tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17448098735336014572024-02-07T04:49:29.623-08:00Shark writer.Writing. Listening. Learning. LIVING. The Musings of a teenage writer/music-lover's Journey.Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-78507301476128452622011-01-17T20:13:00.000-08:002011-01-17T20:18:57.318-08:00Being "BUSY" is an excuse.Well, I haven't posted in well over two months. Can I say I was "busy"? Hm, I think that's an overused excuse.<br /><br />Why do people procrastinate? It's within my nature to procrastinate. Let's look at the things I've wanted to do so badly but have yet to:<br /><br />- Publish a book: nope.<br />- Come close to publishing a book: nope.<br />- Writing in this blog: nope.<br />- Getting readers in this blog: nope.<br />- Cleaning my room: big fat nope.<br />- Being a better person: well...<br /><br />My last few months, however, have not been totally unproductive :) I visited a new country (Taiwan) and I learned a new skill (snowboarding). Taiwan was an interesting place although I felt more culture shock there than in Hong Kong. The food is VERY unique. Not quite my cup of tea, but the night market culture is quite fascinating. Snowboarding has remained my obsession since the beginning of the winter season. I can go down a green run without embarrassing myself! Yippeeeee!!!!<br /><br />Well, at least I'm not THAT empty of new plans. I'm working to finish (at least decently) my NaNoWriMo project. Not gonna talk about it now, but it's totally different from Dancers. Also, I've started a new YouTube channel and there's actually going to be half-decent stuff on it. A short film is slated for release by February 1, and a music video featuring one of my musician-friends is also in line. Not to mention a slew of ideas of Vlogs.<br /><br />Suddenly, after spending around 3 hours a day surfing YouTube, the video-sharing site may be a better blogosphere for me. I mean, I like writing, but I'm a talker too...if you've met me :D<br /><br />For now, though, it's just a matter of waiting for January 27, aka Ski Day, aka my whole high school attacking Whistler Blackcomb Mountain. Yes, it's gonna be fun...and I hope we watch that horror movie "Frozen" about people stranded on ski lifts as we hit the Sea to Sky Highway ;P<br /><br />--~Shark out.Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-38272840638040736782010-10-18T16:20:00.000-07:002010-10-18T19:26:27.287-07:00Things I just don't understand.<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><ol style="font-family:verdana;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why Hallowe'en is such a big deal.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why people fight wars.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why patriotism is such a big deal.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why there is still so much racism.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">What makes X Japan such an epic, incredible, talented, amazing, awesome band.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why Oriental people are almost never portrayed in mainstream media.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why my parents like eggplant.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why it's so disgusting for some people that that their friend wants to be friends with someone they don't like.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why people waste time holding grudges.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why people waste time hating other people.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why it is always the youth who care about the important issues, and the adults seem to have given up.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why yellow is such a terrible colour.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why rap is so popular.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why young girls are so ready to throw themselves at Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why Jews, Christians, and Muslims have spent centuries killing each other when they're basically worshiping the same God, just in different ways and different interpretations. And even if they dislike each other's interpretation, why are they causing so much destruction? Did God not say "Love your neighbour as yourself." And aren't we just all neighbours together in this world?</span></li></ol><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >More to come once I've thought of it.<br /></span>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-5935113052295902432010-10-09T19:22:00.000-07:002010-10-09T19:34:30.096-07:00What makes a good book? Excitement, Meaning, Originality?<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 19.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px 'Apple Braille'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Yeah, that's the million-dollar question, is it? The one we all strive to answer: for readers on the quest to find the best book, and for us writers, it's our ticket to "win" in the business.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 16.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px 'Apple Braille'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My criteria of a good book has changed over as I grew older. As a kid, I liked books about adventure, about places that don't exist, about characters with impossible special abilities and, of course, talking animals. I was a huge fan of talking animals, whether they be dogs or cats or mice or dragons. In fact I was a Redwall junkie for most of the duration of my pre-teen reading career. Something about talking mice and rats, rabbits and stoats, otters and weasels, squirrels, and moles with their quaint mole-speech engrossed me. Throw in a few warring kingdoms, hordes of vermin beasts, swords, arrows, epic battles and, of course, the small warrior hero, and you have a "good book."<br /><br />But Redwall (by Brian Jacques) wasn't immortal. I grew bored of the cliche characters for a while. The plotlines seemed to be all the same, and if was always this: rats were evil, mice were not, with very few exceptions in the entire series. The series was not totally absent of theme (it actually holds a few precious words on good vs. evil) but as a teen it lacks the weight I now seek.<br /><br />I still like swords and battles and adventures (less so on the talking animals part), but I'm starting to look for other stuff. Nowadays, when I read a book, I'm more receptive of originality, writing style, character development, and an interesting theme. For the last few years, I've broken my criteria down to 2 rules. If a book succeeds these 2 rules, I label it a "good book." Note this is all personal opinion.<br /><br />Rule #1 - The book must be entertaining and exciting. It must make me read more. It must make me eager to know what will happen next. In other words, it can't be boring.<br /><br />Rule #2 - The book must be rich in meaning. There has to be a deeper theme than a human exploring a new planet while living in a shell grown out of his own DNA and meeting very tall blue people who ride flying lizards (know what I'm talking about?) The book must have a THEME. Otherwise, it's just shallow.<br /><br />Among my most favourite books of all time are "The Sight", "The Golden Compass", and "The Hunger Games."<br /><br />THE HUNGER GAMES<br />Author: Susanne Collins<br />Rule 1: Lots of action, witty prose, great "voice" from the POV of the main character. This book is an Epic Win.<br />Rule 2: Addresses ideas of freedom of speech, government, power, childhood innocence and a wary view into what the world may become in the future...<br /><br />THE GOLDEN COMPASS<br />Author: Phillip Pullman<br />Rule 1: A whirlwind of adventure! Throw in a few talking bears and the beautiful Aurora Borealis in the wild North, and you've got yourself a cinematic book.<br />Rule 2: BIG themes like criticism of the power of religious authority, evolution, and the ongoing battle between science and religion; also, what it means to be human.<br /><br />THE SIGHT<br />(childhood favourite)<br />Author: David Clement Davies<br />Rule 1: It is actually not as fast as I would like normally, but it is well-written. Talking wolves in Transylvania For The Win.<br />Rule 2: Family within the wolf pack, good and evil, some suggestions of man's relationship with animals. Also very educational in the biology area.<br /><br />Perhaps a third rule that I think about from time to time is ORIGINALITY. It's getting harder and harder to be original these days, isn't it, my fellow writers? After Tolkien and Lewis, almost every other fantasy book is accused of being unoriginal. After Rowling, every magician character is accused of being unoriginal. After Stephanie Meyer, every...well, you get the idea with that one...<br /><br />No doubt originality is going to be a hurdle each and every one of us will meet for the duration of our writing lives!<br /><br />--<br /><br />I know I haven't posted in a very long while. I've been struggling really with "what to post" for this blog. There really isn't much of a central theme...some writing stuff, I guess, but sometimes it's just me talking about the weather...<br /><br />I will make another tab dedicated to explaining the PURPOSE of this blog (although now it seems void of purpose). The world has been leaning towards shambles recently, and I DO have some "article-like" post ideas. One of my career options is journalism, after all.<br /><br />Yes I know no one reads this blog, so if you have stuck with me up to this point, PLEASE TELL ME SO!!! It means the world to me. This is more like my online journal now, but I do have a voice (somewhat small but whatever).</span> </span></p>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-57294816567657684742010-09-22T22:15:00.000-07:002010-09-22T22:22:12.890-07:00RTW: Friending up with characters<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(11, 83, 148); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This Week's Topic:</span></span></b></div><div style="color: rgb(53, 28, 117); text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span">If you went to high school with your characters, would you be friends?</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;color: rgb(53, 28, 117); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Wow, now this is definitely a GREAT topic!</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Sadly though, I don't think we'd be close friends. We'd probably be friendly, since I like to model my characters after my own psyche, but the truth is, my characters would probably end up being either the "cool kids" or the "loners" and I'd just either be a "geek" or an average joe.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">You see, most of my characters either have special abilities or can leap 10 feet in the air with a cutlass and hijack a pirate ship.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">This is why I create characters who seem so much cooler than I am...lack of self-confidence? </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Anyways, this is actually a good question to reflect upon. I'm really tired right now - it's been a hell of a week - but I WILL think about this all through tomorrow's boring classes because it's a good way to get to know your characters. In fact, if I <i>was</i> in high school with them, I'd like to ask them a few questions...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What are your favourite classes?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Which teacher do you hate?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Like the caf food?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You failing classes? Yeah, I thought so...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>But most importantly...</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WHO DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON AND WHY??!! HOW??!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(I'm hopeless when mapping out romantic relationships...)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So what kind of questions would YOU ask your character if they suddenly showed up at your high school one day and you were the given the duty of showing them around? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I apologize for the randomness of my writing this post. Just kinda overwhelmed by now...but have a few blogging topics I can talk about in the near future.</span></span></div></span>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-40818833291123138742010-09-18T16:02:00.000-07:002010-09-18T21:52:38.874-07:00The autumn rains have arrived. Winter approaches.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Much to everyone's annoyance, the change of seasons has come early for Vancouver this year.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Yep, it's that rainy weather again. Rains about once every two days or every single day now. Most annoying thing about it is during those pouring nights when I'm trying to sleep there's a steady "PLUNKPLUNKPLUNK!" rhythm of the rain hitting the pipes. And it is loud. And it is irritating. And it is...you get the point.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Fall brings about a change of mood. The mood I'm experiencing right now is stress. Actually, that isn't the right way to express it...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">STRESSSTRESSSTRESSSTRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Okay that's more like it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Actually, Grade 11 is so far better than I expected. There are interesting courses this year where I'm actually inclined to read the textbook (amazing, right?!) And the stuff I'm learning can actually make my writing better. Which is good. Very good... I'm also taking a writing class and you'll probably agree that having fellow writers' support is a giant bonus as a writer. Life doesn't seem so lonely after all...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The biggest challenge right now is FINDING TIME TO WRITE. My teachers have a passion with tests, and it feels like no matter how much I enjoy my courses there's always a heap of work waiting for me. And at the end of the day...I have to sleep.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And then I found a good piece of advice <a href="http://mandyhubbard.livejournal.com/242214.html">here</a>. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You see, even though I am a student, a daughter, a friend, a musician (kind of), and an insane psychopath, I have to keep chanting this mantra to myself "You are a writer, you are a writer, you are a writer, you are a writer, so WRITE. NOW."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So how do YOU tell yourself to get off your butt and write? In the wind and the rain?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ok, end of random musings here. I've been skipping out alot on blogging lately. I'm a real nutcase when it comes to SCHEDULING. Forgive me :(</span></span></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-37555603585467341962010-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:002010-09-15T22:11:54.871-07:00RTW: Historical eras!<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">This week's RTW!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:Arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><div style="text-align: left;color: rgb(19, 79, 92); "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="color: rgb(19, 79, 92); text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This Week's Topic:</span></b></div><div style="color: rgb(11, 83, 148); text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you could travel back to any historical era for research purposes, which would you choose?</span></b></span></div><div style="color: rgb(11, 83, 148); text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wow, this one's fitting. In writing class today we had to do an exercise where we pulled genres out of a hat and wrote on them. One of them was historical fiction, and although I didn't pick historical fiction (mystery/suspense and sci-fi FTW) I had a backup plan as to where I would set it.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There is no question.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">18th century Austria.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Why? Because that is the era of a great man I admire called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Possibly the most gifted (and likely eccentric) musician to grace our planet.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Whenever someone asks me what kind of autograph I would like, the first name that bounces in my head would be "MOZART!" And then my shoulder slump as I realize "Oh right, he died when he was 35.." Almost all artists hold sad stories...</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's true, though. I'm a music junkie. I love Mozart. I love Debussy too but there is a quality to Mozartean music I can never get enough of. It's true that he is a simple composer. Compared to the complexities of Bach counterpoint and 19th-20th century chord exploration, Mozart's a doodler. But it's because of his simplicity that I admire his genius. You really have to listen to understand...</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Okay I'm getting off topic here but really, I'd love to research that era FIRST HAND!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzEMXIrn-qhFCEst6HW5g7y1JR1oBy-NtytF5icGSDgPBXkFBD5_O8XLrjw1vf12EuuOkK14XLOpEeK74RgO19i0nwQSetZyw8uSDZYxH0fHnBgoxXI6YhpBSQluuJGgC_KOGryqI05vg/s200/mozart.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517374366030580210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">So I really wanna meet Mozart... :( *fangirls*</span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Where would YOU go if you suddenly found a time machine in the inner bowels of that mysterious thing we call our government?</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Image>> http://www.hubertmoser.com/news_frame.htm</span></span></span></div></span>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-34425345284592552572010-09-13T17:19:00.001-07:002010-09-13T17:43:57.996-07:00How to factor writing into your busy life<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ok, I gotta admit I am probably the worst advisor on this million-dollar philosophical question. I'm a professional procrastinator, after all. Then again, I feel exactly how you procrastinators feel too, so perhaps I have some insight :DD</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Right now I am a 16 year-old Canadian high school student in Grade 11. I have school 8:35-3:07 (yeah, I know, weird times...) five days a week. Depending on the day, I usually have an average of about 2-3 hours of homework to do (more if it's math because I suck). Some weeks I try to factor in 30 to 45 minutes of piano-practicing per day (it's part of a volunteering job). I also need to exercise 150 mins per week for Graduation Transitions. Last but not least, I need to volunteer for as much as I can (we need 30 hours, but most people do up to like 100). In addition, we all have stuff like church, family, friends, clubs, exasperating phone calls where the person can't stop blabbing, books that make you stay awake until 2 in the morning and, of course, we need time to WRITE.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So here are my tips for a student-writer-person like me. I hope they work, and I'll have the entire 2010-2011 school year to figure out if they do! So wish me luck.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Don't overbook yourself. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This goes for anyone doing anything. Seriously, it's a headache. I was in 5 clubs last year. Stressful, I know. This year I'll just be focussing on newspaper, and perhaps environmental, but that's about it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Make a time to write.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> For me, this is usually later in the night, when I've done all my homework, when my friends have gone to bed so as to not call me, and when the house is quiet and my parents are safely snoring in their beds... I'm a night owl who doesn't need to sleep too much, so it's not a big problem for me if I stay up (which I usually do). I've always had an assumption that writers are typically night owls, but if you're not, factor in a time - even just a little time - to write regularly.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*DO NOT compromise sleep. I learn this the hard way. It'll make you a zombie in the morning. Sometimes I have too much confidence in myself and wake up in the morning feeling like a vampire in daylight.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Join a writing class.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> If you're still in HS, chances are there's a writing class. I'm in one right now. It gives you a time to write without wasting anytime. Actually, school seems even USEFUL if you join one, haha...plus, you can form a convenient critique group and have a free professional help you (your teacher!).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Don't procrastinate.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> I was meaning to finally start revising Dancers last weekend, but I didn't. Procrastination leads to guilt. Even if you're just going to write a few sentences, do it. It'll feel much better and it won't take long!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Try not to be a hermit.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> We all have that writer's high where you just want to shut off the world and do your own thing. But take the time to talk to a friend, walk outside, or just close your eyes and give yourself a breather. Life is busy, and writing is just one facet of the business. Try to balance everything. (I suck at this.)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">6.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Don't forget to read.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> I read somewhere that a good way to read at night yet not lose sleep is to tell yourself beforehand where you're going to stop, preferably at a place where there's not much of a cliffhanger :)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">7.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Write in between.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Perhaps you can write in short little breaks. My only problem with this is I'll get pulled into it and those "breaks" turn into 5-hour sessions.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">8.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tools.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> One of the best books I've read is "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by Sean Covey. There's also a version for Highly Effective People. I also use iCal and if you don't have a Mac Google Calendar is a good alternative.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">9.) </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Never ever neglect homework/other work/other important stuff.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> I think that's self-explanatory...although I think I'm ready to see my grades drop this term as Dancers is going to be a biiiig part of my daily life!</span></span></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-14907393026827851352010-09-08T15:49:00.000-07:002010-09-13T17:40:16.682-07:00RTW: What is in your DUFF kit?<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:Arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">This Week's Topic:</span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">What's in your </span></span></span><a href="http://kodymekellkeplinger.blogspot.com/2010/09/duff-kit.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">DUFF kit</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">?</span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family:Arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">AKA what is your "night-to-chill" kit if you haven't heard of the book "the DUFF".</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">...Which I'm hoping to get my hands on sooner or later. Hunting for it in Canada...</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">1. Drink>> Green Tea Frappucino with Creme! Biggest size too for maximum caloric guilt ;)<br />2. Comfy and old shoes - my Nike slip-ons that were tossed into the trash...but my new DC Chelsea skate shoes are breaking in quite well!<br />3. Movies of your favorite male actor - haha I actually don't have a favourite male actor and I'm not a very good movie-watcher (I know, it's a sin!) I think I'll spend the night watching cheesy martial arts films though. You gotta love cheesy martial arts films!<br />4. Favourite junk food - Cookie Dough Ice cream! And CHIPSCHIPSCHIPSCHIPSCHIPS!! What the heck, dip the chips in the ice cream...<br />5. Most comfy clothing - old PE Tshirt, plaid PJ pants, and $7 bathrobe :DD</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Enjoyable post. Especially since I have at least an hourful of homework today (eeps!) on the first official day of school and I'm procrastinating. Already.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">How do YOU chill?</span></span></span></span></div></span>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-12039610287574386192010-09-05T16:11:00.001-07:002010-09-08T22:53:31.708-07:00Why I choose Art. In school, and in life.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Why does the world need art?</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I'm writing this post because it's almost school season (*barf*), and all my friends and fellow students are talking about courses and what courses to take to ensure the best university degree and the best financially-secure job.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Now, I'll tell you a little about my school: University Hill Secondary is an extremely small (we only have about 500 people) but competitive school. Most of the kids come from cultural backgrounds that put education at such a high standard it's usually more important than social life. So it won't surprise you that it's almost always the #1 public school in the annual rankings. And it won't surprise you that it's a little academic heck for all who go there.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Not to mention that it's mainly a science/math-oriented school.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Back in January when we had to do our course selections for next year, everyone was abuzz. Gr.11 is the big year where you're either gonna make or break the course requirements for university. Things start to narrow down. If you don't choose physics and chemistry now, forget the science degree and any hope of medical school. Quite naturally, most of my friends (who are </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">very</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> intelligent) chose the science stream that calls for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, Calculus...the bunch.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">And, quite naturally, being the math dufus I am, I decided to forget science and math for all eternity and chose courses like Writing, Comparative Civilizations, and Psychology.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Now, I'm not gonna say what is superior than the other - science or art. Because the world needs both. We need scientists and we need artists. And I commend my friends whom I am sure will become great doctors and scientists one day. (I even tell them to get ready to support the future starving, welfare-dependant attic resident of an artist who's me!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">But this is a message for those students out there who really want to do art, but society pressures them to do otherwise. At least society pressured me. For a moment I wondered if I should give up. After all, there seems to be more careers that have to do with science, and scientists earn so much more money. I have to prepare to get a Masters degree in a form of art at the very least, and even then, I won't be making as much money as the scientists.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The truth is, we can find a cure for cancer, construct the slimmest Mac, fit 99,000 songs into the palms of our hand. But what will we do after that? Sure, we can find a cure to global warming and save lives, but what use is a life if we do not try to find the MEANING of life itself?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The meaning of life. That's something that science cannot promise to explain.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">And that is where Art comes in. There are many definitions of art. My computer's in-built dictionary defines art as thus: </span></span><span class="formGrp" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i>(</i></span></span><span class="f" style="font-weight: 600; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i> arts</i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i>)</i></span></span></span><span class="def" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i> subjects of study primarily concerned with the processes and products of human creativity and social life, such as languages, literature, and history (as contrasted with scientific or technical subjects).</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="def" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="def" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I define it like this: Art is how one sees life.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="def" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="def" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">No human will ever have the capacity to know the million-dollar question of What is Life? but art is the bridge that is available to us. How else do we dig into the deepest confines of our soul and find our truest emotions? How else do we express these emotions? How else can we <i>use</i> these emotions and bring about change? Change to society. Change to injustice. Change to the world. And after that, I can only see myself using art to find the thing I am looking for most in this world: that is, to find <i>myself.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="def" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="def" style="font-weight: normal; -webkit-dashboard-region: dashboard-region(control rectangle); -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">So for all of you out there who are in love with the arts, we need you! And if art's really not your thing, well, we need you too. But I encourage you to give art a try.</span></span></span></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-40177266482856048242010-09-03T22:05:00.000-07:002010-09-18T21:51:57.061-07:00Friday Night Cap-off: parties...AND A FINISHED FIRST DRAFT??!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Welcome to another Friday Night Cap-off!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I may be a little late today because I just came back from yet another Sweet 16. Have a happy happy birthday Cara! </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Wear plaid!</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">WRITING STATUS</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Oooh, I'm starting off with the writing status. Why?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'M DONE MY FIRST DRAFT!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Wheeee. I took it to Staples today and got it printed out. All 400+ juicy pages of it, right on my lap. I'm touching it. I can't believe I've done it! In the nick of time, before school starts on Tuesday! It was my goal to finish it before the summer holidays have ended, and I actually did it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now, here begins officially The Journey.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm not gonna slack off this time, not like every other novel I've written and hidden into the back of my bookshelf. I'm going to research agents, research publishers, edit, revise, get as much input as possible from others in the extraordinary field of literature, and bang up my game.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This time I am going to do it!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">World, meet </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dancers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'd like to thank a few people though who have made this possible:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. Juliet, for making me write it in the first place and being the first to draw fanart.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. Anson, for reading it ahead of Juliet :)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3. My mom, just because.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4. Anyone else who so much as glanced at it or patted my back physically or emotionally.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thank you all! I love you <3</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Um, I finished a first draft?? It's more than 150k (which is a problem), but I'm soooo excited about it I'm ready to dance around the room like Taylor Swift does in the You Belong with Me music video.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4703887469_bcacfe8b67_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 540px; height: 602px; " /></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">TUNE OF THE WEEK</span></b></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Synchronicity</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, an instrumental electric violin piece by the great Sugizo. Who also happens to be the new edition to the revival of my favourite band, X Japan. Which I am going to see in October! Another dream come true... They are simply the greatest. Those who don't know me: good looks like JoBros and Bieber don't have an effect on me. X Japan are in their mid-forties with too much makeup 90% of the time, but their musicianship KILLS.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:x-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66FFFF;">http://angeldolls.co.uk/blog/?tag=sugizo</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>
<br /></b></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">READ OF THE WEEK</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Still on Hunger Games. Been reading that, The Passage, and Inkpop stuff in and out these days until 1:30 in the morning. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#663300;"><b>MAJOR UPCOMING EVENT</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">School starts on Tuesday. Going to be in Gr.11, which translates to "junior year" in the states. I'm kinda scared (they warn it's worse than Gr.12) but then again I'm taking a few interesting courses like Writing, Psychology, and Comparative Civilizations.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Have a fantastic Labour Day weekend, everyone!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div></div></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-83620841781472752822010-09-01T08:52:00.000-07:002010-09-18T21:45:50.175-07:00RTW: Favourite book = toughest question in the world<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, I have to admit, I haven't done that much reading this month. I bought 5 books and visited Portland, OR for the COLOSSAL bookstore called the City of Books. (I think everyone should make a pilgrimage there!) More details a few posts below...<br /></span></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I don't remember when August started or ended (today???) so I'll just list all the good stuff I've read recently here:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">1. THE HUNGER GAMES by SUZANNE COLLINS</span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I know, I know, I know...I'm late into this trend! But I didn't read Hunger Games until I saw how popular it was on the Internet! Big mistake. So I got in that giant freak of a bookstore in Portland and now I'm hooked. It kept up last night. I think that says all...</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">2. THE PASSAGE by JUSTIN CRONIN</span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Ok, this one ain't YA, but it is an AMAZING book. Ok, so it's like 700+ pages long and takes me almost 60 seconds to flip a page because it's so dang loooong and the print is way too small (I'm only on p.200-something). But writing is excellent, heartfelt, and brimming with talent. It's long and descriptive, yet not boring, which is miraculous. There's an equal dose of action, thrill, and reflection on the frailty of humanity. Hard to come across a book like this these days</span></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">3. THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK ON NOVEL WRITING by WRITER'S DIGEST</span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">A very very very helpful book! Haha. Bought this in Portland too. It's written by a variety of successful authors which makes it trustworthy (James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King etc.). It has everything you'll need for your dream career: how to write the story, how to revise the story, how to survive the genres, how to publish, how to promote...it's all there!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Sorry it's the only picture I could find! You can't look inside..)</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I'd also like to say a word about a fantastic writing community called Inkpop. I joined in the middle of August, scared already as how to navigate through the thousands or millions of users, but it's actually a very, very friendly community that ACTUALLY READS YOUR STUFF. AND LEAVE QUALITY COMMENTS. Of course I read their stuff too, but I've been very impressed so far. It's 90% teenagers, most of whom are younger than me, but I've been wowed almost every day by the quality of writing there! This site is definitely worth the visit!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">By the way, before summer ends, I recommend you ALL go outside and breathe in the summer air. As I said in the last post, being outdoors is a great place to be for writers!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Now, what have YOU been reading lately?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-52332663261431687572010-08-27T20:42:00.000-07:002010-09-18T21:47:57.207-07:00Friday Night Cap-off: Writer loves the Outdoors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nr69dqwSRRtHi5WR5qnONKe8wSBirYEQ76tV3rfzkMI4mxgW2waiIjdqzHwH722seCCvYVHSzs-wxSghAUph7YlErARrZ9D-44JsAeULtTpuJvjoqFht36WxnmvOD9eDDPvOfg1dMSpQ/s1600/DSCN0630.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nr69dqwSRRtHi5WR5qnONKe8wSBirYEQ76tV3rfzkMI4mxgW2waiIjdqzHwH722seCCvYVHSzs-wxSghAUph7YlErARrZ9D-44JsAeULtTpuJvjoqFht36WxnmvOD9eDDPvOfg1dMSpQ/s400/DSCN0630.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510309717486627874" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><div style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I think what every writer needs to do is step back from the busy lights of civilization and go back to the basics: aka go camping, go hiking, go canoeing, go wandering in the wilderness and get in touch with nature.</span></span></div></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I just returned from a 4-day canoe expedition today. Despite the horrific outhouses, and aching muscles from driving a loaded canoe into a fierce headwind with eyes squinted against the rain, it was an amazing experience.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUumhrzZE3rK6u1a_XXiHcoTJTzYcjmhyphenhyphen639gktupn2BEcUDFJGh8mpWSGHND75nEPTEmSYtsyeZVPBqcB06c1_OXS0NlOIWaRcZqgCQRVKppK36gV4wvNjhker-JRvHdlVZiXWUnjK3b/s400/DSCN0650.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510310211418015458" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Flushing oneself out of screentime, slacktime, and just civlized-time really makes you THINK and FEEL, you know? The bare basics of humanity - thinking and feeling. And thinking and feeling is exactly the tools you need as a writer. Every writer should take a step back and just admire and awe. It's only after a profound realization of accomplishing something, seeing something, experiencing something - anything from stormy wind and rain to a sunny day or a cute seal popping out of the water - that you become a person. And then you can write it down. Write it down in a way that expresses your innermost profound-ness.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I don't know if I'm making sense. You really have to go out there and see for yourself: bobbing in the middle of a still fjord on a wooden canoe with slanted rain and fog covering the shoreline is both a powerful image to paint and a powerful image to write.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So grab your notebooks, get our there, and smell the roses for your pen depends on it!</span></span></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK</span></span></b></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Survived the canoe expedition!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">READ OF THE WEEK</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Halfway through Hunger Games! I now know what the hype with this book is all about. It really is a good book. The main character is purely enticing, I just find myself seriously caring about what happens to her. I dunno, she's admirable, I guess, for stepping up for an almost death sentence in place of her sister. Plus the whole hunter thing, and just the concept of the corrupt and cruel Capitol entices me. I like corrupt and cruel places of power...hehe...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">TUNE OF THE WEEK</span></b></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://www.neutek.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/100720094558752207.png" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 507px; height: 337px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LIGHTS just released a new EP with all her acoustic goodness. LIGHTS is an awesome Canadian indie-ish singer/songwriter of the dreampop genre, but personally her acoustic work on the webcasts are pure golden. Thanks for the compilation of great acoustic tunes, LIGHTS!</span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#3366FF;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">http://www.neutek.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/100720094558752207.png</span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My favourite track HAS to be "River", or maybe it's just because of the canoe expedition: :)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lyric sample:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Out across cities I see buildings turn into piles<br />and watch the world in wonder, as mountains turn into tiles<br />and trees loosing their leaves and their faces becoming tired<br />i wish i could discover something that doesn't expire<br />come stumble me<br /><br />take me river, carry me far<br />lead me river, like a mother<br />take me over to some other unknown<br />put me in the undertow</span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">MAJOR UPCOMING EVENT</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">THE FINALE OF DANCERS!!!!!! I have vowed to finish the first draft by the time school starts. ITWILLBEDONEITWILLBEDONE!!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">WRITING STATUS</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">See above.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Have an amazing weekend, anyone who reads.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And tell me all about your nature endeavors :)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-7838873510523270552010-08-23T20:20:00.000-07:002010-08-23T21:32:46.682-07:00The word "UPDATE" is overused... The Bush, zero taxes, and the Book Heaven on Earth.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8utSRFhuhMiRT7YaoVOJuVLA32zg7nDAD8SRITfLkC1K8w5UAj14dsQYQ_v97avGbnSl_-90G38V-o-0sKsxcr-O2I9wEkX6gbVtrEl06E4hEak8ZeLeTTgSij57OFtL9EWFKU9QTPBHH/s1600/Dancers+characters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8utSRFhuhMiRT7YaoVOJuVLA32zg7nDAD8SRITfLkC1K8w5UAj14dsQYQ_v97avGbnSl_-90G38V-o-0sKsxcr-O2I9wEkX6gbVtrEl06E4hEak8ZeLeTTgSij57OFtL9EWFKU9QTPBHH/s400/Dancers+characters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508824946797865858" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66FFFF;">Because Juliet wanted it bigger.</span></span></i></span></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ok so I realize I haven't blogged in more than a week.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Boo-boo...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In an effort to make this blogging thing a habit I will take the Pledge To Blog Harder.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">I have been struggling through the wilderness. Ok, not yet, but I will!</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Starting tomorrow I am completing my qualifying journey in the Adventurous Journey component of the Duke of Edinburgh Award - silver level. On a canoeing expedition. 4 days. 3 nights. Different campsite each night. Pit toilets. Did I mention canoeing??? Fun..</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Don't get me wrong. I love the outdoors. I'm Canadian, after all, and I'm BRITISH COLUMBIAN (</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">burrrrn!!</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">). For those of you who saw those Vancouver 2010 Olympics, one of my favourite commercials was the one where they show a dramatic montage of remote wilderness and snow-capped mountains while the guy says: "This is OUR backyard! OUR playground!"</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So yeah, I'll be traversing into my backyard, simply put. Just pray that I'll survive.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Portland, OR and pilgrimage to THE BEST BOOKSTORE EVA!!</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoJwXSeIunpl35CttquOJyr7VNTVZFJWPwJMAv48qhDFZbHc1OO12B7GJQpOlA0TUEu1WcW1GV4CeYC8XdMFWw3px_uwxQxTAjKzIZjSHScQlDoQ1Tw03JRjdyP7pNIcJoUi8i3NYxNTi/s400/IMG_0079.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508824389357598978" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So recently I spent 4 days in Portland, OR with the fam. (*Note: It was 99 degrees which to a Vancouverite equals Total Sweatage.) Did some cross-border shopping with plenty of success ($160 luggage case with 2 free tshirts FTW + NO TAX BOOYA!!). My province is currently run over with the HST which is like a 12% tax on basically everything, so being in a tax-free state was amazing. I mean, I look at the price tag and go "$9.95...now, with tax that would be...hold on! IT'S JUST $9.95! No strings attached!"</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66FFFF;">"The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown.</span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOLe0vOFAWEcKdmfJRxPmKJoMdhMCD_Ih4Pm9OnC0v5byo8iV36WLN2Z3atR4niH53UnC7jhL_X_DOdKzrA1LRB0HKNIy9VJ5X6dj5EGAYtmSh_zPC13F0Q_yqO8w4q44dMZLKD3Jh_ld/s320/IMG_0049.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508821113521820866" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now, for all you writers and readers out there I have an announcement for you that will make you squeal. Portland has an amazing used and new bookstore in downtown called the Powell's City of Books. And it's just that. A city of books. Think about it: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">a bookstore spanning an entire city block, with a maze of rooms, stairwells, floor-to-ceiing shelves, and a MAP to show you where to go.</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAPrwJYULQ8W5Yb8bFomWlEG2AjdEPxQ3pH4hEZfuTshyphenhyphenOdIV0NtwX0I67nSiVw7awqUT_UZROzYy_DkyU0QbStkQQQDLBxSm28oaTCHgUbGJcPQYT3SvhVfefuVoMBTqHcdC2I1j7cmV/s320/IMG_0051.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508821126276027474" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I was breathless.</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-size:15.8333px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxYF1f2q_LVpeVsCYgX0MH8iQSF7sUuqRLgqGBpJweEp5r1Wg7HVQDhVjMu5RddrXtcR5VdOXW7kRqgykOXbcdjJFoJLACJSVIdWtcQeN_g9ZmlQCzeLy4xeL0AZP18lRq_A7UMp3vZkh/s320/IMG_0075.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508821099903097346" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Oh, by the way, I bought 5 books in the States since books are so friggin' expensive here (just check the CAN number on the back and the 2 currencies are almost equal now). I'm finally reading Hunger Games, after all that excitement on the net. It's really good...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Um..what else?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpekMpUDS_j28OnWyrm-hH-IMu1-GNj8ftQ9JEFiiANfy9CUDd9enIzbIepkWUJUZ4_1S9yZuhxNQn-MmlZgJ87aNrFmuMtFn1RQAJEfEMzlRT2QZLQXhF20XPiwz5lD93OyVx_t44ClM/s400/IMG_0062.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508824379301381842" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The 2010-2011 school year course list has arrived in the mail! *bawls* I am NOT ready for Gr.11. They say it's worse than Gr.12, dude. At least the government gave me $250 for post-secondary education because apparently I was a "good citizen" who got "good grades" last year (can't remember). So that's good! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I got a printer! (Finally.)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And uh...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm terribly jealous of my friend (the same one that drew my Dancers characters) because she's roaming the Maritimes and the east coast for 3 weeks.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66FFFF;"><--our hotel neighbour</span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:15.8333px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I reorganized my shelf so it's 2 books deep now (teehee), putting all the classics I never read in the front so when educated minds come in they will think I am a classy (another teehee).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1L6Akueh2ZJjduocRDrDMc722AiLnm-wTBW_taXFt42R7GLbUOLmEslRJpizhtoi3P5Ah98Of5YO8FKBTV1S9IBM1q9ti-Y8XWmz6g9yU7-3IkPMr5vIYq5xEg78lFYZLHXDN3pdvh1xg/s400/IMG_0073.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508825925120506226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66FFFF;">Note the placement of Dickens compared to the hint of Twilight above-left to it.</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Summer is ending, and I feel like I've done nothing.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Next post will probably not be here until Friday. No computers allowed in the campsite, nuh-uh. But stay tuned.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">PS.</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Just downloaded Lights' Acoustic EP. It's hecka good listen.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I AM GOING TO SEE X JAPAN LIIIIIVE!!!!! More on that later.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:15.8333px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCt0oYXNB27RsU0wvgfeT_cUdUHfBwRrBrWLVsEjwb97Z8TehqlPKcxzJSd81v2yryII8QFjqPJqXcFbw5pfaCp5PULNlhE_RuhucdppZUyjrPCeDs8ZbSU9_ne6A_exOtPMmAsaIuGg-/s320/IMG_0077.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508821093425088018" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66FFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Painting so far!</span></span></i></span></span></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-82539360268091223562010-08-13T22:48:00.000-07:002010-09-18T21:48:38.055-07:00Friday Night Cap-off: artistic rendering of characters! An awesome community...and the biggest bookstore on earth???<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, serif;font-size:small;">So I will starting a tradition where I will cap off the good stuff that's been happening in my week!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It is now Friday the 13th, 10:48pm Pacific Time.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Highlight of the week!</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">GOT AN ACCOUNT AT INKPOP. This is an awesome writer's community. Made 10 friends in 3 days. The peeps actually read your work with QUALITY COMMENTS, and everyone has pretty good quality work that doesn't disappoint! The swapping initiative is very useful too. I'll read yours. You read mine. I'm looking forward to more inkpoppin' in the coming weeks.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Plus, I got a professional rendering of my characters! See below.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Read of the week</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm still on The Passage by Justin Cronin. It's an amazing book, so human, so intense. But it's huge. And I've only read about an eighth of it because of the good stuffs on Inkpop and it makes a good support to stand up my canvas since I'm too poor for an easel :(</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Tune of the week</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Definitely "Lull" by Andrew Bird. Incredible song.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sample lyric:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm all for moderation</span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="http://www.thesirenssound.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Daytrotter-Session-10-29-2007.jpg"></a></span>But somtimes it seems<br />Moderation itself can be kind of extreme<br />So I join the congregation<br />Join the softball team<br />I went in for my conformation<br />Where incense looks like steam<br />I start conjugating proverbs<br />Where there once were nouns<br />This whole damn rhyme scheme's<br />Starting to get me down...</span></span></i><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm also into the extended version of "Butterfly fly away" by (yes) Miley Cyrus and her dad Billy Ray. Don't get me wrong. If she did more of those songs her "mature" image would even be BETTER. It's a mature song. Actually. It's about single parenting and growing up. They guitar is beautiful too. You should check it out.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And I'm into a few Metric tunes. Gold Guns Girls and Sick Muse. Canadian Indie FTW.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Major upcoming event</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Will be going cross-border shopping in the States. And going to the biggest bookstore in the world.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Writing Status</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I actually started on the 2nd draft of Dancers before finishing off the first draft. As for the first draft, Kain has an exam to pass, a lady to impress, and a battle to win. Kaira on the other hand is finally starting to grow up. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ok, I have a confession. I actually wrote a chapter and a half of a book idea. About aliens. But I will stop now. All my attention is for Dancers and Dancers alone!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">BEFORE I FORGET!!</span></i></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></i></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My fantastic friend, neighbour, no.1 fan, and technically my patron designed her interpretation of the Dancer characters! It's finished. AND HERE IT IS:</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlM0V1JVppLNpZxFPpQ-LOEQCzKYLcAjS5X8mE-XBB7hdAFeikYUV1tH_9Ss_ROusNO-BjwhtdI0Q2BU7wKmoF0On4CAi8Tx-m40TqO2SDzyp8yTZgoDhSUTk1afuonJ8N0sLzCf96PX2/s320/Dancers+characters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505140926248312834" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px; " /></span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>She is a good artist, no?</div><div><br /></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-69561637614892373612010-08-11T10:35:00.000-07:002010-08-12T00:11:43.988-07:00Diggin' deep through the boxers to find hidden treasure. (YA Highway's RTW)<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:Arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.</span></span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments!"</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This week's topic comes from a prompt at SCBWI: </span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"></span></span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What does your character hide in their underwear drawer - or other secret location?</span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My second Roadtrip Wednesday, yay!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Well, the first thing I thought when I saw this topic was - "uh oh, I have no idea what my characters would hide in their underwear drawers! Does that mean they're not developed enough???" *panicpanicpanicpanic-at-the-writer's-disco....*</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So I started thinking...</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Kain, the 16 year-old socially awkward questor in my current fantasy WIP, has a lack of self-confidence (well, at least in the beginning, before he finds out he makes a cunning thief...) yet dreams big. And since he's looking forward to a rebellion against a corrupt government, perhaps an assortment of secret documents on how to rule the world may be found...once he manages to murder the current leader. Too bad in his era there's no such thing as pictures, but if there was, probably a photograph of the sister he hasn't seen in 10 years. They never had a good relationship though, since she got kidnapped by aforementioned corrupt government because of him... Despite the convincing argument that she is now part of the dark side, Kain still thinks she's family, and only family he's got.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Kaira, the other main character but working for Kain's enemies, probably has more secrets. On the outside, she's an ass-kicker who burns up restaurants she doesn't likes. In her secret chest however, hidden inside a secret wardrobe in a secret room connected by a secret passage, I expect to find a stash of romantic novels. And possibly an assortment of spare battleaxes and scimitars that shoot out if someone gets too close to the drawer...</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Wow, this was actually difficult to think about. Guess I have some characters to interview!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Send me any links to your own RTW. And thanks YA Highway for making me think critically today!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, verdana, sans-serif;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div></span>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-63297298333629183132010-08-09T11:13:00.001-07:002010-09-18T21:49:46.953-07:00Imagination and storytelling can be brought alive by using the entire spectrum of arts.<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, serif;">This is probably gonna be a longer post than usual, and once and for all, I'm going to talk about writing. Actually.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm gonna be talking about writing and storytelling in relation with other arts, visual and auditory in particular.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">visual arts</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I think I started out as an amateur artist before becoming a writer (I'm no artist anymore). When I was a kid I'd make up stories in my head and draw them out. So drawing was a way for me to bring to life my ideas exactly how I saw them, or at least almost exactly, because I suck at realism.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I use art nowadays to meet my characters. I find it's only after you draw them out that the picture in your head comes becomes real and <i>there</i> - like Sam, with his toque and blonde overgrown bangs, skateboard in hand, oversized Tshirt; oh, and he's 5'10" and skinny. I believe drawing your characters, your settings, and even your action scenes seriously help you "get into" your fiction project.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgts-E5WseyhHOZgt1vW_DipCDfeLeGLNA0xBjt1IH8m862Zm7NQFlCrC3GSpWmH-yxazWtPeMlSWbg0Vixf106SjLGna49YRiB16dnVaWuyY3_TpGRzi9Zx0U-W6IslDGOwL6AzjW0UXl3/s1600/DSCN0616.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgts-E5WseyhHOZgt1vW_DipCDfeLeGLNA0xBjt1IH8m862Zm7NQFlCrC3GSpWmH-yxazWtPeMlSWbg0Vixf106SjLGna49YRiB16dnVaWuyY3_TpGRzi9Zx0U-W6IslDGOwL6AzjW0UXl3/s320/DSCN0616.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503480167656291570" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zYUXr1C2l7e9-hR1F2i6uWXlcdmk0DBvUwCVZhm7XLomSQ-dV6K5sqx0-QyveL1RbXIS1ZWupnFh8hF-j5bTvFJaC1HMcVEDtaVYezgesEA3bEA8q54FzDcKPScnD74VIWPnzUMlrdhn/s1600/dancers+copy.jpg"></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You can use any medium. Sketching is the easiest because all you need is pen and paper. I'm currently working on an acrylic-on-canvas painting. It's the 3rd painting I've ever done in my life and it's not going to well...although I am very satisfied to see the picture in my head elsewhere. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A great tool is Photoshop. The results are fantastic, although it is not easy to use. A good friend of mine (who actually convinced me to write </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dancers, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">my current novel project) is currently designing my characters on Photoshop the way she sees them. I can tell we don't imagine them exactly the same way already, but that's another interesting point in writing, isn't it? Different people have different imaginations. Different people have different perspectives.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Visual arts is a fantastic way to get in touch with your creations. Especially for you fantasy-lovers. My personal project </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dancers </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">is a tale of dragons, demon slayers, dangerous quests, and old-fashioned kung-fu fighting set in a background much like ancient China or feudal Japan. (I'll talk more about it in future posts). You don't have to be amazing at art - as the side image shows my lack of artistic ability - but the love and inspiration to do it plays the most vital role.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">auditory arts</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Another good stimulation of the imagination is music. Music puts you in the mood of the book. Music makes your book look like a movie in your head. Music blares in your background while you hammer away on the keyboard. My suggestion is, find a piece of music, or put together a soundtrack, to go along with your project.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My "soundtrack" of choice for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dancers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is a song called "Thousand years of love" (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">千年之戀)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: normal; font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> by Taiwanese group F.I.R. (Yes, it's in Chinese and I don't understand most of it, and my book has nothing to do with thousand years of love oddly enough.) However, the music - not the lyrics, the MUSIC - really colours in my imagined setting for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dancers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. It reminds me of martial arts films akin to the French-dubbed </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> I saw yesterday at midnight TV, and that's the type of movie that's playing in my head as I write </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dancers.</span></i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Music makes scenes cinematic.</i></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: normal; font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i></i>I'm a person who leans more towards music than lyrics, so a few instrumental pieces are lining up in my soundtrack also. Find your preference, and find your soundtrack!</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In short, visual art and music </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">breathes life into my characters, paints vivid images of my settings, and adds energy and excitement into the development of my plot.</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Of course, it'd be unhealthy to spend too much time in either of these activities, because we all know that WRITING is the most important art in this trio of storytelling!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So share any stories you have as writers who use other tools than writing to incarnate your imagination!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">--</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Stay tuned. More writing-related posts like this will be coming up. I'm still trying to get a firmer handhold on the cyber writing world and my new computer...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">--</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDBhQQYO-TC8MBWW4ml_v2ZNi0269u8X_uWwmtZgJsWe7A3sRHwcFfhzbKxxNZcygy2xgW0GDS8IgGjxMxLSSdMx8KIEOwRP6sdlqBlE_PpLHgtrfiLBfAGT-r71vqAcC_fiDHH18pN5I/s320/DSCN0613.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503487202316099122" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Sandwich Arts. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(Nothing to do with literature and plenty to do with feeding the writer).</span></span></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-40370472151030667242010-07-30T17:50:00.000-07:002010-08-06T23:34:26.309-07:00Want to really experience the amazing? Go to a circus.<div style="text-align: justify;">Let me tell you of an unforgettable night...</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My dad had gotten advanced tickets to Cirque du Soleil's "Kooza" show. We sat in one of the first few rows of the blue'n'yellow tent. It was a bit to the side for my liking, but the show was incredible.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>I had seen the Cirque (a Quebec-based contemporary circus company that was started in the 1980s) once before in Vegas (the show was called "Mystere"). However, those performers never cease to amaze me.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-205tdseqMxoar-AFoLUrHNEEOdVBY0h5Nd9VTWdqIA6GaRZ-JnA9T3LPOdy1B0pT0djNgC3Ig1pA2FT7lHbbAt_A5w1xMBrWzSP4fyFYfUo-U7bmcnYJZOVuWkD0Ah7WGDgiGSUtfbx/s1600/kooza2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-205tdseqMxoar-AFoLUrHNEEOdVBY0h5Nd9VTWdqIA6GaRZ-JnA9T3LPOdy1B0pT0djNgC3Ig1pA2FT7lHbbAt_A5w1xMBrWzSP4fyFYfUo-U7bmcnYJZOVuWkD0Ah7WGDgiGSUtfbx/s320/kooza2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499868732612912098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 288px; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; "></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-205tdseqMxoar-AFoLUrHNEEOdVBY0h5Nd9VTWdqIA6GaRZ-JnA9T3LPOdy1B0pT0djNgC3Ig1pA2FT7lHbbAt_A5w1xMBrWzSP4fyFYfUo-U7bmcnYJZOVuWkD0Ah7WGDgiGSUtfbx/s1600/kooza2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none; "></a></span><div><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-205tdseqMxoar-AFoLUrHNEEOdVBY0h5Nd9VTWdqIA6GaRZ-JnA9T3LPOdy1B0pT0djNgC3Ig1pA2FT7lHbbAt_A5w1xMBrWzSP4fyFYfUo-U7bmcnYJZOVuWkD0Ah7WGDgiGSUtfbx/s1600/kooza2.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-205tdseqMxoar-AFoLUrHNEEOdVBY0h5Nd9VTWdqIA6GaRZ-JnA9T3LPOdy1B0pT0djNgC3Ig1pA2FT7lHbbAt_A5w1xMBrWzSP4fyFYfUo-U7bmcnYJZOVuWkD0Ah7WGDgiGSUtfbx/s1600/kooza2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://raphealcrump.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/kooza-cirque-du-soleil/kooza/</span></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Multicoloured lights. Multi-storey sets. Wacky costumes you would only see in a Dr. Seuss books. And, might I add, daring acts.</div><div><br /></div><div>The most eye-catching of all must have been the first act after the intermission. Get this: a giant rotating contraption with spinning hamster wheels on each arm, with (yes) people in it. They don't just ride it. They attempt all these things like somersaults and backflips on it, and they look like they actually enjoy it...</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk30oQVOqS6RYvssSZWIlr74y0gmMwu0ghzE5GW1DQrp7186-zQtJLJGUFCWqvvIZtPukX6mbyb8F-A_evbQ82j4YLmicKTk5sNyXyttUDeQDr64x3piF0gw47uiEva5rY-dvKrTbF6vyT/s1600/kooza1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk30oQVOqS6RYvssSZWIlr74y0gmMwu0ghzE5GW1DQrp7186-zQtJLJGUFCWqvvIZtPukX6mbyb8F-A_evbQ82j4YLmicKTk5sNyXyttUDeQDr64x3piF0gw47uiEva5rY-dvKrTbF6vyT/s320/kooza1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499868259211456178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 249px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://apercevoir.blogspot.com/2009/05/kooza-best-show-ever.htm</span>l</span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRt4idRoPvDRQkYJjXppIWOsZVDZE_mTwot1WZ4tIwD44tZA1aD1nMgEWuBWoKGT1lgtKggxixT1V70M4Vxm1ofG2eRwp9Aln1j4wCO29dfnaEqGQK0LaG_Kc0-Ojzg0uxBpXbN7n-yLW/s1600/kooza5.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRt4idRoPvDRQkYJjXppIWOsZVDZE_mTwot1WZ4tIwD44tZA1aD1nMgEWuBWoKGT1lgtKggxixT1V70M4Vxm1ofG2eRwp9Aln1j4wCO29dfnaEqGQK0LaG_Kc0-Ojzg0uxBpXbN7n-yLW/s320/kooza5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502540802430280354" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 225px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.hour.ca/stage/stage.aspx?iIDArticle=12077</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The next best thing was the tightrope act. Imagine: one tightrope, 2 bicycles, a long pole resting on the shoulders of the two cyclists, a chair on the pole, a third performer ON on the chair...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIJsYslRt5yY_SmIv5wZmx57CeMsz9GYIj_OBYvwwH5iSvmKW-VkW0Lst8FtCDfbCtHUV5z1XHI0ktzmpc5Uwwso0rc9sGY1Wecz25WL1ZlgeAm7JWX_wboeBU9HQvxswN-twvsklhGUr/s320/kooza6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502541684344709938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://peasandthankyou.com/2010/05/03/my-kind-of-day/</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Not the mention the tower of chairs...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxXqw-gmT5W5u0wV26LM-l3zQkNbe6Nm59DOqdKcauoMH9wrAmq_pRBfLSFfSdQNk2pdXeZaYNohyphenhyphenIMkqtmf8L0cSxQgtdeCC9GowvKTIZIcmqpGh2Aw7KZQ9e_1FHwB-PkbfeTfP1ELt/s1600/kooza7.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxXqw-gmT5W5u0wV26LM-l3zQkNbe6Nm59DOqdKcauoMH9wrAmq_pRBfLSFfSdQNk2pdXeZaYNohyphenhyphenIMkqtmf8L0cSxQgtdeCC9GowvKTIZIcmqpGh2Aw7KZQ9e_1FHwB-PkbfeTfP1ELt/s320/kooza7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502542735886175314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 204px; " /></a><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://ravennagirls.wordpress.com/?archives-list&archives-type=months</span></div><div><br /></div><div>And don't forget the comedians!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgAP_NT5zRx4uKBWQXmFC8e0wKWY__uas6cGJiAt7RBehokg3fqasoVZsMNaWm-8PAYW1nn-aMx5sxLH7QrZYT9M2ExNyvom8RSkeemqeiYbYRph0CrwFRvJFf5lPnZaD5zhp09m1Lt3J/s320/kooza8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502544252043830626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.westender.com/articles/entry/cirque-sends-in-the-clowns</span></div><div><br /></div><div>There were 8 big acts in all, but the show was more than 2 hours long. Mystery, theme, colour, art, wonder, MAGIC...I dunno. It's all in there. And at the end of the night you feel like one of those kids in those imaginative storybooks that had just been transported to another world full of adventure, came back to his room, and wondered if it had been real all along...</div></div></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-48796946236250368232010-07-19T12:54:00.000-07:002010-09-18T21:50:10.624-07:00When reading goes epic! Stieg Larsson's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"<div style="text-align: justify;">Location>> bed.</div><div>Weather>> sunny/cloudy.</div><div>Mood>> like I want to do something..</div><div><br /></div>I think all of us have gone through it before: the epicness of reading a book. (That is, if you're the type of psycho who has yet to discover the dire epicness of reading books). For the last few day I've been spending hours on the couch/deskchair/bed in awkward and uncomfortable positions ripping through all 800+ of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson. Heck, it was one of the most EPIC books I've read!<div><br /></div><div>The rage about it happened about a month or two ago in Vancouver. I have to I'm late in joining the rage...(sadly, missed the trilogy 30% off sale). It's a hit in Sweden and other places in Europe, and has been for a few years. But recently the thrilling movie started a stir and it looked fantastic, so I decided to read the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me first say: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR KIDS. I've been reading adult novels for a while, but some of the violence in this one is really shocking...so be ready. The first sections of the book were albeit slow - it discussed the backgrounds of the first two characters. Blomkvist is a financial journalist who's magazine has just fallen apart due to a libel conviction by a big businessman. The other is a somewhat psychopathic personal investigator/hacker (Salander) and she's one of the most intriguing characters I've met. She becomes his sort of sidekick, and just wait till you see what her definition of revenge is. Basically, Blomkvist is hired to ghostwrite a family chronicle for the wealthy/successful Vanger family (owner of the Vanger Corporation) and at the same time try one last time to aid Henrik Vanger to solve the mystery of the disappearance of her niece almost 40 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>The beginning is a bit slow because he cannot find any new leads the police haven't. But once the first breakthroughs are introduced you're swept into a whirlwind of conspiracy, corruption, and violence for violence's sake. The plot is not worthy of any other word except for "ingenious". Also, you can't help but feel a little disturbed by what the rich business folks are<i>really</i> doing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully, along the course of my summer reading, I'll enjoy more books like these. Looking forward to more cramped nights with the rest of the Millennium Trilogy.</div><div><br /></div><div>What kind of epic reading have YOU done?</div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-15409104806173354022010-07-14T20:14:00.000-07:002010-07-14T20:22:18.826-07:00Summer so far.So what have other students been spending the summer so far with? This is about my weekday in a nutshell.<div><br /></div><div>10:00 - Wake up, eat breakfast, watch TV.</div><div><br /></div><div>11:00 - Read, or do some authoring. Or play piano. Or go longboard. Or jog. Once every two days, remember to water your family friend's garden, because, um...you get dough. And free tomatoes.</div><div><br /></div><div>12:30 - Lunch. Watch more TV. Slack off.</div><div><br /></div><div>14:00 - If on Mon, Wed, or Fri, go volunteer for 2 hours at local music school - more like an internship than anything. Make a good impression because you might get hired...</div><div>Oh, and remember to record Buffy the Vampire Slayer that runs at 3 because you're finally watching a show and not giving up... If it's a Tues or Thurs, do what you did in the morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>16:00 - Return home. Watch what you recorded. If feeling studious, do theory homework.</div><div><br /></div><div>18:00 - Dinner.</div><div><br /></div><div>19:30 - On Tuesdays, go to Richmond for musical analysis theory class. If not, go biking/longboarding with friends in the trails or whatever. Complain when your butt hurts too much or your knees get busted going uphill.</div><div><br /></div><div>21:00 - Usually home by now. Go on the computer, read blogs, watch YouTube, contribute to that outrageously long Facebook thread about that weekend outing that seems impossible to plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>24:00 - Turn on the fan or the windows and sleep.</div><div><br /></div><div>My life is <i>almost</i> interesting, isn't it?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-92200783100601307692010-07-08T19:32:00.000-07:002010-07-08T19:46:04.393-07:00So...h-hot...Vancouver's super hot now. As in, it got up to 31 C today. It's going to lower back down for the next couple of days, but still, for us, it's quite hot.<div><br /></div><div>Okay, so you tropical people out there are probably saying "Gee, that's nothing. It's like 50 degrees HERE." But for us, it's a big deal. I mean, for a city that doesn't have AC in residential houses and where people where hoodies for most the year anyways, heat is becoming a larger deal over the years.</div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><img src="webkit-fake-url://CF41B832-DF8E-49FA-86D2-213C16F14942/10577090_BG1.jpg" alt="10577090_BG1.jpg" /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">http://www.citycaucus.com/2009/07/vancouver-heat-wave-results-in-silence-from-city-hall</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p></div><div>Sometimes we get droughts. No, really. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last year, there was a gianormous heatwave and if it weren't for my mom's study (which is the only room between everyone I know that has AC), I think I could have died. The temp was the highest recorded according to CBC: 33.8 C.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Vancouver heat wave melts communication lines in mayor's office" --> http://www.citycaucus.com/2009/07/vancouver-heat-wave-results-in-silence-from-city-hall</div><div><br /></div><div>Not like I don't know "real" heat. I've been to places like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Italy, and the Caribbean, where summer temperatures soar well over 40 degrees. I easily get heatstroke, too. </div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><img src="webkit-fake-url://FE214415-CC97-4D65-86EF-DFF81B7E5BE7/d17-ttd.jpg" alt="d17-ttd.jpg" /></p></div><div>http://travelblog.viator.com/insiders-guide-to-malaysias-best-beaches/</div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully, global warming won't kill us..</div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><img src="webkit-fake-url://CCC35DCF-81A0-4240-8625-C017BA3DAB99/global-warming-fire.jpg" alt="global-warming-fire.jpg" /></p></div><div>http://www.odec.ca/projects/2007/mull7j2/What.html</div><div><br /></div><div>I shouldn't complain though. I live in one of the best biomes on Earth. This temperate rainforest is a beaut, and I have plenty of ice cream in the fridge to keep me company. </div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><img src="webkit-fake-url://614148E0-1D55-4500-B557-D7369C9DE9B9/oldgrowth.jpg" alt="oldgrowth.jpg" /></p></div><div>http://www.endangeredecosystems.org/</div><div><br /></div><div>Only bad thing is, can't go outside to longboard because the roads are BAKED.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, how's the weather, wherever you readers are?</div><div><br /></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-10385346826175867942010-07-07T11:44:00.000-07:002010-09-18T21:50:44.244-07:00My ideal writing desk!<div>Pretty much the one I have right now.</div><div><br /></div>Hm, I have the "messy" option, and the "clean" option. Personally, I'm a messy person, so I think I'll go with the messy option first.<div><br /></div><div><b>Compu-way</b></div><div>It all starts with my new MacBook Pro! I prefer writing at night, so the backlit keyboard is terrific. Plus, the keys are pretty silent so even if I stay up to the young hours of morning the folks will not notice...</div><div><br /></div><div>My current writing desk is nothing short of messy: my neglected driver's manual on the right, iPod dock in front, lamp that's not turned on, last year's school schedule on the wall, scrap paper filled with mathematical formula littered everywhere, organizational boxes that don't really organize, stuffed dog biting my iPod...that sort of thing. The 'rents are always telling me to "will you just friggin' clean your room" but a messy room makes me feel involved...plus, I can never find anything in a clean room...</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, if I DO manage to clean the desk this would be pretty much what it'd look like: cleared large desk of light-coloured wood (from Ikea!), futuristic-looking MacBook Pro on top, dock blasting music, tissue paper on the side in case I sneeze...that sort of thing, but that's boring. I prefer the messier option...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>By hand</b></div><div>Anyhoo, I prefer typing instead of traditional writing, but I DO write traditionally if I'm travelling. The ideal writing desk would be an airplane slide-out tray, a Campus notebook, and a Uni Jetstream 0.7 pen. These pieces of simple equipment are AMAZING. Campus notebooks have the best fullscap I've ever used, the paper quality is just lets your pen glide over as if its dancing on a shiny, freshly-mopped ballroom floor. The Jestream pen is also a brilliant invention. The ink just keeps flowing and flowing, not like a river, more like a waterfall, with complete control.</div><div><br /></div><div>I get these tools when I shop in Hong Kong. Asia has some good stationery stores where the entire wall is just stacked with different pens and pencils and you can test them out on pads of paper. </div><div><br /></div><div>Like that, but the whole wall...</div><div><br /></div><div>- CharTheShark-----shark out</div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-89137918586911306032010-07-05T10:45:00.000-07:002010-08-09T16:36:25.863-07:00Foreign languages, and what I think of them...<div>Location>> messy desk</div><div>Eating>> toast with butter 'n' jam</div><div>Drinking>> So Good</div><div>Weather>> Sunny! With a high of 19C.</div><div>Mood>> kind of neutral..</div><div><br /></div>The Positives and the Negatives for each one, so it's (somewhat) respectful.<div>NOTE>> Mandarin and Korean are gonna get it because there's tons of those speakers at my school who don't know a lot of English, so I have to deal with their ramblings everyday and, after a while, the respect gets sucked out of you...<br /><div><br /></div><div><ol><li>FRENCH: Negatives>> people sound like they have digestive problems, it's too guttural, and even though I probably knew what they were saying since I STUDY French they talk so fast it's a landslide of tongue rolling. Positives>> it's Canadian (YAY!!), sounds more classy than English (compare "La guitare" vs. "The guitar"), besides, it sounds super cool when you're ordering French food ("Le coq au vin, s'il vous plait!").</li><li>GERMAN: Negatives>> sounds so sharp, and it's kind of english-y yet not english...which confuses me, and I always wonder why people don't trip on those "tsch" sounds, words are also way too long! Positives>> I have Austrian friends! And, it's handy when you're trying to talk classy in the field of music... (I know "Empfinderskeit", "Sturm und Drang", and "Getsamkindswert", which is about the only German I know...). My spelling is probably wrong too..</li><li>MANDARIN (this is gonna be fun): Negatives>> LOUD, OBNOXIOUS, super annoying when all you hear is "GAN MA!" in the hallway as if they OWN the hallway, but I guess it's only bad if the rude people say it and say rude things..as in really, really, annoying. Positives>> When classier people say it, it's a nice-sounding language, you can make a lot of poetry out of it, and I need to learn those four-word proverbs to make myself sound like a smart 16 year-old Confucius... </li><li>KOREAN: Negatives>> also LOUD and OBNOXIOUS, they always sound like they're pissed off, and I can never get how they pronounce those "oeul" kind of sounds... Positives>> sounds a lot better in songs! Less obnoxious than skyrocketing Mandarin, and the Tae Kwon Do language....TKD is cool...</li><li>JAPANESE: Negatives>> super fast (how on earth do they do it?!), very dramatic, don't like those cutsey, high-pitched announcers in the subway, and I kinda get annoyed when they tweak foreign words to make it Japanese, since I can never tell what's being meant. Positives>> generally a nice, sounding language, I like the quiet-ness, and the syllables sound nice, besides, I listen to it all the time with my own free will since Japanese music pwns.</li><li>CANTONESE: HAHA!! I can make fun of this one however I want 'cos I speak it. Hmm, well, generally I think it's loud (depending on who speaks it), and it probably sounds terrible to those who don't understand it. But it also gives me a homey feeling cos there's less and less Canto people in Vancouver.</li></ol>Um, that's all for today...hope no one got offended. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh dear Wednesday's gonna be 29C, and there's gonna be 3 days of 28C after that. Who else is worried??!! And I thought the volcanic ash would shield us this year... </div><div><br /></div><div>- CharTheShark</div></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-21976164354672337822010-07-04T20:10:00.000-07:002010-08-08T16:36:16.813-07:00Half Price - the annoying fine print in salesSo, if any of you were at the Richmond Mall today they were hosting a mall-wide sale thingy and my parents insisted me on accompanying them on a periodical shopping binge (because my parents like spending money. Don't ask.)<div><br /></div><div>Anyways, as bored as I was, I decided I DID need a new pair of shoes because my current longboarding shoes are totally scuffed beyond recognition and Mom says I look like a hobo. Besides, pumping requires a thick sole and I think I've done considerable foot damage to myself...and I hate foot massages. I paid a visit to my favourite surf/skate shop and was TOTALLY STOKED when I saw the "1/2 price" tag placed next to these awesome $79.99 DC Chelsea skate shoes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well guess, what? They weren't $40 at all. Everyone had missed the fine print until we were standing at the corner and the guy reluctantly pointed it out: it was BUY 1 GET 1 1/2 PRICE not just 1/2 price.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dang it. I was in a bad mood for the next hour. Guess my feet will have to endure another month of pain.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anybody gone through a similar situation? If so, let me know in the comments below!</div><div><br /></div><div>Just to say: I've already got an idea for tomorrow's blog-o'-the-day! Stay tuned.</div><div><br /></div><div>- CharTheShark </div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-48160477137125421562010-07-04T16:45:00.000-07:002010-07-04T16:51:37.259-07:00First post...<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', serif; font-size: medium; ">Location: messy desk</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Weather: sunny/cloudy</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mood: excited</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Drinking: H2O</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, today's the first day of my blogging career.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So let me first tell you - shortly and sweetly - how I got started.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I was on Facebook, like any other old teenager, when this thing pops up at the sidebar saying "Teen Writers Needed". I clicked on it because I'm a teen writer myself. I got to this weird site that I didn't understand how it worked, so I re-searched it on Google and found an even better site: teenswritingforteens.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lemme tell you: there are some AMAZING people out there who write books. Growing up, I've always thought I was the weird one. Other kids played soccer and went out to see movies. I sit at home on my computer and write stuff. I didn't know there were teenage writers super-active out there, and some of them are actually published.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This gives great hope to me. Why? 'Cause I'm a young writer myself. I've been forming stories in my head and "making books" since I knew what they were. I've written 3 novels in my life so far, the first one which I started at age 9. I'm working on a 4th one that I'm making my friends read (teehee). My dream is to be published, to have others enjoy what I do, and to enjoy what I do myself.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I hope this blog will gather interest in my work, and a utility to showcase work to the professionals. I ask for all of your support. I hope I'll build a strong following, but this will only happen if you, the reader, is willing to help.</span></span></div>Char.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.com1