Note: The image is clickable.

Tumblr is a relatively new phenomenon. It is a cross between a blogging platform and a social network. The purpose of it was, I guess, to have a light blogging platform with an easy way for your followers to reblog your posts if they like.

This is probably the best and the most popular aspect of Tumblr, but it’s also what discourages people from the actual blogging. I mean, if you post a real blog post, people might press “like” or even comment (though commenting is extremely tricky and undeveloped on Tumblr), but that’s all. But if you post an image of a shirtless hot man cute puppy, your post will be reblogged many times.

So, this aspect if what made Tumblr more of a crazy platform for sharing pictures, especially animated gifs, celebrity photos, memes and videos. Another popular aspect is asking anonymous questions via the ask form, which is the only way of communication on Tumblr. Nobody really blogs out there, and it’s all pretty wild and random.

Tumblr and I

I’ve joined in april 2010 and, due to the chaotic nature of Tumblr, I named my blog “Jefflion Randomness”. What I mostly do out there is, well, blog and reblog photos of cute animals, my favourite celebrities and crazy internet art such as memes. I also try my best to communicate with my friends (called “followers” out there).

Tumblr is relaxing to use because you don’t have to worry about having something interesting to say. You can post or reblog whatever you feel like at the moment, and there will usually be someone who likes it.

On the other hand, something about the chaotic nature of Tumblr bothers me. I am quite a messy person, externally, but I often like what I do to be organized in some way.

So, unlike most of Tumblr, I sometimes do write regular blog posts. Usually, those are observations about movies (I guess I am really into movie critic business ) or something else I like to share, but I don’t see it serious enough for my main website.

But I hate to see that content lost in the Tumblr hurricane, so I decided to share it here. I will probably link my whole Tumblr in the Trash section of the website, where it will be easily accessible to whoever is interested in those little ramblings.

Good stuff here

Here are some of the semi-valuable posts I’ve written on Tumblr:

Favourite actors, favourite roles

This is a collection of posts on my favourite actors and their best roles. The way I determine “top” roles is a bit complicated here. I take into account the actual performance, how much I liked the film, how much I liked the performance, and how good the film actually was.

Favourite bands, favourite songs

Similar to the above one, but with musicians and their songs. Somewhat more straightforward: I simply include the songs I like the most.

Josh Hartnett movie challenge

Reviews of Josh Hartnett movies. Challenge was proposed by Fiona, owner of the JoshSpam tumblr blog (which features, what else?- Josh Hartnett pic spam) My task was to watch Josh Hartnett’s movies and post short reviews, with a special note on acting performance (or lack thereof). The goal was to make me realize Josh Hartnett wasn’t as crappy actor as I thought he was (the success of the goal is debatable). I am quite happy about these reviews, and I might feature them elsewhere on the site. (Did I mention I love doing movie reviews?)

Insightful comments

These might not be particularly insightful, but offer a bit of information about me. Most are answers to questions other Tumblrers asked, and are usually about aspects of my personal life. I thought it would be interesting to include them here, because I don’t tent to blog about my personal life. So these might help you know me a little better. Warning: may contain TMI.

Greatest hits

The best, most hilarious stuff that ever appeared on my Tumblr page.

Disney animated movies are my guilty pleasure. I bet you didn’t see this coming, considering how sarcastic and analytical and… great I am. But Disney movies, particularly the ones in the so-called Disney Renaissance (1989-1998) were one of the main sources of escapism during my tween and teen years.

There, I said it! Yes, I know. They are sexist. And racist. And formulaic. And everything. I know. I am not trying to deny it, nor am I trying to ignore these aspects because “it’s just a movie for kids, no big deal, hahaha”.

But they are an integral part of my childhood- and adolescence, so pretending it isn’t so would be hypocritical. Luckily, my interpretation of said movies was such that I was immune to most of the bad messages. I think. I hope.

For example, I never interpreted Disney heroines to be passive. Oh, sure, the old ones, Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, they were passive (and annoying). But “my” heroines (Ariel, Belle, etc.) weren’t, or at least I never interpreted them to be so. Same goes for other bad messages I can clearly see today.

And while I’m unable to enjoy Disney today, be it because of said messages or extreme romanticism/sugarcoating, and while I might be a embarrassed for liking these films so much (now that I understand what they are: Pocahontas, for example), I can’t forget what they meant to me.

I still remember the first time I watched The Little Mermaid, on an illegal copy on my cousin’s VHS. In my mind, I was 7, but it couldn’t be, because it was released when I was 8. The copy was horrible, with grayish, washed out colours, but I still remember I was completely smitten by that film. You see, I love the sea; I always loved it. My first memory is from the family holiday in Dalmatia when I was 15 months old. And this film, this beautiful film, was about a girl who lived in the ocean! And who saves the guy! And they sing! And she’s a mermaid!!!! I got so obsessed I watched that film whenever I could. I even begged my mother to buy a VCR so I could watch The Little Mermaid. First English words I’ve learned were from the Little Mermaid. And when we went on a holiday that summer, I swear I heard Ariel’s song one evening. This film will always have a special place in my heart.

Forward a few years. Difficult time, both personal and general. My father dies. My country dies. Beauty and the Beast was one of the rare beautiful things in my life back then. I loved Belle, and I still do; I consider her the most intelligent Disney heroine (you see, the message I got is that she’s pretty because she’s smart), and the film is also the best in their canon, imo. I begun to draw people Disney-style, and I still can’t draw people, especially females, any differently.

I don’t remember being that obsessed with Aladdin, but I loved Jasmine. What I didn’t like is that there’s so little of her in the story. I was never that obsessed with the Lion King either, no matter how good it was, because there were no humans in it, but when Pocahontas was released… I can’t describe how much I liked that film.

It makes me feel even more ashamed, because it’s a racist film with harmful messages. I didn’t understand any of it back then. I liked the film. I loved Pocahontas and her bravery and her hair. I hated the fact she chose Josh Smith over Kocoum (no sane woman would do that), but other than that, I liked the film. And I liked the forests, very much.

Then, when I was 15, Disney released the last animated movie I was obsessed with, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This underrated film is arguably one of their best, and it certainly has the best soundtrack of all Disney movies. I really loved this film, but whenever I think of it, I remember how sad I was back then. It was the first year of middle school (“high school” as called in the US), and, well, the mere fact I was still interested in Disney movies speaks volumes. I really don’t want to remember how my best friend and I felt back then. It wasn’t fun, that’s for sure.

It got better after that. But after the Hunchback, I stopped liking Disney movies that much. Some would say I simply grew up, but no: the movies were the ones that got worse. I didn’t like Hercules at all, and Mulan had its moments, but something was lacking. It was the time when 2D animation died. It can never be like it was before, as proved with (relative) failure of the Princess and the Frog.

Now that I look back at Disney movies I love, I realize that the films grew up with me: starting from colourful Little Mermaid, to more and more mature subjects, culminating with dark and quite serious Hunchback. So whenever I watch one of these films, I always think about my life back then. So I guess I just have to accept they are an integral part of my childhood and adolescence.

These are common blogging mistakes that I hate to see with other people, but I regularly make them myself:

1. Not updating often

There’s nothing worse than a blog that is not updated regularly (without a notice). You just visit in hope there’s something new, but no. The weeks old photo and the post are on the homepage. So you just forget about the blog, until you remember it again and realize you’ve missed some great posts. In any case, not updating regularly is the #1 blogging mistake (that can often cost you visitors).

2. Not replying to comments/emails/messages straight away

I understand you might be busy, but it’s really frustrating to wait for an answer. Especially when you just know the person did read your message, but for some reason didn’t reply straight away. Or, even worse, ever.

Why don’t I reply straight away? I am usually trying to figure out what I want to say, which is, 9 times out of 10, unnecessary. I am often really happy about the reply/comment I get that I completely forget that now it’s my turn to say something.

3. Not returning comments

Someone (preferably new) left a comment on your blog. But you never bother visiting their website. This doesn’t happen often with me, but it DOES happen.

4. Writing boring blog posts

Blogging doesn’t have to entertain anybody but you. On the other hand, if it’s really something you write for yourself, and yourself only, why do you bother publishing it? Or, why do you expect people to comment on it? What can someone say about your super-boring entry on how delicious your breakfast was? Or how your cat managed to pee in the flower pot for the third time that day? And not to mention those emo “I feel like crap” entries.

5. Writing without a plan

In many cases, blogging is a casual fun. But it’s also writing, and I am one of those people who believe that good writing is 90% planning/outlining and 10% actual typing. So please, plan your entries. Don’t just rant first things that come to your mind. Stick to one subject per post. Have an idea of what you want to say.

See also: Top 5 annoying mistakes website visitors make

I am addicted to Internet. Or, shall I say, I depend on it. More than I like to think I do. I was without Internet for a day and I felt like something was missing. Not a good thing.

On the other hand, I don’t feel too bad about it. After all, I believe Internet can be a great thing, if used wisely. I like to think I am a wise user. But the thing is, I DO spend a lot of time online.

The problem is that things online always last longer than you expect them to. I can read long passages of text online, but I guess it goes slower than on paper, especially if it’s in English. Also, I consider myself an experienced Google user, but sometimes it takes a while to dig up the right information. And not to mention commenting on message boards and blogs- the writing itself doesn’t take much time, but if you want to wait for a reply… You see what I mean. So yes, sadly, Internet is very time-consuming, even when you try to rationalize the use (which I rarely do, and even when I try, I can’t limit myself for the Internet time- I always end up online more than I planned).

The good things about the Internet is that it can be your connection to the rest of the world- the people, information, stuff you need, or want to learn about. It’s a great thing. Since I can’t travel at the moment, this is my only chance to meet people all over the world. I guess it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I’ve met so many great people online, and I’ve learned a lot about other cultures. Because I can express myself better in written communication I find it easy to meet people online, which is also a good thing. Learning is also easier online; you can find articles and books you couldn’t afford otherwise. Not to mention movies and music… But now I’m stepping into the illegal territory.

I’ve discovered Internet in the early 2000s, at the time I was really lonely and depressed. It helped me focus on something and it made me think less about the bad stuff. But sadly, lonely people can get addicted pretty fast. I don’t think I ever got too addicted, though. There are so many things I prefer over the Internet, and I don’t want my family or friends suffer because of it. Still, I do enjoy being online, and yes, I admit it, it’s partly because of escapism.

So I guess spending less time online would be good, but I don’t think I’d love to be Internet-less for a long period of time.

I have to stop worrying so much, and I have to stop thinking about the future. I should try focusing on “now”, for a change, taking one day at a time. Constant worry makes my head hurt, and I feel desperate. Yes, I know the situation is pretty intense (no decent job, possible emigration idea, and all that jazz), but in order to stay sane, I just need to relax. And the only logical way is to stop thinking about the future so much and focus on today. Sounds good?

Sometimes, I’m so exhausted with my thoughts I’m unable to do anything semi-intellectual. All I want is an easy way for escapism, so I lock myself in front of my computer screen and spend hours and hours on the Internet. Bad idea.

So maybe I should try spending less time online. No matter what I think about it (visiting interesting websites, meeting new people and learning about different cultures), it’s not really productive. I don’t want to neglect my loved ones, but I don’t want to put a pressure on them (ok, him, actually) with my worry.

I guess I just need to relax a bit, and stop thinking, and over-thinking everything. Does any of this make sense?