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A to Z Challenge 2013

Friday, April 30, 2010

Friday Fun - Contest Reminder

It's the last day of the contest folks. If you haven't put in your comment or (better yet) sent me a copy of some celebratory story, poem, etc, then you need to get on the ball. Click here and do your part. Then I can do my part, meaning randomly drawing your name. And then Elana will do her part, namely awarding the prize. Thank you again Elana, for contributing so much to my celebration of 200 posts.

I will perform the random drawing of a name sometime tomorrow morning, so join in on the fun before it's too late. Actually, I'm thinking I will have my youngest son pick the name randomly, and I'll maybe post some photos of said selection process.

On another note, I do plan on discussing how my critique session went with my short story class very soon. Unfortunately it's the end of the month, and that means I have articles due at Brighthub.com and possibly articles to edit as well. My post on the critique may have to wait until tomorrow.

Have a great Friday everyone, and good luck to those who have entered the contest.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Writerly Wednesdays - Consequences

There should always be consequences for our characters' choices. There's a movie I love to hate that really illustrates what happens when we DON'T keep this in mind.

The movie The Family Man (starring Nicholas Cage) is a tragic example of characters lacking consequences. Allow me to explain. Cage plays a single, rich, successful president of a huge corporation. He's insanely rich. An angel (played by Don Cheadle) decides to give Cage a glimpse into how his life would have been different had he made different choices, and Cage wakes up the next morning with a wife and kids. The wife is his old girlfriend from college, whom (in his real life) he didn't stay with because he was pursuing his career. The resulting scenes while he is in this glimpse are actually hilarious and fun.

The ending is where the story fails however. Cage wakes up from his experience back in his old luxury apartment, rich once more. He rushes off to get in touch with his old girlfriend and (after a dramatic speech) they are together again.

The problem with this ending is that he is still rich, his girlfriend is a rich lawyer, and all the choices that brought them (and kept them) together as a family during the glimpse don't exist. They are able to ride off in the sunset and have an even better life together. There are no consequences though, because they are able to have their cake and eat it too. They've attained success in their various careers, and it is assumed that now their marriage (after the end of the movie) will also be successful, full of romance, etc. Every bit of the movie that made it entertaining up to this point has just been completely invalidated.

To take this discussion into the realm of writing, if we make the same mistake in our own story, we will invalidate our own characters and maybe even infuriate our reader. Consequences are a necessary part of writing. Every choice we make in our lives has a consequence. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. Our characters have to be exposed to this as well - even if they are unaware of the consequences or blatantly ignore them. This is a reality of life, and including it in our stories keeps the writing honest and authentic.

If we're writing a murder mystery for example, there has to be a consequence for the killings. If our MC chooses to marry Beth instead of Susie, there should be something given up (or lost out on) as well as something they attain. Becoming a bricklayer instead of a politician for example, means a difference in salary and social echelon. All of these are consequences our MC must experience and face up to if we want our writing to resonate with truth.

What are you thoughts on consequences in writing? Do you consider them as you create your characters?

Edit: Don't forget ladies and gents - only a couple more days to enter the contest. C'mon, you don't want to miss out on these awesome prizes, do you? Get your butt over here and drop off a comment. There's not much time left and you'll be kicking yourself if you don't.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Monday, April 26, 2010

Monday - I've Finally Decided

I don't remember if I've mentioned this before (primarily because it's not completely writing related) but I've been pondering where I want to go with my professional life. You see, I'm currently a govt IT worker and while I get paid decently enough, I find it no longer fulfilling like it used to be.

The problem with making good money is that switching jobs might mean making less - something that can be difficult when you're supporting a family. I have spent the many weeks since graduation examining where I am, where I'd like to be, and figuring out what it would take to get there. I take my role as my family's provider very seriously, and I have included my wife in all my thoughts and musings.

I decided on basically three possible courses of action. I could remain where I am and retire in another 16 years. I've worked there 16 already, but because of my age, I can't start receiving retirement for some time to come (age 55). This is a sobering thought, because I'm fairly certain I don't want to do this type of work for another 16 years and there really isn't anywhere to advance to.

Another option I have been considering is going back for my Masters degree. I could either go for a Masters in IT - Security or choose a degree in an entirely new direction. The IT degree has some great benefits, one of which is that the program fulfills the basic certifications required for employment by the National Security Agency (as well as other comparable security employers). Such a degree might open significant doors for me.

A third option I have been weighing is working towards becoming a full time writer. This is what we'd all like to do, isn't it. Be able to sit at home and just write all day, in our pajamas no less. There are significant drawbacks to this choice however, most importantly the lack of benefits of any kind (i.e. medical, 401K, etc). I know there are plenty of you out there who do it all the time (and probably make a decent enough living), but this one scares me more than any other.

Last but not least, I have been considering a mentor position working for Western Governors University - the college I recently graduated from. You see, every student at WGU is assigned a mentor that guides them through their degree and helps keep them focused, all the way through to graduation. I was extremely impressed by my own mentor, and I have thought for some time now how much fun that would be. I have also thought how fulfilling it could be, helping people make it through college. The kicker of course is that the entire school is online, so (after a 4-6 month training period at WGU) I would be able to work from home. They also have great benefits, which satisfies the provider in me.

In the end, I've decided I am going back to get my Masters degree after all. I haven't decided WHICH one I will go for, but I'm scheduled to talk to an enrollment councillor soon. I have also decided that I will keep my options open, but I will either be using my degree to go somewhere security related in IT or become a mentor. It will just depend on what opportunities present themselves when I am done.

Don't worry though, fellow writers. Despite the fact that currently I am discounting becoming a full-time writer, I have no intention of stopping. I am just not ready to bet my family's farm (so-to-speak) on it. If I do manage to write a best seller (that sells millions of course), you can rest assured that my plans will change once more. I will continue to write every day, and I will probably still take a writing class here and there where I can.

I feel much better now that I've made a decision - now that I know where I want to go. Kind of ironic, isn't it? In my real life, I like to know where I'm headed. I like to know that my world is safe and secure. In my writing however, I'm content to let the story go where it will, no matter what dangers it holds for my characters. Kind of funny, actually.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Friday - Criticisms and Class Notes

Today I'd like to talk about my thoughts regarding my short story class session this past Wednesday. Jody Hedlund is responsible for getting me going on this though, since she put up a great post on handling feedback on our writing. This particular topic is important to me because (as I've mentioned previously) I just handed my short story to everyone to workshop it.

This is an interesting feeling, putting my work out there to a group of relative strangers and waiting for their feedback. On the one hand, I like to think I enjoy sharing what I write whether it's first draft quality or revised a bit. I know how good (or bad) a writer I am, and I don't have a problem facing up to the mistakes I make.

On the other hand, this is the first thing I have written where I am actively hoping to work it up to publishable quality. What I mean by this is that with the WiPs I've written before, I would like to publish them but that destination is a long way off. With this short story, I can actually see the glow at the end of publication tunnel (and I'm hoping it's not a train). With this thought in mind, I guess I'm a bit more nervous about what these other people might say. I'm trying to remain positive, trying to remember that whatever criticisms they have will only improve my writing. I won't deny however, that part of me hopes they aren't cringing or feeling frustrated at having to workshop a story that (in their viewpoint) obviously isn't ready.

No matter how it turns out, posts like Jody's helps me keep in mind the positive things that can come out of criticism.

Besides turning in my story, class was really fun. We had a few people read off their flash fiction exercises (I didn't do any since I was getting my story ready). I was extremely impressed by the quality of the writing that my fellow students displayed. If I can capture even a little bit of what these people do so well, it'll be awesome.

We also had some on-demand, timed writing exercises that really challenged me. I liked it alot though, because the pressure of time made me just write and not think. That's not to say I didn't pause a couple times, but for the most part I just kept my fingers typing away and it was fun. The exercises involved being given a single word and using that as a launching point for writing something creative. If you've never done this before, I highly recommend it. Just pick a noun or a verb at random, set yourself a short time frame (like 5 - 10 minutes) and write. It was really cool and it was probably the first time I've ever felt like I was writing almost nonstop.

I will pick things up again probably on Monday, since I have alot of reading and class exercises to do this weekend. I also want to mention that I received my copy of Hearts Of The Morning Calm by Galen Kindley a couple days ago. I'm a few chapters in and I am blown away. His writing is phenomenal and I am so happy to be the recipient of this book. I will say that I'm not exactly thrilled by the cover though. Pink is not a color I spend much time with (okay, I actually avoid getting anywhere near pink), and this book has lots of pink on it. The words within the pages however, are more than worth dealing with the barrage of pink.

Sir Kindley has been gracious enough to agree to an interview, which I will conduct once I'm through reading his wonderful tome. Keep your eyes peeled for that coming up soon. And if you haven't entered my contest, get on it. There is only one more week to go, since it ends on April 30th. The prizes to choose from are awesome folks; you'll be kicking yourself if you miss out.

In closing, remember this:

You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose.

But you can't pick your friend's nose.

Ba dum dum dum!

Happy Friday, everyone.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Hit 39...Turn The Page

I have been toying with the idea of this post and I almost wasn't going to put it up until I read something Sandra wrote. It's an interesting post you should read.

People mention the 40th birthday as a significant event, but I'm sitting here at 39 (as of Monday the 19th) and thinking it has more of an impact. It's the silent breath before the battle, the toes extending out over the cliff. Okay, that's a little melodramatic, but hitting 39 does make you think about things.

For starters, my birthday is not as fun as it used to be. I live in Denver, so my birthday is too close to the tragedy at Columbine High School. I even have a cousin who was a teacher there. Then of course there's the Oklahoma City Bombing, another terrible tragedy. And of course, having your birthday right next to Hitler's isn't exactly cool either.

I was not personally affected by these things, but they weigh on my mind nonetheless. When I think about these events, I am saddened by the loss of life for no real purpose.

Turn the page...

Time to get back to more optimistic things. I finished my short story (tentatively titled "The Job") for my writing class. I even managed to do a bit of editing on it. I changed the first section because I felt it didn't catch attention quick enough. The ending is a little abrupt, but I think that's how it has to be.

Since I'm turning it over to the workshop crew this evening, I'm feeling more anxious than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. To make matters worse, I had a co-worker read it this morning and I typed the wrong word in a sentence halfway through. But they're already printed and I really don't want to re-print 10 new copies. Grrrrr.

Oh well, at least I know the error is there and it's not a HUGE error, just a wrong word. Here's hoping there aren't ten million more.

Last but not least, if you haven't entered my contest, get your butt over here. The prizes are awesome, folks. You don't want to miss out on this, and entering is as easy as commenting on a post. Get to it!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Ten Word Tuesday - Criticism

Which is worse...

Preparing for criticism or actually receiving it?

Blog Chain - Different Characters And Exercises

Before I launch into the blog chain question, I want to make sure everyone knows about the contest in progress. If you haven't stopped by this post, you need to. The contest is fun and the prizes are awesome (care of Elana Johnson, writer extraordinaire). Get your butt over there and enter today. I'll wait.

Okay, now that the housekeeping is out of the way, let's get to it. The amazing and talented Sandra has started off this round with two questions. She gave the option to answer one or the other, but I'll do em both. Sandra asks:

Have you ever created a character different from yourself in some significant way, such as (but not limited to) different gender, race, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation? If so, what, if any, research did you do to portray these differences? Was this character a main character, secondary character, or walk-on? Did these differences have an impact on the story?

Have you ever written writing exercises? If so, did you find the experience useful? What type of writing exercises were they, and did you do them on your own or as part of a writing class or workshop?

My first attempt at a novel (before I really knew anything at all) had a young Hispanic woman as one of the main characters. Other than being married to a wonderful Hispanic woman who is eternally young (that's right baby, I won't put your age in here. You're 29 and holding, right?), I had no background to pull from. This woman is also homeless, which is another aspect of life I thankfully have not had to deal with. Did I panic? I think not.

I searched around and was able to interview a woman who was working at a place that assists homeless women. She was a young Hispanic woman who had been homeless herself at one point. I wish I could relate her story to the world because it was so amazing. I will say however, that she had a profound effect on how I viewed my main character from that point on. Although I have put the story on hold for now, I will go back to it someday when my writing is significantly improved.

As for the second question, I am currently embroiled in a short story writing workshop. Although we're only a few classes in, we've already been doing some really cool exercises. The first one involved writing an entire story in only 550 words. That was pure torture for me. I guess I'm a masochist though; I didn't quit the class and I can actually say I'm glad I worked through the exercise.

We've also done writing-on-demand, where the teacher gives us a sentence and tell us to go from there. We're dealing with flash fiction currently, something I've never worked on before. Oh, and of course we're writing our own short story, to be workshopped by the group. Did I mention that I get the honor of turning mine in first tomorrow? Can you say stressed out? I'm more than a little nervous.

In any event, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Michelle Hickman is following me tomorrow, so make sure you stop by and read what she has to say.

Friday, April 16, 2010

More Contests

If it's not enough to enter my contest, you can always head over to Sarah With A Chance. She's holding a contest that makes mine look positively weak by comparison. Still, if one of you manage to win it, that'd still be cool. If I do, you know I'll be shouting to the rafters. So head on over, fill out the form, comment on her blog, put up a post about it. Oh, and if you do manage to announce it (successfully) to Oprah, I definitely want to know you have those kind of connections.

Good luck!

Friday Celebrations - Contest Alert!

Since I recently put up my 200th post, it's time to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than with a contest?

What are the details of this contest? It took me a few days to decide how I wanted to do this, but I've come up with something I think will be really fun. I love reading what others write, so I'd like you to write something for the contest. The topic is a celebration. You can relate a funny story involving a real celebration or you can make up something completely fictional. It can be short or long, any genre. If you don't want to put it into the comments section (because you don't want anyone else reading it), email it to me at estallsworth@comcast.net. Just make sure you put in a comment mentioning that you did that. I will then randomly select a winner.

Just to make this clear, I will NOT be judging the quality of your writing. I just enjoy reading how different people handle the same topic. And I am learning how important it is that we keep writing all the time, so this is a great excuse to motivate you all.

Now, I can hear some of you out there groaning. You don't really want to share your writing, you hate writing exercises, whatever it is. I'm not about to be an ogre, so if you just want to be entered in the contest without being forced to write, that's fine. Just get me a note from your mother (just kidding). All commentors will be included in the drawing regardless of whether they actively participate or not. I'm of course hoping that alot of you WILL write, but I'm not going to require it. This is about fun and celebrating, after all.

The closing date for this contest will be in two weeks on April 30th. That will (hopefully) give everyone plenty of time to write something (if they so desire).

The prize for this contest is awesome. Somehow I have managed to convince the extremely talented Elana Johnson to pony up her services. Whoever wins this contest get their choice of one of the following:

1. A critique of the first 10 pages of a work in progess/final draft/whatever.
2. A critique of your query letter.
3. A free copy of Elana's magnificent e-book From The Query To The Call.

Don't ask how I managed to obtain the prizes from Elana. I offered up my soul, but Elana replied she'd rather have cash. Kidding people, kidding. She was actually okay with a soul contract.

In closing, enjoy the following video. Feel free to dance along in your office/cubicle/living room.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Bare Bones Homework

Here is what I finally ended up with, though it's not completely finished.

Peter grabbed the rough wooden rail with a calloused hand. He exhaled and straightened with effort. Today marked his third attempt at impressing Cynthia, to no avail. His complete lack of agility made Peter nothing more than a practice dummy for the real knights. He wished there were an easier way to win Cynthia’s heart than combat on the practice field, but gallantry seemed to be the only thing she cared about.

With these thoughts in mind, Peter ignored the pain and puffed his chest out. He nodded at the man who’d sent him sprawling and strutted off the field. Peter kept up the pretense until he was out of sight of the castle, even though every step reminded him of the bruises he’d sport tomorrow.

No matter how often Peter practiced with sword and shield however, his skill never improved. Peter refused to give up. Every afternoon he swung a rough wooden sword at a makeshift target. His daydreams were filled with the sounds of steel upon steel, his body encased in brilliant armor, and Cynthia cheering him on. Every evening however, Peter faced the grim reality of his destitute life. There was no beautiful, wealthy woman to admire his prowess – only barren farmlands and a crumbling home.

Then one evening as Peter was rubbing sore arm muscles and cursing his luck, a knock came at the door. Nobody ventured out here, he thought. Maybe it’s a bandit. He shrugged and headed for the door. He had nothing to steal, and killing him was probably not worth anyone’s time. The well-dressed man at his door was not what Peter had expected. The man caught him off guard, so much so that Peter didn’t even object when the man strode in without so much as a word.

“You are in need of help, young man. And I can provide it…for a price, of course.” The man’s deep voice sent chills down Peter’s spine.

“Sir, I don’t know what you’re selling, but I ain’t got a single coin to hold in muh hand.”

The man touched a finger on the dusty table, clucking his tongue. “Oh, I think we can come to an agreement, my young friend.” He turned to face Peter. “You wish to win the girl’s heart, don’t you? I can provide you with a sword that rivals all others. And all I need is your signature.”

None of this made sense to Peter, but any chance to win Cynthia’s heart was worthwhile no matter how odd. He signed the paper with an odd quill the man provided, and then the odd man folded the document carefully.

“You don’t have a seal, do you?” the man asked. Peter shook his head, so the man said, “Don’t worry, a drop of your blood will do in place of wax. I will seal it myself.” A prick from the man’s long fingernail, and the agreement was sealed. Then the man pulled forth a magnificent sword that gleamed in the faint light. “With this sword, you will never lose.”

Feel free to comment. I've got thick enough skin so don't worry about hurting my feelings.

Week Two Of Class - Almosts and Uh Oh's

This week's session in my short story class was...interesting. For starters, I arrived a few minutes early rather than stumbling in late like last week. That helped a bunch, since I don't enjoy the embarrassment I feel whenever I arrive late somewhere.

We had a writing assignment to create a bare bones story. We were supposed to write something very short that adhered to a basic framework. Somebody wants something. They are striving to obtain it. Something blocks their way. They overcome this with the help of something supernatural. Tada, The End. Note, I'm keeping this very general because my teacher asked me to not re-iterate the workings of the class. But this is the general idea of our homework.

Those of you who remember I'm a pantster, raise your hands. Can you imagine how much I struggled to plot out the story? I fought against my natural writing instincts, I wrote passages and abandoned them as either inept or not following instructions. I even wrote the entire thing before realizing that while it was a decent story, it didn't really fit the proposed exercise. I started over too many times to count. And in the end, I wasn't able to completely finish the story (though I did come extremely close). I just ran out of time, to be honest.

I will post an excerpt of this final version of my story in the next post. Then you can all point, giggle behind your hands (the ladies, that is. I'm hoping none of you men out there would giggle behind your hands), and see what happens when I am out of my comfort zone. It's not my best work, I fully admit.

The one good thing I got out of this however, was a clear understanding of why I need to do something similar to this when I am writing. While I might not want to plot everything out, I do need to answer the basic questions. Why is my character here? What do they want? What is keeping them from it? So the exercise did help me, even if I didn't quite finish it successfully.

One other thing I noticed during the class was how much it reminded me of a group meeting. The only thing missing was each of us standing up to say "Hi, my name is Eric and I'm a writer." I've never been involved in this type of atmosphere, and I honestly can't say whether I really like it or really hate it. Sometimes I feel like I talk too much, and then other times I feel like I should speak up and I don't. I have this war going on inside my head, pride fighting against my lack of self confidence. Or maybe it's the idea that what I have to say will sound incredibly idiotic, as if everyone else views the sky as blue and for some reason I'm seeing purple.

The 'Uh Oh' hit at the end of class when we had to pick workshop dates for our short stories (the ones we will be receiving direct feedback on). The teacher started the signup sheet going the other way around the circle, so of course by the time it got to me, the only spot left was to be the first one to submit. So yeah, I have to have my story ready to go by next Wednesday. I'm so glad I started messing around with this thing a month ago or I'd really be stressing. I'm still stressing a bit because I know how rough it is. It's a first draft still. And I still have the last quarter of it to write. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I should have the results on it in two weeks.

A question for you all as I wrap this up. Have you been in a writing class or something like this before? If so, how did you deal with feeling comfortable about speaking up, being a part of the discussion?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Monday, April 12, 2010

Monday Moments

There are a couple of things I've been meaning to mention, just in case you haven't stumbled upon them yourself. These are posts by others that have piqued my interest and are noteworthy for one reason or another.

For starters, if you haven't heard about Shaun's book The Deathday Letter, you're missing out. If you want to see what all the fuss is about though, Shaun is offering a glimpse at his work in the form of the first chapter (and the second as well, if you become a fan of the Facebook page). I have read excerpts of what Shaun can do, but this view into his book is awesome.

Once you come back from reading Shaun's chapter, you need to dance your way over to a post by The Surly Writer. Michelle takes a simple idea like walking around and turns it into an incredible experience. She depicts those around her with an unnerving accuracy - would that I could grab even a sliver of that skill. Her post left me visibly shaken, because of how wonderful it is to see the world through her literary eyes for a moment.

Finally, I wanted to talk about a story from another medium that I recently re-watched. I sat down with my sons yesterday to watch Soylent Green. If you've never had the pleasure of watching this one, I highly recommend it. It's understandably an older flick, but I think it has still aged well. In fact, my 16 year old and 11 year old sons enjoyed it as well. The big stars you may recognize are Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson. I won't spoil the story for you either, other than to say it's apolyptic sci-fi fun.

In ending this post, I just realized this is post# 199. Wow, where did the time go? I am going to have to think of what to do for my 200th post.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Blog Chain - Marketing For 100, Alex

That's right sports...er...literary fans, its blog chain time. The question this time around comes care of our own wonderful Michelle Mclean (yeah, we have two Michelles on the blog chain now, so I gotta specify). She poses the following question:

Do you write for the market or for yourself? Why? Are there times you do both? Or times when you've written something specifically because it was "hot" at the moment? If so, how did it turn out?

This is a fairly easy question for me to answer because I'm the resident newbie on the blog chain (or at least I feel like one most times). You see, I am not yet at the level where I am ready to market my works, put myself out there, etc. So when I write, it's for me and me alone. Now this is not to say that I don't wonder if what I am writing will ever be marketable, but I don't feel educated enough yet to worry too much about it.

For just a moment however, I will expand my thoughts and answer the question as if I WERE ready to market my writing. Knowing myself, I think I'd still have to write what I write because it's in my head at the time. I've never been very good at writing what others expect me to write. I don't think it helps my creativity at all, and in the end the writing just comes out forced. The times when I feel like I've written something well confirm this; the writing is good because I lose myself in the words, not because I am writing something I think will sell.

I'm an eternal optimist I guess. I truly do believe that if the writing is good, it'll sell no matter what. A perfect example of this is Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet by Jamie Ford. Yes, I'm a vocal champion of his work, but that's beside the point. The story involves the time period right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. While there may be older generations who can directly identify with this time period, there are a ton of us who can't. For many people these days, the bombing of Pearl Harbor is something that happened in the history books, not something they identify with. Regardless of this fact however, it is my belief that the writing on the page is incredible enough that any generation could get happily lost in the story. I also believe (after interviewing the author himself) that he just wrote the story because it was a good story, not because he thought he could sell it.

My heart tells me this is true. The part of me who believes that good writing is marketable, no matter what the subject matter. Optimistic to the extreme perhaps, but it keeps me working at my craft so that I can improve.

Someday I hope to be ready to put my works out there, to be querying alongside all the rest of you. I'm quite certain however, that whatever I put out there will be whatever I manage to scrawl on a page. It may not be part of the current trend, and then again it might. What I hope it will always be is my best work.

If you haven't had a chance to read my predecessor Sandra's answer, you really should stop by. And tomorrow, you can read an answer from one of our newest members of the blog chain, Michelle Hickman a.k.a. The Surly Writer(she's not really that surly, btw).

What are your thoughts on this question? Do you write for the market or yourself? And no, your answer doesn't have to be in the form of a question.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Class Writing Prompt #1

Henry’s gift to Clara was a cruise to the Arctic, just for her. He’d been planning this for months. The day he was ready to present it however, Clara was late coming home from work. 5 PM came by. 6 PM. Where the heck could she be? Her law firm was known for late hours, but he didn’t know of any pending cases she was working on.

“Yes, I’m looking for my wife. Is she in a meeting?”

“I’ll have to check, Mr. Robbins.” The hold music dragged on. “I’m sorry Mr. Robbins, Mrs. Robbins has left for the day.”

Too many unspoken questions waited on his lips. He didn’t want to cause a scene , but he was getting worried. Clara was too well known by the city’s underbelly. Death threats were almost becoming commonplace, despite her assurance that they amounted to nothing. Truth be told, he was the timid one. Clara was a bulldog with a law degree.

“Thank you for checking. I’ll call her on her cell.”

He hung up and dialed again, knowing that she wouldn’t answer. Clara was a stickler for turning off her cell phone while driving. The fact that she should already be home didn’t escape him, but Henry was ignoring the warnings pounding in his head.

There was a knock on the door. Clara wouldn’t knock. He jumped towards the door and yanked it open, but he wasn’t surprised by the badge and the gun. Henry just leaned against the doorframe and closed his eyes. Too late.

Where Have I Been? Man, Let Me Tell You...

I hadn't planned on being unplugged from 'Da Muse for an entire week. But like my writing, life rarely works out as planned.

Today is the beginning of a new series of posts. I am currently enrolled in a class about writing short stories, and I intend to chronicle my thoughts on each Thursday (for the next 8 weeks, anyway). I promised my teacher I would not discuss the details about the class, I wouldn't post the work of others, and I would make this just about me. If you get anything out of this (even if it's laughter at my feeble attempts), the posts are worthwhile.

I arrived barely on time (maybe even a minute or two late), which is not a good thing for me. Arriving fifteen minutes early was burned into my brain before I even left the womb. Being late made me a tad bit nervous, which I didn't need since my stomach was already doing flips.

The class was already involved in an exercise to get to know one another, and ironically that helped make me feel better. It was fun, I got to see how similar and different we all are, and I didn't feel THAT different. There are some people in the class who are very experienced (maybe) and there are those like me who need more guidance. The range of personalities is across the spectrum too, which is cool. Me, I'm not the quietest of the bunch but I don't think I'm the most vocal either. Another guy holds that title.

After we got to know one another, we read a short story and discussed it. I like and yet don't like this type of thing. I like the fact that I get to hear so many different perspectives. There were things I didn't notice when I read the story that others did. That was interesting. What I don't like however, is trying to discuss why the author wrote one thing as opposed to another. That type of discussion just bugs me, primarily because I don't think that's a question anyone else can answer. But overall, it was still fun and useful.

The last thing we did was a writing prompt. We were given one sentence and told to write the rest. I'm going to post what I wrote on the next entry (since this one has dragged on a bit), but I'd like to say this was the most enjoyable part of yesterday's class. It challenged me to write without thinking. I did a very good job of not editing, and I kept typing the whole time (pretty much anyway). And despite the first draft nature of the writing, I like what I churned out. It has potential anyway. I now have some homework to work on, which involves some reading AND some writing. I'm really excited and looking forward to next week.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Do Your Characters Order You Around?

For most writers, I can guess the answer to that question. I was talking to some friend's last night though and the conversation cracked me up inside. My friend's daughter was talking about Stephanie Meyers and a quote that she said. She basically stated that the characters in the Twilight series made her write the books a certain way, that she had no choice in the matter.

The daughter thought that idea was crazy. I explained to her that I didn't think that was all that bizarre and that alot of writers feel that way about their characters. She gave me a weird look, but didn't really say anything.

This morning though, I was thinking about this again and I had to laugh. If you had told me a year ago about something like this, I would have thought the idea was a little crazy too. It's funny how I don't think that's too weird now. I can hear all you plotters out there siding with my friend's daughter though. If I planned my novel out, I'd be in control, right? Yeah, that particular habit is something I doubt I'll ever adopt in any big way. For one thing, I get a thrill out of seeing where my characters are taking me. It's that bit of unknown that makes me chuckle and keep writing.

On the other hand, I can see how being in control might make it easier for me to guide the story. I'd be telling the character what to say and where to go. But in the end, they wouldn't be themselves; they'd be mirrors of me, walking through the storyline. By letting them work their own way through the story, I believe it lets me envision them in clearer detail and with more realism.

What about all of you out there? Do your characters order you around? Do they tell you how the story needs to be? And how often do you listen?


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I was in the USA for almost 6 months recently, helping with a new grand baby, enjoying the holiday season with children and grand children , and doing shows to support and promote the Namibian women in our project.

Thanks to many of you, who purchased beads and jewelry, we were able to raise over $10,000 USA dollars to keep our project solvent!  There was a time when we could make enough sales in Namibia alone, but most of our sales in country are to tourists, and fewer and fewer tourists are coming to Namibia these days. We sell in country, only about 1/3 as much now, as we did in the pre-2011 days.

My beautiful model here is Asteria Shilongo. She is facilities manager at our community training center. She is as beautiful inside as out!

When I first realized I would be training Namibian women in hand craft, I must have thought there were 20 of me. I had so many ideas! And I brought tons of supplies to Namibia for all those hundreds of ideas. Back in 2003 and for a few years after, we were allowed two 70 lb. bags of luggage.
Weren't those the days!

Now that both my husband an I are in our 60's, we are looking at a bit slower pace and to spending more time in the USA with our grandkids, while still promoting the hand work of Namibian women.

 We are thinking 9 months in the USA and only 3 months per year in Namibia.( For  the past 13 years it has usually been 9 months in Namibia and 3 in the USA).

All that to say, I recently began going through all those supplies I brought years ago, and passing them on to other organizations who could put them to good use.

When I came to the ribbon box though, I had a hard time giving up all my never used plans for the ribbon.  I also still have lots of fabric I had thought to use for making hand bags.  My most dear friend here has just been diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, so I have been thinking head covers anyway. Over the weekend head bands just kept pouring out of my little garage work room.
Here's one with a crocheted band and silk ribbon flower
I got my crochet patterns here. I love her patterns !

Head bands are such instant gratification! A new one can be whipped out in a little over an hour. And they will be much less complicated to teach than hand bags.

Now the question is..........Is there a market?  Please give me some feed back.  Do you like wide or narrow? Is there a market?

I am also working on some children and baby sizes.

Here's the week end stash

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Friday, June 30, 2006

Alhambra - An Arabian Gem in the Spanish Crown

First article I ever write, and in my opinon my best, published in 'The Art Review' , June 2006.

Alhambra is an enchanted, magical palace in the heart of Andalusia and no words, music or painting can do it justice. you have to visit it to even begin to imagen the beauty this fortress hold for the beholder.


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Monday, November 14, 2016

Putting Pen to Paper

...or fingers to keys, as it were.

Writing has long been a tool I use to process emotion. It's also the way I prefer to communicate. My mom would often get mad at me when I was younger because rather then tell her I had done something wrong, I would write her a note. It's how I would apologize to her after a fight, too. It's easy to dismiss this approach as cowardice--it is, after all, easier to write something than to say it to someone's face. But this dismissal fails to account for the fact that often, I can't say something out loud, as much as I might want to. I'm a rational, logical person. But I also feel emotions very strongly. And when I know that my emotions will interfere with my logic or rationality, I look for ways to dilute those emotions. Writing is usually the solution. If I try and say something to your face--something I care about deeply--there's a chance I'll fail because I cry or I get off track or you interrupt me. I'm normally confident in my ability to be articulate, but when I doubt my ability to be as articulate as I need to be, the written word will always be there for me.

So that's why I'm writing this. Because I have so many thoughts, fears, disappointments, and emotions right now. Completely free of hyperbole, I can tell you that I'm in mourning. Six days removed from the election, I can see slightly more clearly and I know that that mourning is not for an entire nation. I (still) believe in America. I (still) believe in the Constitution. And I want to believe that the structure of our government that has withstood nearly 230 years will remain undamaged four years from now.

But still I mourn.

I have not been quiet about my support of Hillary Clinton. But I haven't told many about my political journey over the last year--about going from "not that female president" to #ImWithHer. It has been a year full of research, of reading, of realization. It's a process that deserves its own post. Its own conversation. I have come to love Hillary Clinton for who she is, without reference to any other candidate. And trust me, knowing that she will not become this nation's first female president brings forth its own round of tears every day. I mourn that loss, that possibility, too. But again, that's not why I write.

I write because I thought I knew you. Maybe not you, specifically, who's reading this. But you my community, my religion, my friends, my countrymen. On November 7, I thought I knew who surrounded me as I drove on freeways and walked on city streets. I thought I knew whose tweets I liked. I thought I knew that even if we disagreed on politics, we agreed on morality. On kindness. On goodness.

I thought I knew that there were some people in this country who wore red hats and trolled my feeds and hashtagged #MAGA and that those were the people who supported a man who spews hate and greed and conspiracy and lies.

I thought there were people who said both #NeverHillary and #NeverTrump and that those were the people who refused to vote for Hillary for reasons I disagreed with but who also refused to vote for him for reasons I respected. I saw people talk about Evan McMullin and I was inspired. I was inspired to believe that my hope for the end of the two-party system could eventually become reality. I was inspired by people who knew that their candidate couldn't possibly win the election and who were principled enough to support him anyway. I thought many times, how neat would it be to see Utah neither red nor blue on CNN's election map but to see a third party win the state? Because even though I support Hillary and wanted her to win, I wasn't naïve enough to believe that a republican state would suddenly go blue. I did believe, though, that those who profess traditional republican values would be willing to support a traditional republican and vote for McMullin.

And on November 8, I was blindsided. Yes by the entire country who defied the polls. Yes by millions of Americans who support a man I find despicable. But mainly by people who I thought were similar to me. BYU fans and members of the Church. Members of a Church that decried hateful immigration and refugee policy proposals and rhetoric. Members of a Church that teaches love for your neighbors. Members of a Church that preaches respect for women, chastity, and godliness. I tremble as I type this truth: 61% of members of the Church voted for him. Voted for hateful immigration and refugee policy proposals and rhetoric. Voted against their neighbors. Voted for sexual deviance. For sexual assault. Voted against women. And while religion and politics are separate, religion and values are not. And I just. can't. believe it. I can't believe that so many of you who share my chapel and my temples and my name turned your back on what I thought united us.

Am I judging and generalizing? Yes. But that doesn't change the fact that since last Tuesday, every person I see, I wonder. I wonder, "Are you one of them? Did you vote for him? Did you do this?"

Twitter, a social network I loved, has been tainted. Because the same people I cheered with every time BYU scored a touchdown started to show their true colors last Tuesday. They came out of the closet, so to speak, and embraced a man publicly that prior to that day they had only supported in private. Maybe that support started during the primaries, or after the republican convention, or maybe only in the voting booth. But whenever that support started, they didn't admit or acknowledge it. They lied by omission. They tricked me into believing that whatever our disagreements, on one thing we could agree: He cannot be our president.

But then the election results rolled in. People who I had previously connected with and respected severed any connection and lost my respect. And I thought, if 6/10 Mormons voted for that man, did 6/10 BYU fans? And I thought, do the people who sit next to me at games agree with him? And I thought, we are not the same. And I thought, I don't want to be associated with you.

And I thought, how? and, why? and, is this real? and I cried.

And still I cry.


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Published on Worldview Interactive (

The Sudanese Government: The Cause of so Much Suffering

By worldview
Created 7 Nov 2006 - 23:08

As the news of the unfolding tragedy in western Sudan is now making front-page news, people should be made aware that atrocities have been taking place in southern Sudan for decades. Aerial bombardments and helicopter gunships have been used to attack the southern Sudanese civilian population for years. In 1999, there were 65 confirmed aerial bombings of civilians in southern Sudan, however, the number of such attacks more than doubled in 2000 to 132 and tripled in 2001 to 195 confirmed bombings. Most of these attacks occurred in the Bahr el Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria, Southern Blue Nile, and Upper Nile regions.

With such a history of state-sponsored atrocities, one wonders why it was Saddam Hussein of Iraq, and not President Omer Al Bashir of Sudan, that topped America's hit list in the War Against Terror.

Peace talks seeking to bring an end to the North/South conflict began early April 2003, opening the possibility for both Northern and Southern Sudan to exploit the wealth from the south's oil-rich territory. In early January 2004 an accord was signed on wealth sharing but the parties have yet to agree on how to share power. On 26 May 2004 the Sudanese government and the main independence movement, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), signed three key protocols which brought them a step closer to a comprehensive peace agreement. This agreement provided for six years of autonomy for the mainly Christian and animist south, to be followed by a referendum on the political future of the region. It is yet to be seen if the delicate peace with the South will stand. Given Sudan's track-record for the miltary domination of it's own people, one wonders if the promised oil revenue will only be spent on more military hardware and in the end fund more oppression and genocide within Sudan's borders.

Since the signing of the peace agreement with the South, civil war has continued in western Sudan (Darfur) and over one million people have now been displaced by government-allied militias. Similarly, in the Shilluk Kingdom of Upper Nile, militias have displaced between 50,000 and 150,000 people since February 2004 in clashes over territory and resources. Over the last 12 months both this Western Sudan crisis (Darfur) and the Northern Uganda crisis (displaced population due to LRA rebels) have attracted the description of "the world's worst" human tragedies - both of which are traceable to the deliberate actions and complicity of the northern Sudanese government.

To Sudan's south in Uganda, the LRA rebels have reportedly received substantial assistance from the Sudanese government during the 16 year conflict. Recently, LRA rebels captured by the Ugandan army have even been wearing Sudanese military uniforms! Many believe that Sudan's support for the LRA has been in retaliation for Uganda's support for the Southern Sudanese independence movement. The Sudan-sponsored LRA rebels have displaced over one million people, killed thousands of people and burned tens of thousands of homes. It has been conservatively estimated that over 40,000 children from northern Uganda have been abducted by the LRA. Captured children are routinely forced by the LRA to commit atrocities, including murdering members of their own families. Boys are forced into conflict as soldiers and young girls become prostitutes or are sold as slaves into Sudan. Many have died at the hands of the rebels. Some manage to escape. Others have been liberated by the Ugandan military as they pursue the LRA and have been able to obtain care and trauma counselling through special programs run by World Vision, enabling victims to eventually return to their homes. Other smaller organisations have also been seeking to relieve some of the suffering in the region by distributing food and other essential items to displaced people in the IDP camps and town centres.

The fact that such atrocities have been allowed to continue for so long without the anger and action of the international community is a travesty of justice, and reveals just how selective and inconsistant the international community has been in responding to human tragedies. As the Australian government comes under increasing criticism for it's role with the coalition in the deaths of over 10,000 innocent Iraqi civilians, Australia's defense minister has now indicated that Australia is considering sending troops to a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Sudan. But unless the people of Darfur get help soon this may be a case of 'too little, too late'. "We are contemplating whether to make a contribution," Defense Minister Robert Hill told AP. "It would be relatively modest and we haven't made a final decision. He said the troops of interest to the United Nations included medics and engineers.

It is good to see that the international community is finally taking some steps to intervene in Sudan's internal genocide. Let's hope and pray that Australia's consideration of military intervention in Africa will proportionally reflect legitimate concerns for the humanitarian need, rather than merely serving the economic interests of our most powerful allies.

Allan Weatherall,
Publisher, Worldview Interactive

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English law

Learn more about English law

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English law is a formal "term of art" that describes the law for the time being in force in England and Wales. Although devolution has accorded some degree of political autonomy to Wales in the National Assembly for Wales, it does not have sovereign law-making powers and the legal system administered through both civil and criminal courts remains unified. This is different to the situation of Northern Ireland, for example, which did not cease to be a state when its legislature was suspended (see Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972).

[edit] Discussion

The United Kingdom is divided into states each with a separate legal system and jurisdiction. For the purposes of Public International Law, a "state" is the nation given de jure recognition so that it may, inter alia, enter into a treaty with another nation. But, for the purposes of Conflict of Laws, Beale defines a "state" as follows (at § 2.1/2.5):

The civilized portion of the earth is divided up into certain units of territory in each of which a particular law proper to that territory alone prevails, and that territory is for legal purposes a unit.
§ 2.2. What Determines the State. — It has been seen that the existence of separate legal units within the dominions of a single sovereign is a fact, the result of historical accidents.

Beale offers this example of historical accidents at § 2.2:

"...when Hawaii was annexed to the United States it remained a separate legal unit; but when Wales was conquered by England it became a part of the legal unit, England."

Some jurisdictions such as Australia use the term "law unit" and some authors use the word "country", believing that these words are less confusing than the use of the word "state". The majority view is that "state" is the best term. Hence, for Conflict purposes, England and Wales constitute a single state. This is important for a number of reasons, one of the more significant being the distinction between nationality and domicile. Thus, an individual would have a British nationality and a domicile in one of the constituent states, the latter law defining all aspects of a person's status and capacity. Dicey and Morris (p26) list the separate states in the British Islands. "England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark. . . is a separate country in the sense of the conflict of laws, though not one of them is a State known to public international law." But this may be varied by statute. The United Kingdom is one state for the purposes of the Bills of Exchange Act 1882. Great Britain is a single state for the purposes of the Companies Act 1985. Traditionally authors referred to the legal unit or state of England and Wales as England although this usage is becoming politically unacceptable in the last few decades.

[edit] Statutory framework

The Interpretation Act 1978, Schedule 1 distinctively identifies the following: "British Islands", "England", and "United Kingdom". The use of the term "British Isles" is virtually obsolete in statutes and, when it does appear, it is taken to be synonymous with "British Islands". For interpretation purposes, England includes a number of specified elements:

  • Wales and Berwick Act 1746, section 3 formally incorporated Wales and Berwick-upon-Tweed into England. But section 4 Welsh Language Act 1967 provided that references to England in future Acts of Parliament should no longer include Wales (see now Interpretation Act 1978, Schedule 3, part 1). But Dicey & Morris say (at p28) "It seems desirable to adhere to Dicey's [the original] definition for reasons of convenience and especially of brevity. It would be cumbersome to have to add "or Wales" after "England" and "or Welsh" after "English" every time those words are used."
  • the "adjacent islands" of the Isle of Wight and Anglesey are a part of England by custom, while Harman v Bolt (1931) 47 TLR 219 expressly confirms that Lundy is a part of England.
  • the "adjacent territorial waters" by virtue of the Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878 and the Continental Shelf Act 1964 as amended by the Oil and Gas Enterprise Act 1982.

"Great Britain" means England and Scotland including its adjacent territorial waters and the islands of Orkney and Shetland, the Hebrides, and Rockall (by virtue of the Island of Rockall Act 1972). The "United Kingdom" means Great Britain and Northern Ireland and their adjacent territorial waters. It does not include the Isle of Man; nor the Channel Islands, whose independent status was discussed in Rover International Ltd. v Canon Film Sales Ltd. (1987) 1 WLR 1597 and Chloride Industrial Batteries Ltd. v F. & W. Freight Ltd. (1989) 1 WLR 823. The "British Islands" means the "United Kingdom", the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.

[edit] Common law

Since 1189, English law has been described as a common law rather than a civil law system (i.e. there has been no major codification of the law, and judicial precedents are binding as opposed to persuasive). In the early centuries, the justices and judges were responsible for adapting the Writ system to meet everyday needs, applying a mixture of precedent and common sense to build up a body of internally consistent law, e.g. the Law Merchant began in the Pie-Powder Courts (a corruption of the French "pieds-poudrés" or "dusty feet", meaning ad hoc marketplace courts). As Parliament developed in strength, and subject to the doctrine of separation of powers, legislation gradually overtook judicial law making so that, today, judges are only able to innovate in certain very narrowly defined areas. Time before 1189 was defined in 1276 as being time immemorial.

[edit] Precedent

One of the major problems in the early centuries was to produce a system that was certain in its operation and predictable in its outcomes. Too many judges were either partial or incompetent, acquiring their positions only by virtue of their rank in society. Thus, a standardised procedure slowly emerged, based on a system termed stare decisis. Thus, the ratio decidendi of each case will bind future cases on the same generic set of facts both horizontally and vertically. The highest appellate court in the UK is the House of Lords (the judicial members of which are termed Law Lords or, specifically if not commonly Lords of Appeal in Ordinary) and its decisions are binding on every other court in the hierarchy which are obliged to apply its rulings as the law of the land. The Court of Appeal binds the lower courts, and so on. Since joining what is now termed the European Union, European Union Law has direct effect in the UK, and the decisions of the European Court of Justice bind the UK courts.

[edit] Overseas influences

The influences are two-way.

  • Britain exported its legal system to the Commonwealth countries during the British Empire, and many aspects of that system have persisted after the British withdrew or were expelled. English law prior to the Wars of Independence is still an influence on United States law, and provides the basis for many American legal traditions and policies. Many states that were formerly subject to English law (such as Australia) continue to recognise a link to English law - subject, of course, to statutory modification and judicial revision to match the law to local conditions - and decisions from the English law reports continue to be cited from time to time as persuasive authority in present day judicial opinions. For a few states, the British Privy Council remains the ultimate court of appeal.
  • The UK is a dualist in its relationship with international laws, i.e. international obligations have to be formally incorporated into English law before the courts are obliged to apply supranational laws. For example, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was signed in 1950 and the UK has allowed individuals to make complaints to the European Commission on Human Rights since 1966. Now s6(1) Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) makes it unlawful "...for a public authority to act in a way which is incompatible with a convention right", where a "public authority" is any person or body which exercises a public function, expressly including the courts but expressly excluding Parliament. Although the European Convention has begun to be applied to the acts of non-state agents, the HRA does not make the Convention specifically applicable between private parties. Courts have taken the Convention into account in interpreting the common law. They also must take the Convention into account in interpreting Acts of Parliament, but must ultimately follow the terms of the Act even if inconsistent with the Convention (s3 HRA).
  • Similarly, because the UK remains a strong international trading nation, international consistency of decision making is of vital importance, so the Admiralty is strongly influenced by Public International Law and the modern commercial treaties and conventions regulating shipping.

[edit] Statute

English law has significant antiquity. The oldest law currently in force is the Distress Act 1267, part of the Statute of Marlborough (52 Hen. 3). Three sections of Magna Carta, originally signed in 1215 and a landmark in the development of English law, are still extant, but they date to the reissuing of the law in 1297.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

uk:Англійське право

English law

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Thursday, March 24, 2005

Inactivity, a poem for all lazy bloggers

I will not be active,
For unfortunately I am busy,
Work has held me captive,
My absence I regard as uneasy.

I am on a journey,
Free time is a luxury,
To earn me some money,
Procastination of the blog is my sanctuary.

- A Lazy Blogger ( member of the Procrastinators Club of Malaysia )

posted by wyejon at Thursday, March 24, 2005 (permalink) | 0 comments | trackbacks

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Shurato a.k.a. Shulato

A few weeks back Siew Toh mentioned to me about an anime series she watched when she was way younger. She happened upon the VCDs in Jaya Jusco and she remembered not having watched the ending so I bought a copy last week and we watched all of it within the span of a week. Reason being that the VCDs cost me RM99.00 and only came with a 2 week warranty. There's more to this story, read on.

Shurato is a 38 episode TV series first aired circa 1989, which makes this show over 15 years old. Wow! Shurato's closest relative in Japanese anime is the Saint Seya series ( which sadly I have never watched ). I'm not going to give a review of Shurato because that's not the real point of this post so if you're interested in finding more about Shurato please visit Arcadia's Shulato Shrine.

The main characters.

Now for the real point of this post:

In recent years anime DVD and VCDs have been popping up in many shopping complexes. They are widely available and their selection is quite good ranging from old classics to obscure titles you will likely not want to watch. One thing you notice up front though is that they are not cheap ( to be fair anime can not be found cheap anywhere in the world ).

What's not obvious however is that despite all the Original Hologram Sticker brandings ( see first two pictures ) there remains no way to purchase legal original anime videos in Malaysia ( other than importing them directly from Japan or America ). Believe it or not every single anime I have seen being sold in Malaysia are pirated ( bootleg ) copies from Hong Kong or Taiwan.

The title in English reads "Heaves (sic) Wars Shurato". The hologram sticker on the top right corner reads "TULEN KPDN & HEP ORIGINAL"

The blue sticker at the bottom is issued by the "Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia" ( Malaysian Film Censorship Body ).

This was not the first time I have purchased anime discs ( in this case it's VCDs but usually they are DVDs ). As such I knew what I was getting myself into. The thing is, if you're purchasing videos of older animes don't expect good video or sound quality and if you can't understand Japanese you better be good at reading Chinese because the damn bootlegs typically come with good Chinese subtitles and terrible subtitles for English. Look at the picture below... I did not make this up!

"My imeartant inneenea is gone!"... what the fcuk?

I'm pretty forgiving with bad subtitles though. As long as I can follow the show then it's ok with me. However this "original" product had another surprise for me. I mentioned earlier that Shurato was a 38 episode series. The Shurato VCD box set that I bought consisted of 19 VCDs, each storing 2 episodes. Imagine my surprise when Siew Toh put in Disc #18 and clicked the play button:

"Welcome to Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty with me Lorraine Hahn and Dan Childs"

Disc #18 was a show about cosmetic surgery hosted by Lorraine Hahn. Lorraine Hahn of course is the host of CNN's Talk Asia. Who would have guessed that she endorses plastic surgery. OK... what the fcuk happened to Shurato? Disc #18 is where all the events are resolved but instead of that we get to see Lorraine Hahn and some stupid fella go interview some plastic surgery patients. They also have a scene where this doctor slices up a woman's neck using a scalpel... crap... I'm not gonna sleep well tonite.

I'm really bitter about this and I'm going to go back to Jaya Jusco tomorrow to get Disc #18 changed to the proper one. However being a bootlegged "original" product I expect that all Shurato VCD Disc #18s are of Lorraine Hahn babbling about plastic surgery so I may probably replace my Shurato VCDs with another title or get a refund altogether. Wish me luck!

posted by wyejon at Sunday, March 06, 2005 (permalink) | 3 comments | trackbacks

Friday, March 04, 2005

Yuri Japanese Restaurant, Alamanda Putrajaya

Alamanda Putrajaya is the closest thing to a real shopping complex ( or mall if you're American ) that you can get in Cyberjaya. With only two floors it is easily dwarved by 90% of the other shopping complexes in nearby Kuala Lumpur. While shops on the inside may be well patronised, those that are located outside the complex are woefully under-patronised. Such is the fate of Yuri Japanese Restaurant.

I first heard about Yuri from a colleague last week who mentioned that he found a Japanese Restaurant which served set lunches for only RM9.90. Cheap as far as Japanese Restaurant standards go. Set lunch in this case refers to what is widely called Bento ( Japanese Lunch Box, see my Sugimoto review a few entries back ). Being a glutton for Japanese food ( or food in general... who am I kidding? ), I could not pass on this oppurtunity.

Yuri Japanese Restaurant is located in an adjacent building to Alamanda Putrajaya. Head to the outside from the Food Court and look to your right. You will first see a restaurant named "Cosy Corner" ( Cosy Corner looks rather interesting by the way). Yuri is next to it.

Standard issue Japanese Restaurant entry.

Bland decor. Very spartan and un-Japanese like. Restaurants should always be judged by their food however and not their decor.

Chicken Katsu Bento.

Fried Mackerel ( Saba ) Bento.

And my favourite Japanese dumplings ( Gyoza ).

Me and Siew Toh both ordered the set lunch ( RM9.90 per serving ) which includes a choice of main dish, white rice, salad, fruits, some pickled lobak and miso-soup ( bean soup? ). Pretty standard dishes for a typical Japanese Bento. I was feeling greedy so I also ordered a dish of Gyoza ( RM8.00 for 5 pieces ). As is the usual practice green tea is served free of charge.

Ordering the mackerel was a big mistake. It was our first time ordering mackerel so we didn't expect the strong fishy smell. Chicken Katsu was ok though and quite enjoyable. The gyoza was as expected... nothing great here altough the sauce they served along with the gyoza was quite unique. I'm guessing they mixed up some soy-sauce, chilli, sesame seed oil and vinegar to produce the dipping sauce. Nice, I should try mixing some myself some day. Special mention should also go the the rich miso soup.

Overall this place is really just mediocre. The price won't break your budget though and the food is decidedly better than Sushi King.

On the way out I took a look at one of their advertising banners and saw a All You Can Eat like promotion available on weekends and public holidays. For something like RM40 you can choose from a variety of 75 dishes. Not too sure how this works but it does sound quite interesting.

posted by wyejon at Friday, March 04, 2005 (permalink) | 2 comments | trackbacks

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Top 10 Classic Sitcom Christmases

Last month we brought you our Top 10 Classic Sitcom Thanksgivings.  In the spirit of the season, we now give you our Top 10 Classic Sitcom Christmases.1. Gilligan’s IslandIt takes Santa (or is it the Skipper) to help the castaways count their blessings on Christmas day.

2. The Brady BunchWhen Carol loses her voice before her big performance at the Christmas day services, a selfless Cindy asks Santa to get her mommy’s voice back in this classic episode from the first season.

3. The Beverly HillbilliesMr. Drysdale showers the Clampetts with gifts in order to retain their business.

4. SeinfeldForget Christmas! Let’s celebrate Festivus!

5. FriendsIt wouldn’t be Christmas without an original carol from the delightfully daffy Phoebe.

6. The Partridge FamilyThe Partridges, with plenty of help from some studio singers, cheer up a lonely old man with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

7. The Carol Burnett ShowTechnically The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show, not a sitcom, but we definitely wanted to include Eunice and Mama.

8. The Mary Tyler Moore ShowBefore she was the it girl of 2010, Betty White was a festive Sue Ann Nivens on MTM.

9. The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life girls, including a breathless Tootie, perform in the big house to brighten up the Christmas of some comedic criminals.

10. The Golden GirlsBetty White once again, proving she’s probably the funniest Christmas comedienne.

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Saturday, 18 September 2010

Welcome to the many recent subscribers to Multimedia Journalism: A Practical Guide

Hopefully, as you take a look around the site and flip through the accompanying textbook, things are making some sort of sense.

The About the Course section should give you some pointers as to how things are organised, and what to expect.

You'll find info here on how to keep in touch: through Twitter, the blog, Facebook, email bulletins and on your mobile.

The Masterclasses section is also worth an early look. That's the place where we try to tackle new developments in multimedia journalism, and deal with the looming question of employment.

You'll find a new section there from September 24 which is about getting your first job in journalism. If you've only just started your course you might think it's a bit early for that. But it's not. There is loads you can do to make yourself truly employable. You could start today. Even if it is Fresher's Week.

If after all that you haven't found the information you need, then please get in touch. Use one of the Add New Comment buttons you'll see on any page of the site. It's worth it because, unlike with your ISP or mobile phone provider, your call actually is important to us.

Your questions, comments, observations and moans will help us to make MMJ what it is intended to be: a really valuable guide to multimedia journalism, and a community of mutually supportive journalists, industry figures and journalism students.

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Monday, August 14, 2006

trying to be patient

Still waiting for the contract and to hear about my editor. I just sent a short email to my publisher to let him know I'll be gone on the 19th. Hoping that might spur him on a bit.
Still being plagued by negative thoughts too - but received a really great endorsement from Phil Callaway today, which helped. Why is it we are so reluctant to believe good things about our work? Or is it just me?

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by Author Wanda St.Hilaire

Of Love Life and Journey Cover

Of Love, Life and Journeys

Poetry – Journal – Postcards

Search inside this book!

This collection of real-life poetry and verse was inspired during a sabbatical on the beaches of Mexico after a life-altering event. It offers a refreshing compilation of poetry that almost any woman can relate to.

This inspirational gift book is uniquely designed with 50 pages of illustrated poetry which was designed specifically to add emotion to each poem. It includes a personal journal for your own writing, plus a pocket of colour postcards.

An excellent gift for birthdays, Mother’s Day, recovery, retreats, Valentine’s Day, graduation and used by many women as a travel journal. These poems have been the themes for valedictorians at graduations, for class trips abroad, and at personal growth seminars.

Also a perfect gift to yourself!

Search inside this book

Book Size: 8 x 9 ¼ – hidden coil.

Price: $31.95

So sorry! This book is out of stock until I can do a new print run!

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Thematic Photographic 81 - Feet

New York, NY, November 2009

Zach and I had walked 24 blocks up 5th Avenue to see this place, Apple's flagship retail store. Since he inherited my admiration of all things related to this fruit-themed tech company, it seemed natural for us to make the trek and drink in the experience of this place.

Of course, 24 blocks is a tough sled for anyone. Worse when you consider the need to walk another 24 blocks back to where we started. So both of us were pretty tuckered out by the time we got there. But not too tuckered out to enjoy the sight of hordes of fans descending the glass staircase under the ginormous glass cube. Say what you want about Apple, but this is a company that understands how to make memorable experiences whether you're using its products or visiting one of its stores.

Your turn: Thematic Photographic's theme this week is "feet". No, I'm not sure why this is so. I guess I was feeling cheeky. Participation is simple: Post a similarly themed pic on your blog, then pop back here and paste the link into a comment. Repeat as often as you wish. For more info on how TP works, click here.

Klaatu said...

Walking 24 blocks? That's one mean feat.
A one legged man in an arse kicking contest? That's one mean foot.

Phil Knight
Chairman: NIKE

Who makes a shoe as good ?
Puma don't, but Adidas

Klaatu said...

It took a long time to go 12 steps. They were just inching along.

Albert Einstein
I never metaphysical I didn't like.

dianne - bunny trails said...

Terrific shot, Carmi. I love that you look up from beneath the stairs. Too many people don't and look at what they miss.

lissa said...

Reminds me of Fred Penner's song, "Happy Feet"!

Shoshana Baumgarten & Harry said...

Geez, what's the big deal about 24 blocks? That's life in Manhattan! You don't even think about transportation alternatives if it's under 30 blocks (unless you're carrying a ton of stuff)!

bripolo12 said...

Loving this theme. Love little feet!

bripolo12 said...

One more.

Catherine said...

That's a really great photo. I'm not at all sure that I have a "feet" photo anywhere in my collection so I may have to pass this week - or take some, just as soon as the Christmas rush is over (being almost a day ahead of you here in New Zealand) said...

GREAT theme!!

How Beautiful the feet...

David said...

That's no small feat

Mojo said...

I bow to you sir. That? Is one, very cool photo. Love.It.

I can't touch this

bARE-eYED sUN said...

hey, Carmi,
see that you're shooting up the town.

we took your Written, Inc advise to heart. thank you, we're gonna begin lookig the other way for unexpected shots. great idea! {enjoyed your "blue brick" post; aren't kids wonderful?}

anyhoo, Here's our contribution to your FEET prompt, okay, okay quite ordinary, so we added some background text (still ordinary, but takes up more real-estate)

.My Feet with Cons

momemts in time said...

here are my feet ~ well not literally. said...

heres my v2.

OK so im in love

theMuddledMarketPlace said...

Feet? I knew the image was somewhere...... found it!

hapzydeco said...

Carmi - great shot. Saw these feet on the dance floor during the wedding reception. Happy New Year.

Jientje said...

I think this is a fun assignment, so I joined in. Mine is here

g said...

I'm late to the party - I have my "feet" up, and am looking forward to finding out what the new theme is this evening!

kcinnova said...

Late but inspired:

Thanks, Carmi!

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Is there any booze left?

Here's a picture of the Grand Canyon (not to mention, my left foot), it's from this post.


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Hi, my name is D and this is my writings on subjects. I'm no rapscallion or anything at all. If you want to you can read my writings on subjects if you have free time. If you want to argue with me or call me names then please comment. Negative feedback is very welcome...I love dat shit. Me? I'm not even a noun, I'm a fucking verb, dude.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Over Descriptivism: Will it Lead to the Death of Fiction?

I read fiction rarely if ever. I mostly read words for the purpose of acquiring/disseminating datum, to learn about someone's life (auto-biographies) or comedic materials that are wicked funny. I can't wrap my head around fiction these days. Fiction, by the way, just means material that is make-believe for the intent purpose of entertaining readers (like adventure novels, mystery novels, romance novels, novels, les romans, etc.).

Is it just me? Am I weird? Probably, yeah.

Maybe I dislike fiction because I suck at it and can't write that way, it could be that. The only attempt I have ever made at fiction writing was an amateur computer game I made called "The Legend of Liberace 3," which even though I made it (with map editing help from my friend who edited my template maps into more better looking maps), I will admit it is possibly the shittiest thing ever. I dunno, me sucking at writing fiction can't be the reason I don't like readin' the stuff though.

Maybe I gotta take a step back and figure out why I can't get down with fiction, I really should. I mean I used to read that shit back in the day. When I was a kid I used to read those Sesame Street books like where Grover is the monster at the end of the book, or where Ernie and Bert meet at the wrong lamp post at the park, and this and that. Those books used to rule but even they weren't really fiction, they were stories to teach kids lessons about life.

I used to read fiction books for school if they assigned us some or during "15 minute free readin' period" but that wasn't by choice. Like I read that Rebecca for school and wrote my mandatory 500 word essays on what a horrible woman Mrs. Danvers was but that wasn't by choice.

I've read really old fictional stories, like Gilgamesh or Outlaws of the Marsh,...but I'd classify that as historic research as much I'd classify it as fiction. It's so old that they really are a window into a past society's views and writing techniques.

I don't think I've really ever read pure fiction by choice, though I think I know what turns me off and it is the use of Over Descriptivism which is plaguing ALL writers in ALL languages on earth at this current moment.

Over Descriptivism

This is not in reference to "linguistic descriptivism" or "philosophic descriptivism" in any way, I'm really just talking about over description but am calling it by the term "Over Descriptivism" because it sounds chicer and cuter.

Describing things is the essence of writing...yet, at what frequency are writers (in this case ALL writers of fiction) over describing things? It seems like all the time and always.

Some writers take 2 pages just to introduce a character to you. How they look, how they look at a distance, how they smell, how they are currently feeling, how they know other characters in the book, how tall they are, how fat they are, how ugly/not-ugly they are, if they have tattoos...blah, blah, blah, blah, etc, etc,.

You build characters in fiction by making them do cool/respectful things (for good guys) and making them do horrible/bad/annoying things if they are villains. Let the imagination of the reader decide what they look like. If you leave your lead character ambiguous to the reader they can more easily give the characters the features (physical, etc.) they want him/her to have.

There's a very very fine line separating being descriptive of a scene or a character and just jotting down autistic nonsense. I almost couldn't read Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" (which is a highly acclaimed book) to the end because I didn't care what the fucking gas station you stopped at looked like, or what the truck you hitched a ride on looked like, or what Neil whats-his-name's hair smelled like, or how you felt when you walked into someone's house. blah blah blah, blah...

Sarcastically Emulating Standard Fiction Writing whilst Employing the Over-Use "Technique" of Describing Shit

In the following grouping of words and sentences, I will attempt to write a few paragraphs of standard fiction. Our lead character will walk into a room and scratch his head, then he will scratch his nutsack. Ahem...

Reggie was standing in the archway which led to the room he wished to walk into. He was a quaint man of regular to minute stature, many of his colleagues respected him yet he suspected they only respected him due to this modest stature he projected unto the world. He knew if he walked into this room he would have to do it in a manner which made the people already in that room feel that the man walking into the room was a man of average to great importance. He began to feel nervous, "what if they think I walk into rooms funny?" he thought to himself. The last thing Reggie wanted was to walk into the room in a manner which attracted ridicule.

The archway over the doorway was quite beautiful, in more ways than one. The wooden curved facade was oaken yet had a golden plating which made the room he was standing before appear daunting to the person attempting to enter it. Doorways have a way of sneaking up on you both physically and mentally Reggie thought to himself. Life is full of so many archways leading to unknown rooms...will you enter a nice room full of nice experiences, or a horrible room full of horrid experiences? Reggie was making himself more nervous as each minute passed, he began to break out in a cold sweat, he grabbed his hair with his right hand and wiped up some of the sweat from his hair and his temple. In the process of wiping his sweat Reggie disheveled his hair which made him even more nervous. He wondered if the people in the room he was about to enter had seen him wipe his sweat and mess up his hair.

"Oh no," thought Reggie, "did they see me? I better just walk in right now before they think I'm a big weirdo!"

Reggie, like ripping off a band-aid, walked briskly into the room before him. In the case that anyone saw him mess up his hair he pretended that his head was itchy and coolly and collectedly scratched the right side of his head. Reggie dislodged some white flakey dandruff from his scalp and it cascaded onto his shoulder and lapel. The feigned itchiness was now more real than ever and like a contagious disease his itchiness spread to his legs and crotch.

"My balls," Reggie pondered inwardly..."My balls are itchy now..."

Reggie had no choice now but to scratch his balls....

Okie dokie, a couple of paragraphs describing a man walking into a room and scratchin' his nuts. Wasn't that interesting? No it wasn't, it was boring, stupid and utterly pointless.

Over Descriptivism is Spreading like a Virus

Forget just in fiction novels, OD is spreading like a freakin' swine flu to every form of writing. I read an article today on the net which was at the point of being unbearably OD. It was an article about my boy Nathan Fielder (the dude behind funny jokes like "Dumb Starbucks" and other funny ass shit), and the author claims to have interviewed him but only has about eight or nine quotes of what Nathan says to him...the rest of the article is asinine autistic description of what was around him as he interviewed him.

"Article" in question: (http://grantland.com/features/nathan-fielder-nathan-for-you-comedy-central-season-2)

This is over description to the point of it being un-fucking-readable. I know the internet is full of hyperbole and calling shit the worst thing ever is overdone...but this is the WORST article I've ever read in my whole entire life. The "journalist" probably talked to his guest for 8 seconds but managed to produce a full length short story of asperger-infested fluff.

Another example of OD seeping its way into other media is from that dumb yet insanely popular podcast This American Life  by ass pie icon extraordinaire Ira Glass. This is the worst interviewer I've ever heard EVER. I listened to him interviewing people a long time ago and Glass in post tends to edit over the audio with his own opinions over-layered over the interview. So, in the final product that hits airwaves, the guest is talking about his/her experiences...and then the sound fades out and you can barely hear him/her talk...and Glass starts saying shit like "When he/she started talking about that...I felt like I was beginning to understand how he/she felt." Okay good for fucking you for thinking that, thanks for fading out the volume in post and inserting your BORING autistic opinions over your guest while they talk...you fantastic bozo.

Tools are better than Over Describing Fluff

I think it was Vladimir Nabakov or Alexander Pushkin (or one of the Russian guys) who said that you shouldn't introduce a piece of information to the reader if that piece of information is not pertinent to the story and/or is a writing tool to set-up some sort of event in the story. I tend to agree with this idea...if you're gonna take ten pages to describe what a wolf or a doorknob looks like...that fucking thing better have an important role to play in your god damn story. The interesting thing is that any item/person/thing at all can become an important story tool.

A Maltese MacGuffin
Alfred Hitchcock referred to these story tools as "MacGuffins," and they are just placemarker objects which drive the story. Anything can be a MacGuffin and they don't need endless lines of description AT ALL.

Examples of MacGuffins many are familiar with are The Maltese Falcon, which is just some silly object that many parties seem infatuated with and desperately want (including Peter "Ren Hoëk" Lorre). Another good one which worked well was Tarantino's "shiny briefcase" MacGuffin from Pulp Fiction. How much did Tarantino describe the briefcase? Not much, we never even knew what was in it. Why didn't he need to describe the briefcase (the major plot point of the story)? Because he's not a moron, that's why.

MacGuffins can be used for minor plot points too not just major ones. You can use a MacGuffin as a "leitmotif" too. Leitmotifs are more common in music but they are applicable to writing tools just as much. A good leitmotif in writing will sort of string-together your shit and make it look sharp, chic, and fucking organized.

A writer who employs leitmotifs very well is that Shigesato Itoi, the writer of literature pieces such as Mother 2 and Mother 3. His works are rife and abundant with leitmotif macguffins that really give the story a real nice flow to it. An example of one of his leitmotif macguffins is the doorknob from Mother 3.

Writing a musical symphony is more scientific than most people think, and writing a book is way more scientific than people think. There's tools you need to employ to do this successfully and the way you string your writing tool events together is kind of like laying foundations and bricks down to build a house or a shack or something.

Fiction is kind of dumb...and it's not because it's a bad art form but because the current popular styles of articulating this art form are annoying and dumb.

Bottom line is...if you take 400 words to describe something then that something and the features you give that something better be important and crucial to the final product.

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Monday, December 22, 2014

rest sweetly now, layla

our lives changed forever on december 1.

it has taken me three weeks to even think about writing about this. as most of you already know, our sweet layla passed away.

it is difficult to describe the emotions that come with making a life ending medical decision for an animal you have shared your life with for 12 years.

heart broken.

we knew it was the best thing to do for her. based on the condition of her rapidly deteriorating legs, the vet determined she probably had a nerve and/or bone cancer. she was surprised layla's shoulder had not popped out of its socket yet.

there was nothing for us to do to save her.

it was only going to get worse.

she was living [and dying] in pain.

the hardest part about losing a pet is that they have become a part of your family. they are a part of your life. you have come to love and cherish them. you plan vacations around them [or including] them. they are a part of your day. you teach them things as they teach you things. you snuggle and play together. they make you happy.

animals teach us [or remind us] of compassion. loyalty. LOVE. wanting to please. happiness. pure joy. running and playing JUST BECAUSE. how to properly greet someone [slopping wet kisses, of course]. comfort. LOVE.

layla was all of these things. and so much more. she and i have lived in countless homes [eight...i think], been on even more trips and car rides. she's had many doggie friends [and doggie non-friends]. she was a prissy lady who was in charge. she was obedient, yet stubborn. she never met a human she didn't like [after all, they were going to love on her and give her pets - her all time favorite]. she was easily excited and always in the mix.

she shared everything with us. laughter. tears. joy. sickness. successes. loss. struggles. celebrations. she was there for it all. she was always by our side. she supported us as much as we did for her.

stanley laying with layla when she was really sick. what sweetness.

the more pets we have, the more i have learned that they just want to love and be loved.
and it hurts my heart that i can't love on her. ever again.

as much as it hurts every bit of my heart to lose my girl, sharing her life, well, i wouldn't trade it for anything.

12 years. so much happens in 12 years. i am so lucky to have had layla during such a challenging, chaotic and wonderful time in my life.
often times she was the only thing that was consistent. her loyalty and compassion never wavered. no matter what i was going through. she saw some pretty rough and dark days. she was always my shining light.

she was always there. to love. and be loved.

love your animals and your humans. i had 12 amazing years with my sweet dog. but often times we aren't granted so much time. we are never promised tomorrow. so hug your family and friends, sweetly squish your pets, and let them all that you love them.

because they love you too. as do i. thank you all for your love, support and compassion now and always. we can't thank you enough for being the amazing people that you are.

perhaps this wasn't the best pre-christmas post ever, but it was time for me to get out of my heart and head and down on "paper".

lots and lots and lot of love to you all.

happy holidays and merry christmas to everyone!

1 comment:

Jaxon said...

I remember being so mad at you when you got Layla. I felt like you could barely take care of yourself, much less a dog. But as it turned out I think it was one of the best things you ever did. You mentioned dark days with her, and I think she helped you through those dark days into the bright days you have now. It broke my heart to see her at Thanksgiving. So god please Layla and I thank her for the 12 years she gave us all.


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