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Welcome! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Welcome to my little Den! Here you'll find all sorts of things- mostly blog challenges, but mixed in, you'll notice:  I'm a bit of a fangirl  My life is very busy I enjoy using emoticons  I don't tend to swear, but stuff happens. |
Actress Ruth Buzzi  , born on this day in 1936, once said "Life has all sorts of hills and valleys, and sometimes you don't end up doing what you had your heart set out on, but sometimes that's even better!" When has something like this happened to you?Sorry, peeps, I'm going with Hi-5 again, because I kinda mis-read the prompt at first, and that's what I thought up of first. The Baby and Toddler Show lasted three days- Friday through Sunday, and I went on Friday, then decided on Saturday, I wanted to see them again, but I wasn't aware the ticket was valid all three days yet, so I ended up trying (TRY being the operative word, here!) to stalk them through Melbourne, and ended up somewhere in Richmond, at some fancy restaurant place, where they'd already left by the time I arrived because the tram was suuuuper slow, I missed a connecting tram, because the first tram didn't stop at the stop where I needed it to stop, so it took a bit before I could find the right tram stop for the second tram, and then the traffic was just terrible when I was going there.  Needless to say, I wasn't pleased.  BUT then come Saturday night, I got the email saying the ticket was valid all days, and I went   and immediately made plans to go the next day... my linguistics partner had forgotten we were supposed to meet, so I took advantage of that and stayed the whole day at the stall.  And I met the cast, again. And then got the selfie, and more. So, as Mom likes to say, "you win some, you lose some," and I've discovered, if I do put myself out there, it can lead to some great results! Like, I definitely got closer with Elizabeth and Matthew after we did that whole skit about me being a snobbish, annoying girl who lost her new, pink Gucci wallet somewhere in the library, and then Matthew ended up asking me out in the skit.  I wasn't comfortable with it at first, even after they told me it was all for fun, and no harm intended, but I went along with it anyways- I had Mom's voice in my head telling me to stop being such a naysayer about stuff (hmmm, I wonder where THAT came from  ) and it actually worked out for the better! OH! And another time I had my heart set on something- the Chinese speaking final! I couldn't find a partner (as usual) so I emailed the tutor asking if I could do it alone- and she emailed back saying there was another girl who didn't have a partner, and wanted a partner, and would I be willing to do it with her. I was all Please, NO! I'm very skeptical of partnering up with people I don't know, anymore, after doing the public transport script with that first girl. Plus this girl was supposed to be friends with that first girl. O__O Not a good sign. BUT she ended up being really nice and wanting to know more about the US and Cali and what it was like here, which was nice. And she liked my script- let me write most of it, and she only made some minor edits. So yeah, those three situations definitely worked out for the better. I made some pretty good friends in Melbourne while I was there, and I can't say I don't miss that place. I'd definitely love any reason to go back there, and maybe see a friend or two.  |
  This is the cover of your next book. What's the title, who are the main characters, and what's it about? Don't forget to give us a little inside-back-jacket blurb of the author! Title: The Autobiography of Walker Mann Main Character: Walker Mann, the guy in the traffic lights who tells you when it's safe to cross the street Blurb: Walker Mann patrols the traffic, making sure it is absolutely safe for people to cross the street before he appears on screen to alert pedestrians of his observations. His position in life has been perfect for observing the comings and goings of human beings, which has led to this compilation of his reflections and philosophical ponderings. |
On this day in 2007, the seventh book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released. Ok guys...let's hear all about your Potter fandom  . And if for some reason you're like me and never got into the series, tell us why.Hmm, Harry Potter. I liked the books, but I'm not a super-fan or anything. I read them all in 7th grade, I remember- I borrowed the first one from the school library, going "this isn't too bad!" and then just kept going from there. We also had the UK/Hong Kong version of the first two books (Philosopher's Stone, vs Sorcerer's Stone) so I read those too. And then I watched all the movies. These were the days of QVOD (I think that's what the program was called) on uncle's computer- and he'd download movies from his Chinese streaming sites and let us watch on his computer. There was Glee, Camp Rock, Harry Potter, and many, many more. I think it was pretty coinicdental that the final HP movie ended up coming out some time around when I finished the last book, so I watched all the movies as well, with sis. I don't know if she ever read the HP series, actually, come to think of it....I suppose, in 7th grade, HP was more a phase for me, than anything. Just like The Clique Series- I read those too. So once the phase passed, it passed. I never really got back into it, or thought to give the books another read. I'm honestly not one to reread books, either. And I guess, in 7th grade, I wasn't much into wizardry and magic and stuff- wasn't then, and can't really say I am, now, either. Sure, I'll read the books if you force me to, or if you put me in an empty room with literally nothing to do except read those books, but otherwise, eh, I'll pass. Like, maybe, just MAYBE I'll re-read Matthew Reilly's books, because I really like those right now. Though, the drawback is, with action books, the action isn't so action-y anymore when you already know the outcome, and how everything turns out. Like, the main character fakes his death, gets the monsters to leave him alone, and then starts to chase after the monsters so he can get out of the maze? I'm going to remember that for a while!I really like Matthew Reilly's books, because his main characters aren't just action-buff superheroes who swoop in to save the day- there's wit and planning involved in all his books. Like, some of them have historical context, and others (like his most recent one) are mythological-based. And all of them have a body count. And profanity. (I'm not endorsing his books because they have profanity, I'm just saying... ) I mean, one of his characters is named Mother, because, yeah. Use your imaginations, peeps. That stuck with me ever since I read it. He even got a body count out of a chess tournament, where the main character was a young girl. AND he has illustrations and maps and everything that go along with the novels, and in the books. Harry Potter doesn't have any of those. Except for maybe when Voldemort dies? Did he die? I think he did. |
| Tell us about a toy or memento from your childhood that you still have (or have the fondest memories of). I still have ALL my toys/plushies from my childhood in Australia. like, no joke, Big Pooh, Nellie, Show, Miffy.... they're all plushies from my childhood. And then there's Jimmy the Ice Cream Boy, and Little Pink Elephant and Little Blue Bear and Wibbly the Pig (who sis has unofficially "adopted") and Brown Snuffles... and PIGLET! And Baby Piglet, Baby Pooh, Baby Tigger, and Baby Rabbit....  Fun fact- I was playing with Jimmy the Ice Cream Boy in my playpen one time (I don't remember this, but Mom loves recounting this story) and he suddenly fell from my hand, onto my head, and I just went     . Yeah, I did that.Unfortunately, loads of my plushies here ended up in a cardboard box in the garage a long time ago and Mom never actually carried through on her promises back then to rotate them out, so rats got to them, and into the bin they went. I had a purple March Fairy and a white bear, both from Canada, from a long time ago- and a Valerie Groovy Girl doll, too... I remember I won earring studs in 3rd grade and I didn't have pierced ears (I still don't) and wasn't allowed to return them, so I put them on her. I also had a purple bear I named Purpley, because sis had a matching brown bear named Brownie. If I have to choose one, I suppose it'll be Nellie . She's a floppy bear, and I brought her with me from Tassie to Melbourne. Mom bought her in New Zealand, actually, which should tell you how old she is- I haven't been to NZ since at least 2000, so she's probably older than some of the teens on this site. Nellie and I do have a history, actually. Mom (might've been Grandfather?) bought a tent for me and sis once, and sis and I ended up sleeping in it, though Sis woke up in the middle of the night and freaked out and ended up sleeping with Mom instead.... and then Mom gave me Nellie that night so I wouldn't wake up and be all scared that sis had disappeared. (We were really young- this was before we moved to Cali)Nellie's pretty much been my go-to plushie since we started going back to Australia in 5th grade- I guess I never quite grew out of her. She's on the Plushie Party MB as well, if you look: ![Merit Badge in Plushie Party
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Congratulations on your new merit badge! Thank you for supporting the Writing.Com community with your inspirations, participation and activities. We sincerely appreciate it! -SMs](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Plushie_Party-2113868.gif) She's behind the pink unicorn and the doll. She's super soft, and a great cuddler, honestly. I mentioned bringing her to Melbourne- she's like a plushie child to me, I guess. "Invalid Item" was technically a true story- I took her to class with me sometimes- on Tuesdays and Fridays since I only had one class each day on those days. I've given her a few baths in her time, as well- and then I found out the thread on her eye is starting to come off. So I've been super worried about her, as well, which probably adds to the care I put in to maintaining her and her well-being. See? I sound like a plushie mother. and they'll probably be the only kids I do have, plushies. I seriously doubt I'd want kids, but I think that's another thing entirely. Back to Nellie... I was super tempted to bring her back to Cali with me, but Mom said no, so there was that. So now she's stuffed in the closet in my room in Aus, because packing was a flurry the morning of our 6 am flight out of Tas, so Mom just stuffed in all the plushies randomly, and I think she's being squished now. {e:sigh}Yeah, so for me, Nellie's probably the one if we're talking about plushies and childhood memories and toys and such- either her or Miffy.... I got Miffy from the "Tooth Fairy" when I was in kindergarten... I also took her to Show and Tell that day. She came in a plastic cellophane wrapping, which, as I was holding her, I was fidgeting with during my presentation, so nobody could hear what I was saying. I still remember bringing her up to recess with me that day, and the aide in the class had to hold on to her for me while we walked up to the playground. Miffy's had her fair share of adventures, too- I bring her to school with me here in Cali, and when I was younger, I brought her with me on my travels to and from Aus, and probably around the world as well. I once almost left her on an airplane seat, and that was a close call because I realized it once we stepped out of the tunnel connecting the plane and the terminal, and I was all "  MIFFY!" So Mom had to turn back around and go back to the seat to grab the bunny. There was one time last year Mom was "joking" with me, and was saying "imagine if you hadn't remembered her. She'd probably be in some dumpster, long gone by now." It stung. I ended up leaving Mom's room in tears- it was bedtime, so I just turned around and went to my room instead. I mean, Miffy's Miffy. It doesn't explain much, but we've had our moments.... Like, I once dropped her in the ashes of the incense holder in elementary school- Mom used to light incense and I'd help her distribute it and then "plant" it around the house (for lack of a better verb ) and I guess one time I had put Miffy on the table at the front of the house where one of the incense places is, and she decided it would be a fun idea to fall in, forwards. So she's been a little gray ever since then. My aunt was around at that time, thankfully, and helped me wash her, so she wasn't *as* gray as before, but still, those ashes left their mark. Annnd then I guess I played with her so much, that her arm nearly came off. I liked to use her arms and "wave" to people with it, so Mom ended up sewing her armpit for me. So yeah, she does mean quite a lot to me, as well... I suppose, all plushies have their own backstory and history. And some may mean more to you than others, but in the end, it's never a good idea to get rid of a plushie, because they're all your friends, and if they've done nothing wrong to you, why would you get rid of them? |
| How do you effectively make a change in your life or in anything you do? (i.e. a habit, a routine, a system, etc) Honestly, I'm not really one for change, unless it's absolutely necessary.  Though, I suppose, if it's a small change, or just a one-off thing, it takes loads of planning- like when I wanted to win the Delta scavenger hunt, or meet Hi-5, it took planning, but they were worth it. And the two events were just slight changes- getting up slightly earlier, and making an effort, I suppose. You're not going to see much of a change if you're all "meh" about something, either, so I suppose you'd need an adequate amount of passion to do the change... I mean, Mom keeps wanting me to attend those Dharma meetings, and considering my feelings about our religion haven't changed much, my feelings about attending those Dharma meetings haven't changed either.  On the other hand, I really wanted those front-row tickets to Delta, and I seriously wasn't about to let Mom stop me.... I mean, she's almost always the nay-sayer to the stuff I want to do, like "Oh, I get to see Hi-5!" "Aren't you too old for that? " or "There's a scavenger hunt for Delta tickets and I'm totally going to try it!" "No, you're not going to win. There's so many other fans out there, and you barely know Melbourne." So in a sense, I was going against Mom's word, but I've kinda learned to take her "no"s with a grain of salt. When you hear so many "no"s, I suppose there's a point where you start ignoring them. And for the most part, I guess it paid off! |
| I'm going to a writing workshop at my local library this Tuesday. Tell us about some of your writing experiences outside of WDC. Have you ever attended a workshop or taken a writing class? Have you ever participated in a writing group, or read to an audience? What was it like? Anything you can tell people who haven't done it before (or haven't done it in a long time)? I did a writing workshop in elementary school?  That's the only "workshop" I've done- twice- in 4th and 5th grade. I wanted to do a writing class last year, but it was the same time as Jazz, and I ultimately chose Jazz over writing. I figured, with the Honors Core classes, the least I could do was be active... I *have* read to an audience before, though. Of kids. For NEHS- National English Honors Society- we did storybook readings at the local library, which was fun.  I don't remember what I read, but I do remember eye contact is definitely a must- or else you lose the kids. Though other writing experiences outside of WdC.... I suppose there's essays, for school. Annnd I know we had to write some weird stories in third grade, using these famous black-and-white photos that I don't remember.... I do remember I wrote a story about a house-turned-rocket once, because there was a picture of a house, with flames shooting out underneath it, so I wrote something and the teacher seriously tore it apart, saying my climax came way too soon, and there wasn't enough rising action leading up to it, and lots of other stuff, so I ended up reading in class instead, and the teacher was all "why aren't you writing?" and I was like "I need to read so I can think of what to write". But yeah, my third grade teacher wasn't too fond of me. Or my writing. And I remember ultimately writing some story about Port Arthur, thanks to Grandfather telling the story in Chinese, and Mom helped me translate it into English, then I handwrote it as my assignment. I think it ended up being a bad dream, and the kid woke up with a tissue in his hand. |
| Not really a news article, but I don't feel great tonight and the news lately is getting old and kinda depresses me, so you get this instead: What would you do with 200 pounds of confetti ? 200 pounds of confetti?! The plushies would have a ball with this! We'd be swimming in the stuff. I wonder how much that would cost, though.... Maybe I'd go on Ebay or Amazon and sell it... and use the money to travel the world. Just looked, and the first site I see says 3198.00 So maybe I'd sell it for $3,200 or $3,300- get some money from it, and then use it to go visit friends around the world. CG asked me the other day where I'd like to go visit, actually, and I didn't really have an answer for him. Just told him I never really thought about it, though I had a friend in England I'd love to go visit, so quite possibly there. Thinking more about it now, though, I'd like to see Western Australia. And South America. And possibly a bit of Africa. It'd be a pretty cool experience if I could visit 6/7 of the continents. I'm not sure I'd want to see Antarctica, honestly. I mean, yes, it'd be a very unique experience, but it's also very cold. And Dragons don't do well in the cold. Anyways, I'd also go back to Australia to see everyone. And play with the babies. The older baby (CG's older nephew) kissed me while I was holding him, on Tuesday.  First randomly on the cheek, then after a few more times, on the lips. So technically, I've now been kissed by a boy, even if it is a baby boy. Hmm though back to the prompt- if I can't sell it, I suppose I'll just have to use it! I'm not one for throwing parties, so I'd probably spread the mess joy and put it in people's birthday cards and such. I also suppose you could make art with it- lots of paper and glue. glue the general pattern you want, on the paper, then sprinkle confetti all over it. Would make for some neat lettering, I'd reckon. Imagine having a cutout of your name, all covered in confetti. That'd be some unique decor! Paper mache, maybe? Make some paper mache thing then use confetti as the final layer on top. Colorful, and effective use of confetti. Hmmm, I suppose you could trick someone and then put some in a piñata, and give it to them. That would also help you avoid having to clean it up-though your giftee might not be as pleased once they crack it open. There- 5 uses for 200 pounds of confetti. Really, though- Why would anyone even have that much in the first place? |
| You're a famous author...how would you go about furnishing the perfect houseboat to live on while you continue your career? Money isn't an object, but you can only leave the boat once every three months. Hmm.... once every three months? That's not much. At all. Though I'm not quite sure what kind of furniture I'd need to replace once every three months. Also, is this my first time going to live on the houseboat? Fivesixer  this prompt needs clarifying! Well. Assuming it is, I'd definitely need lots of food, so a fridge is a must. Lots of non-perishable food, so a large pantry as well. I suppose healthy food is pretty much out of the question, so definitely an aerial course.  Maybe something basic- just a hammock and lyra hoop so I can work on my hip strength with the hoop, and swing around in the hammock. I'd want a matted floor for this area, and everywhere else would be wooden flooring. The bedroom would have a double-sized bed, a rug, and a full-length slidey mirror that can be my closet as well, behind it. And a desk, for whatever stuff that I might want to keep in the room, but not on the desk. Maybe I'll have a living room, too... if I can't leave the boat, it doesn't mean others can't come visit me, right? So there we go- a living room with a nice sofa, TV, and a gaming console (Xbox, maybe? The one where you use your hand to choose the options and there's a camera of sorts that tracks you) With that said about having guests over, I'll have a guest bedroom too. Sleepovers would be fun. just a bed and closet in here would be necessary, I'd reckon.Kitchen- definitely a stove and oven, and a kitchen counter to eat around. And a microwave. Annnd maybe I'll have a piano in the living room, just because. I think that pretty much covers all rooms a houseboat would need... for me, at least. |
| On this day in 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care was first published. How useful really, in your opinion (whether you have kids or not), are parenting books? And (I'm not judgin' anyone, but...) what does it say about the person who is reading from anything sporting a title beginning with "The Common Sense Book..."? Hmmm I haven't read it before, but I would think, judging by the title, it wouldn't be much different to the Dummies series, like Parenting for Dummies? I remember Mom got me a Poetry for Dummies in 8th (might've been 11th?) grade because I was having issues analyzing poems for class. Always way off the mark. like, how am I supposed to know that the blue sky was supposed to represent a blue mood? I thought that might be a happy poem. Maybe not? As for the parenting books, I think that depends on if you already have kids (in which case, they probably wouldn't be too helpful) or if you're planning to have kids/are about to have kids. In the second scenario, I guess they would be a somewhat useful, general guide for what one would expect when the kids arrive. And yes, every kid is different, so what the book says might not necessarily be the case for when that person's kid (or kids!) arrive and start growing up. Liiike, I know the Aus baby was actually toilet trained using a tablet- I'm pretty sure that's not going to be in any parenting books- "give your child a tablet and let them watch cartoons until they go!" As for me, I was toilet trained super early because I was too chubby to fit in any diapers after a certain point. Then there's the Tiger Mom, Amy Chua- I actually read the book- we have it at home and I used it for my Capstone Project/thesis in 12th grade... her book is by no means a culmination of good advice, but it's definitely an interesting read of how she raised her daughters in a Westernized world, using an Eastern approach. I do think, though, that while it was effective, it was definitely on the extreme side. Like, "I'm going to take all your stuffed animals and BURN them"? I'd be scarred for life. And I doubt I'd even be able to play piano properly ever again! So, going back to "The Common Sense Book..." I don't think it's a terrible idea. I mean, "common" is all relative, technically, and what one person believes to be "common sense" may not be another's idea- in fact, it may be the total opposite! It's very cultural, as well, I'd reckon. Different cultures have different cultural norms, so I suppose that doesn't answer the question either. Ah well, in a nutshell: "The Common Sense Book..." isn't terrible.... could be quite helpful. Always good to learn a bit of common sense, isn't it? |
| Today is the 13th, a number which many claim is "unlucky". Do you believe this, that a number can be unlucky? Do you have a lucky number? Or is it all just superstitious nonsense? I do have lucky numbers, actually, and 13 is one of them. the others are 5 and 8, rather coincidentally, since 5+8=13. But no, 5+8=13 is not why I consider 13 lucky. 5 came pretty early, I believe, just purely a "favorite number" due to Hi-5 being 5. 8 came from Charli, and the fact that it's supposedly a good number in Chinese superstition (I'll do more on that in a bit). Charli was part of the original Hi-5 cast, and Mom had gotten us some Hi-5 books (I don't even know how or where, but she did....) and one of them stated her favorite number was 8. So I copied her. Then in middle school, I was introduced to the world of pop culture and such, and Taylor Swift was an up-and-coming star at that point, and I was drawn to her and her songs.... and her lucky number was 13, so I took that on, too. Chinese Superstition: Buckle up, this is going to get interesting. Firstly, let's start simple: Good things come in pairs. This also means 2 is a good number. BUT don't ever give anyone 4 of anything. 7 is a bad number because it sounds like "cut", or "bully", but it can also be a good number since it symbolizes togetherness. 5 sounds like "not", so that's a bad number, too.... 0 is a good number since it represents wholeness- people like to use it in business since it's an even number. 8 means "prosper" or "wealth", and I think that's the most auspicious number ever, in Chinese culture. Funny though, if good things come in pairs, and 2x4=8.... and 4x4=16, but 2x8=16, as well. I wonder how that works....Yeah, I could go on and on about this, but if you want more, Wikipedia is a pretty good place to go looking. The China Travel site is pretty good, too. Happy learning! |
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