Animorphs!

I've decided that with the recent re-publish of the Animorphs Series by K.A. Applegate that I would re-read the old versions that have not been updated. There's a rumour floating around the internet that in addition to the new cover art that the references have been updated to more modern ones. Whilst this may bring in a younger audience, I personally prefer the old references (mainly because I recognise most of them).

So, during or after France I will begin my epic re-read for probably the first 30 books, I never actually finished the series. I read spoilers, got disheartened and could never actually find the complete series in the book store or my library. If any one else wants to also read along I would love to have any thoughts or musings on the series and each book as I go along, otherwise sit back and enjoy the ride.

I think there are a couple of places on the net where you can get a copy of the books online but I'm not 100% sure. Either way, I look forward to my re-read!

Characters (And Me)

So, current word count is sitting at 2631.

Sitting pretty at about five pages I've so far introduced my three main protagonists. The problem that I seem to have (besides pacing) is trying to make characters that are both believable and not so mary-sueish. Another issue is the fact where I'm trying to include several clichés and somehow manage to make it original. I'm also worried about the fact that I may be too influenced by things I read and my story comes out sounding like something I have read, thus making it slightly plagerised.

The prophecy has been done a gazillion times, in fact it pretty much seems to be a requirement for fantasy novels, so when I decided to use it for my main male protagonist I wasn't sure if it would add to his perfectness. Plus I always get worried when writing male characters because I have a hard enough time grasping female thought processes without having the added struggle of pausing and asking myself: "What would a guy do in this situation?"

Female characters are different, mostly I try to keep their emotional responses fairly normal because I had a tendancy when I was younger to have my heroines have huge moodswings and thus my stories would read like a soap opera and bad writing than an actual story. It was unbelievable and continues to make me cringe to this day. But this time I am detemined to get my characters right.

The book I'm reading to help me along with that is the Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing A Novel. Yeah, I know. Some of it is vaguely helpful but as for the rest... I'm not entirely sure yet. I haven't been a big believer in how good my writing is and so far I've hit another slump in regards to where my story is going but that's more of a pacing issue than anything else? How quickly should I start to get into the story. How many chapters should I wait before I bring in the main point? Those sorts of things. But I guess I need to write a bit more in order to flesh things out. And work on that whole "show not tell" aspect of writing that sometimes eludes me.

In any case, enough procrastinating on the story writing!

Been Travelling the Universe

Or rather I'm just a super lazy blog updater. Seriously, my lj barely gets updated nowadays. Mostly I'm a facebook hussy, I am on occasion prone to updating my status' more than is socially appropriate. Although, I do draw the line on updating from where I am located, no one wants to know that I'm standing in a queue for KFC or whatever.

Technically this blog was supposed to be about my journey into writing my novel. Sadly, the novel that I had planned (and which I was running a vague idea on) has been put on the very tall pile of ideas for later use. Most of these ideas are for my historical fantasy of werewolves which perhaps fortunately have not come to fruition. The market for paranormal romance is still running strong but seems to have taken a markedly strange turn into the fallen angels angle. But as an update apparently there is a zombie romance novel. I'm not going to try and think how it works. (Iago: "Braiinnzzz." Katerina: "Oh Iago, you are the one for me!").

The thing that mostly stopped me however, the massive case of writers block aside, was the fact that I got a bit too caught up in WoW. But now that I have briefly recovered from my intense addiction to said game - mainly due to most of the people I was friends with disappearing - I am now working my way back into writing again. So my goal is to try for 150 words every day or two until I've reached the level of inspiration that I had a few years ago where I could write 1500 words in an hour or so. The funny thing is, I actually had no real interest in knuckling down no matter how much I told myself I wanted to until I talked to one of my WoW buddies recently.

So now I've started making a plan, which is something I never really did for my writing. I've gotten down my ideas and characters and I've finally started writing. I don't particularly want to say much about it besides the fact that it's mostly modern fantasy and that people close to me won't even see it until I've written at least fifty pages. Mostly because I want to have written down something that long or substantial, to prove to myself mostly that I do still want to be a writer and that this is what I want to do for a living. I have tossed up the idea of having more than one of my friends reading over it though so I can get varied feedback that should help.

I also started reading again which is something else I sorely neglected. Finished about seven - eight books so far in a couple of months which is a lot more than what I was reading before. Mainly fantasy of course, one of them is an Australian author as well that I gave a second chance after buying the series on a whim.

Essentially, I am more or less going to try to come back so I can update more regularly on my progress like I originally planned to do.

Word Count: 547

Ballet Flats, Knee High Boots... and Gumboots?

Hey guys! Sorry for the HUGE gap between the last time I posted and now, but life has been a bit of a nuisance. Yeah, I know. Excuses excuses, but you know what? I'm going to make up for it by having a girly post about the latest fashion trend that I've seen this winter. The humble Gumboot!

Now, I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fashionista. I mean, it's only really since I've gotten a job (and left highschool lol) that I've developed my girliness and started looking at shoes and bags. and boys. *cough* But the whole fashionable shoe just boggles my brain. Let's just cover the three big ones in my book. Also, I'm using the highly appropriate site of UrbanDictionary for the definitions.

1. The Ugg Boot.

"a type of boot invented by australia made from sheep skin. should be worn for warmth in the comfort of your own home, SHOULD NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER BE WARN FOR F***ING FASHION."

Now, I will admit freely that I wear Ugg Boots around the house. And yes, I have worn Ugg Boots *outside* the house when I have been too lazy to put proper shoes on and when my parent is demanding I leave the house with them in order to do a take-out run. But really? Walking around in Ugg Boots with mini-skirts and tight tops is not very attractive. It just makes people look like floozy homeless peeps. (I am well aware that sentence was awful because I had the word people in it twice. So I changed the last people to peeps, which clearly makes everything better.) But I mean really. If you can be bothered putting on make-up and spending two hours straightening your hair and then choosing an outfit... why can you not spend two minutes putting on proper shoes!?

In any case: Ugg Boots are for the home, not the urban streets.

2. The Gladiator Sandal.

"Sandals that look like they could be worn by the Spartans. Most likely to be worn by females, also known as "gladiator shoes"."

This. This has to be THE worst shoe fashion trend in existance. It is awful. There is a reason why we haven't worn these shoes since the Sword-n-Sandal times. I mean, look at them. There are sandals and then there are these. No where in modern times does someone look at those shoes and think: Oh, those are pretty neat shoes. I might buy them and show my face in public! NO. Unless you are going to a University toga party and it was for a costume. I just... I'm boggled that these even came back into existance. I think they require a check list for a do or do not wear occasion:

Gladiator Sandal Checklist:
Are you -
a) Going into public to have fun or go shopping?
b) Going to a funeral of a family member?
c) Going somewhere that involves being in public?
d) Going to a costume party or toga party?


If you answered any of those but d - please change your footwear before leaving the house. Thanks, Humanity.

3. The Croc.

"In a minority (but still alot) of people's opinions: crocs are the most ugly shoes they have ever seen. Made of rubbery material, these "shoes" (/sarcasm) are like slippers, except with oddly shaped holes on the top. Did I mention they also come in assorted colors too?!
I just cannot see how some people I personally think with a good taste of fashion could possibly fall for these."

Also another fashion shoe trend that I don't understand. I mean, I understand that people want to be comfortable when wearing shoes but... they're so ugly. Why would you inflict such pain on other people when they see you walking through the stores in those? It's all very ok for young children to wear them, I mean, I wore jellies when I was young and they were fine but it's like wearing nasty sandals in public. It's gotten to the point where Crocs have branched out and are now also being made into slippers! What? No really. Next thing you know, you'll have Croc high heels and Croc flippers for when you want to go ~diving in comfort. I do realise that I said fashion shoe, but I'm sure this one can be counted amongst those.

So, those are my pet shoe peeves. I suppose I should also briefly discuss the entire point of this post, which was to write about people wearing a gumboot as a fashionable accessory this winter instead of shoes. Now me, when I go out and it's raining I tend to wear sneakers, or even hiking boots because I want to have enclosed shoes and fashion boots just aren't cut out for the weather (and because no one wants to be walking down the road in heels when it's raining and slip). But gumboots. I mean, I can see the allure of having dry feet/toes/legs, and to some extent a nice floral pattern could be pulled off. I just... I don't know.

I'd have to get back to you guys for this one but for now, it's late and I have exams to study for so I wish all of you the best until I next post.

P.S. Sorry about the lack of pictures, they kept stuffing up the html and I figured text is better than nothing :P

Addictions and Obsessions

Yes. This is what I spend my free timing doing.

The topic of the day seems to be gaming now-a-days and the crazy stuff that the Government and People-Who-Think-They-Know-Better-Than-I-Do-About-It (now known as PWTTKBTIDAI or PWT) are pushing for new laws and health plans to be implemented.

My father turned to me this morning to tell me that according to "experts" spending three and a half hours (or more) on a computer game is a sign that you're addicted. Now, as a gamer myself who spends more than three and a half hours playing a computer game, I can honestly say that is pretty much nonsense. According to the report that he was watching, these experts are pushing for people who play more than three and a half hours a day to be admitted into a psychology rehab or forced to seek psychological help is just... mind bogglingly stupid.

But if you pretty much put their theory into the real world, is doing three and a half hours of anything now considered an addiction. If I read a book for more than three and a half hours, am I addicted to reading? Or work? Or study? (Note: Not that I do that anyway.) Sure, I may spend endless amounts of hours on a computer game or MMORPG, but I'm not to the level that should be classified as an addiction.

–noun

the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

I can play games for endless hours, but sooner or later I'm going to get bored. Not even a computer game can really hold my rather temperamental attention span, if I really don't feel like playing I end up having the game in an alternative tab and end up surfing the internet for a couple of hours mindlessly refreshing facebook until something interesting pops up. I play an MMORPG that I haven't renewed my subscription to in several months cos I couldn't be bothered playing it anymore. This isn't the sign of an addicted person. An addicted person are those that spend 15 hours a day, every day on the game and wear diapers because they can't be bothered going to the bathroom. A) That's really flipping gross and B) These are the kind of people who need treatment, not the casual gamer like you or I who happen to enjoy doing something for more than ten seconds like a hyperactive squirrel on red cordial.

I won't deny that I don't have an obsessive personality, because I do. I've had times when I've been completely obsessed with something or someone to the point where I kinda go a bit whackadoodle and flip out, no, I'm not going to recount those tales to you because I actually like maintaining some semblance of sanity. Thankfully, I've gotten over it and have now mellowed out a bit in my old age, but still. There is a distinct difference between the people who are actually addicted to gaming and those of us who know when we've reached our limits and decide to go outside and enjoy ourselves in our other hobbies.

Granted, me and other hobbies right now don't get along that well, mainly because I've suddenly become the leader of the Guild I'm in and now have an extra commitment besides occasionally popping on and hitting up some instances. I do plan however, after I have finished several assignments that are rearing their ugly heads at Uni that I want to retake up cross-stitching and start saving up for that eight month trip to France. I also plan on actually writing that novel that I occasionally mention.

I know I've digressed but my main point of this entire (and slightly short/ranty) post is that the "experts" that are trying to push these things through are the kind of people who look down their noses at the Gaming and Geek (and/or Nerd) culture and see it as wrong and somehow as a disease. We don't go around telling them that they need to stop playing Golf because they enjoy it too much and spend most of their free time playing it. I just want these people to step-off their high-horse podium and pick something more pressing to deal with, like education and sustainable energy.

That is all.

Zed Post

This is a post for Zed. Because he won't stop bugging me. New post will be along shortly :D

Dramatic Dreams (I have them)

So, dreams. Everyone has them (at least I think most people have them) and many people i.e. 'Scientists' and 'Dream Experts'* believe that the dream is a subconcious conduit into how we deal with situations and evaluate the days events into a way that our brain can deal with. I've done my fair share of analysing my dreams through the 100% accurate dream guide diaries so I thought I would give you all a kick and analyse my dream with you.

Some scientists believe we dream to fix experiences in long-term memory, that is, we dream about things worth remembering. Others reckon we dream about things worth forgetting - to eliminate overlapping memories that would otherwise clog up our brains.

Oh, before we start. I'm going to disclaimer my dream and say that I am not responsible for what my subconcious decides to do, or if anyone is involved (which none of you are). So, uh, I'm pretty sure that covers everything. Also: I am in no way a qualified dream analysist or psychologist or having any sort of medical/scientific degree. So, don't try this at home and then attempt to sue me.

Right, on we go!

Step 1: Try and re-call the dream as accurately as possible. If you need to, have some paper and a pen if you're really desperate to know. Thankfully, when it comes to more of my bizarro dreams I tend not to have problems remembering.

Fun Fact:

REM dreams are characterised by bizarre plots, but non-REM dreams are repetitive and thought-like, with little imagery - obsessively returning to a suspicion you left your mobile phone somewhere, for example.

Step 2: Outline the basic "plot" of your dreams. Pretty much the key elements that stand out in your dream that seemed the most important, since we're assuming that these are the issues that your brain is trying to process.

Plot of my dream: A life or death situation where I am running from people and for some reason, I have a talking uber car which was awesome and then somehow a polar bear cub that could astral project into a nine year old, blue eyed, blonde haired russian kid became involved. He also tried to use sing-star in the middle of the snow-covered ruins that we were living in. Then I woke up.

Step 3: Use a dream interpreter to interpret your dreams. For this situation I am using: http://www.dreammoods.com/

Fun Fact:

Some studies suggest women need up to an hour’s extra sleep a night compared to men, and not getting it may be one reason women are much more susceptible to depression than men.

So, let's start with the basic. The life or death situation. So, uh, I'm just going to chalk it up to being chased.

To dream that you are being chased, signifies that you are avoiding a situation that you do not think is conquerable.

Car: (Note, the liklihood of them having a meaning for talking cars is unlikely so I'm just going to throw this out there and say that I've been watching too much Knightrider.)

Overall, this dream symbol is an indication of your dependence and degree of control you have on your life.

Polar Bear and Astral Projection:

To see a polar bear in your dream, signifies a reawakening. Alternatively, the polar bear symbolizes your frigid and cold emotions.

(Gee, thanks. Since it's a small polar bear, does that mean I have little frigidity and cold emotions?)

To dream of astral projection, suggests that you are looking at things from a whole new perspective. You may be feeling liberated and free. Alternatively, it indicates that you are physically or emotionally disconnected from those around you.

What does that say about the Polar Bear? O.o

Kid, Russian, Aryan:

To see children in your dream, signify an aspect of yourself and your childlike qualities. You may be retreating back to a childlike state and longing for the past. You are trying to still satisfy repressed desires and unfulfilled hopes.

I'm just gonna put this out there and say that maybe I'm sad because I've never played sing-star. Tru Factz.

Well, it didn't have anything for Russian or Aryan so I'm just gonna say that I've been watching too much James Bond. Sounds like the most reasonable explanation.

Ruins, Snow:

To see ruins in your dream, suggest that you are neglecting aspects of your life or that it is falling apart. You feel you are self-destructing. It is time to get on the right path.

To see snow in your dream, signifies your inhibitions, unexpressed emotions and feelings of frigidity. You need to release and express these emotions and inhibitions. Alternatively, snow means that you are feeling indifferent, alone and neglected.

Step 4: Mix ingredients and serve. So, using the meanings of what I got, this is what my subconcious was trying to tell me.

Basically: I am a frigid, repressed, self-destructive and emotionally disconnected twenty-something woman who is afraid of commiting to a situation. LMAO. Thanks dream intrepreter, you got me in one. Who needs to pay money to see a counsellor when my dreams tell me everything?

Fun Fact:

Ducks at risk of attack by predators are able to balance the need for sleep and survival, keeping one half of the brain awake while the other slips into sleep mode.

* I am not either of those so I can't really judge on their accuracy. Each to their own.

As per usual, quoted stuff not my own, the facts come from here and dream guide here. Picture of adorable puppies from here.

Anyway, that was the fun foray into the wild and whacky world of my subconcious. Feel free to analyse your own dreams and see how close to the mark they are. Hopefully it's enlightened some of you :P