The On The Road Bohemian: Jack Kerouac

 

 

Here we have the King of the Beat Bohemians. Don’t label him a beatnik as that is semi-pejorative: a play on sputnik and a media stereotype. In the face of being labeled the term he responded: “I’m not a beatnik, I’m a Catholic.” *Swoon.*

Reasons why I ♡ JK:

  1. He’s handsome
  2. He’s athletic
  3. He’s poetic
  4. He’s a great writer
  5. He’s Catholic

Literally my Dream list of what I want in the opposite sex. Sometime I get in a dreamy state and feel we’re star-crossed lovers lost in time, I’ll always hold in my mind that I was supposed to be with someone like him. It is so rare for a soul to embody good looks that are superficially satisfying plus depth, sensitivity and intellect and a somewhat morose life tainted in darkness that only make you fall more in love with them even more…. His life sometimes parallels with mine in some ways a la Big Sur minus the booze. I ran out to California just as he did…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve known of him since I was 15, before On The Road became a movie. I think I was the only kid in my school who knew he was.

In the Spring of 2015 his work raised from the dead- kind of. The Haunted Life was a lost Novella of Kerouac’s. I wish I could say I’ve read all his books but I just can’t face it, some them are too intense like Big Sur and his co-written book with fellow Beat Burroughs And the Hippos were boiled in their tanks.

Film adaptations of Kerouac’s book and life:

 

Paperback Publications.


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Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Catherine Vaughan I am the Founder and Creator of Artsy Jolie Girl and an Indie Author. There are many future publications ranging from non-fiction well-being guides to fiction, the first Novella shall be part of a trilogy chronicling a Bohemian Love Story.

“The Quarter Life Crisis Poet: a collection of poems on pain, heartbreak and defiance by a twenty-something.” This is my first collection of poems where I poetically divulge my secrets and many other veiled tragedies. ISBN: 978 1515247 609

Ignore em’, trash em’. Rolling with Rowling…

“You’ll never make money writing children’s book,” said an Authors agent. Then you’re faced with 12 rejections of your manuscript. What now? What next?

Why bother?

What now? Hand your book proposal to another Publisher. What next? Get your book published. Why bother? Because you have worked hard to craft and polish your children’s book manuscript, you feel compelled to get the story published, and why not just go for it? Hmmm 12 publisher rejections is a lot. Maybe you won’t make any money with this book, maybe the children’s genre is not a safe bet?

It’ll never succeed, this was all a wasted effort. I’ll stop. That’s it, enough is enough. Maybe the agent and publishers are right. My book is pointless, it won’t sell.

What if J.K Rowling had ended her thought trail on the above sentiments? 12 manuscript rejections, the utterance of children’s book not making money by her own literary agent. This all happened to the author of the multi-million selling Harry Potter books. What if she never got past no, never got past the disbelief, past the disappointments? She’d be just like the rest of us. Nothing wrong with that. But think of all that she would have missed out on: the film and franchise of her beloved Harry and becoming the World’s 1st Billionaire Author! She still is like the rest of us: enjoying family, taking the bus with the same insecurities and same desire for happiness in life.

So sometimes we have to ignore the critics say eff-U to those lacking faith in your genuine brilliance and trash the insecurities to do what you were born to do, even if it just means getting it outta your system and completing a goal.

Sometimes so called experts o the highly experienced are wrong. Sometimes you have to get their opposing views outta your head because they are just plain wrong and they are more than opposing you they are oppressing you. True leadership and brilliance is rare and sometimes a Ph.D is meaningless other times not. It’s a constant weighing up and making black and white what we do and what we hear.

First analyse and rigorously dissect the good, bad and ugly of your work or goals. If it is truly good enough go for it. Focus on it:

Follow

One

Course

Until

Successful

And then you meet the gatekeepers they say no. Plough through or find another passageway to get into. The CEO, the project manager or the publisher says no. Is it true what they are saying? Sometimes it might not be. You cannot disregard specialist’s. But other times you may have to. That’s the hard part, having to efficiently identify that distinction. Sadly all the titles, qualificatiosn and experience can be futile, and their opinion is simply an abyss into Hell if you follow their ‘advice’.

Ignore them and you may be taking the Stairway to Heaven or Highway to Hell. That’s a distinction to figure out later when you hit the Big Time!

Copyright © 2015 by Catherine Vaughan All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the blogger except for the use of brief quotations in non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Film Review: “Life of Pi.”

This was viewed at a repeat screening at my local arts centre of this book by Yann Martel turned movie. Having not read the book I got to experience the full force of this adventurous occasionally tumultuous screen adaptation. Piscine a.k.a Pi is a young Indian boy curious to understand the world and God. The film starts with his voracious devouring of Islam, Hinduism and Christianity amidst his family owned zoo!

Inevitably his father owning a zoo becomes unsustainable so the family decide to move abroad and travel by ship (with zoo animals on-board because they are being transported to another zoo.) A biblical storm breaks out and all are cast out of the ship.

Pi is left alone on-board a small rescue boat with a hyena, zebra and orang-utan. The film contains flashback scenes between present time where Pi is a grown man to his childhood and adolescence the latter period spent stranded on the pacific ocean for 227 days! Pi often fondly refers to Richard Parker.

We soon discover who Richard Parker is and witness the humanizing bond between adolescent-aged Pi and the Bengal tiger. There are scenes of a barbaric nature and violence between man and beast. The viewer as does our protagonist wanders if a beast i.e. the tiger can be tamed. do animals have souls, can we emotionally tune in and connect to them to vanquish the predatory dynamic between man and beast?

Many violent storms and spectaculars ocean views aplenty to feast you eyes on and there is a detour into a mysterious island. There is a land-bound ending and one questions the significance of Pi’s suffering and trials on-board the rescue boat especially as there are no other human witnesses. Or is there?

Suraj Sharma plays Pi during his oceanic adventure and his performance is incredible. he is a spectacular actor and was only a mere teenager himself when cast in the role. Impressive? Most definitely!

A worthwhile one-time viewing!

Copyright © 2015 by Catherine Vaughan All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the blogger except for the use of brief quotations in non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Book Review: “Aleph” by Paulo Coelho.

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Aleph was the first ever book I’ve read by Coelho. I was intrigued from the start. I was aware initially of the vast success Coelho has had and is notably deemed a spiritual master so it came as a surprise to read of the frustration and longing he still feels in his life in the very first chapter. It starts out very mysteriously as J. advises him to reclaim his kingdom. And so he sets off on his latest book tour and decides to merge his tour with his wish to travel the trans-siberian railway. He meets Hilal and the two have a unique connection. Hilal is tempestuous and a gifted Violinist. She is half his age and the dynamics of their relationship deepens from stranger to ambiguous love. I liked Coelho’s way with words near the end on how he feels for Hilal. It is perfection. This book is ideal for readers who are open or merely curious to the many beliefs and practices within the vast spectrum of spirituality. Here the plot dips into past life flashbacks as well as how Coelho falls into his past life via the enigmatic ring of light exercise. The characters meet a Shaman and for someone as spiritually open like myself reading his story satisfied my curiosity for things outside of the physical realm. Coelho definitely leaves the reader wanting to discover more about the story and their own life. 

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COPYRIGHT © 2015 BY CATHERINE VAUGHAN
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS ARTICLE OR ANY PORTION THEREOF
 MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR USED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER
 WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE BLOGGER
 EXCEPT FOR THE USE OF BRIEF QUOTATIONS IN NON-COMMERCIAL USES PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW.