the fuck out of life, and aestheticize the fuck out of it too.

Do not fall into hopelessness. Life might be objectively absurd and nonsensical, but the whole point is that humanity creates myths to give us a sense of purpose and direction: create your own myth, constantly renew it, intentionally choose what'll you live for and what keeps you going. Curate your own image, be your own creative proyect. But do not lose yourself in your persona; 'tis but a mask.

Embrace contradictions. I'll maybe expand on this point when I read a bit more on Hegel.

Embrace adversity. Traumatic things are less traumatic when you assign them meaning in the form of "this is a challenge I needed to overcome in order to learn this lesson". This may not always apply for all situations and all people, though. Sometimes things just suck, and that's okay too.

Be adapable. Open your arms the changing of the tides. Open your arms to any and every visitor that appears on your shore, and remember rule number one.

Take action. Get out of your head. Do not overthink it, just do it.

Try to not betray yourself and your convictions, despite everything. Do not let the world turn you sour.

Always recite the tetrapharmakos: Pain is alliviated when you remember that: