I'd just like to thank...

...Skye Fairwin over at Think Ink for nominating me for the Liebster award.

It's been a while since she nominated me, and my blog is sadly lacking in posts, but nevertheless, here are the answers to her questions:

1.When did you first start to see yourself as a writer?
 
I don't think I've ever really seen myself as a writer. I've always written, always wanted to write, but writers are people who spend their lives in cosy cafes, observing people and scribbling in notebooks. I scribble on post-its and type up half-finished stories on my laptop in my bedroom at home, surrounded by dogs, cats, birds and the odd park-town prawn. Does that make me a writer? I suppose so.

2.What was the first story you remember writing about?

I think I was in grade one when we got the usual start-of-year homework to write a few sentences about ourselves in our workbook. My sentences turned into an entire page about my dogs, flying over the swimming pool, and my brother who refused to talk. It was part fantasy, part autobiographical, and my teacher was not impressed. She was also the teacher who wrote "when did you grow a beard?" next to my self-portrait. I was six.

3.What do you blog about and why?

 This question would be better suited to someone who actually blogged on a regular basis. When I do get to my blog, I tend to write about things that matter to me, things that inspire me, and hopefully, things that make people chuckle. As to why I blog about that, have you got a few hours? No? I'll try to keep it short then. My blog was created when I walked out of my job of five years, with no idea of what I'd do after that. I just knew that life wasn't supposed to be a daily struggle to wake up and go to work. I wanted to share the experiences that life has to offer, the truth that even though things don't always go as planned, the level of 'bad' is determined by your choice of perspective. I wanted to share the realisation that you create your reality.

4.Who is your idol?

Honestly? No one. Idolising someone implies wanting to be like them and I don't want to be like anyone except myself. Although there are a lot of people I admire and who motivate me to become a better person in my own right. Skye Fairwin - whose constant encouragement and intense dedication to her wordcraft leaves me in awe and inspires me to make the time to write and keep on writing is one of them.

5.Besides writing, do you engage in any other creative/artistic pursuits? (E.g. painting, composing, etc.)

Does building houses in the Sims count? I scribble a bit, but I'm not an artist by nature, it's something I really have to work at, and being a perfectionist, it bothers me when I don't get it right first time. I enjoy working with GIMP and Photoshop though, so I suppose that could count as artistic tendencies.

6.If you were sucked into your story world, how long would you survive?

Depends on which story... If it was the Olarunae series, not very long at all.

7.If you could live during any historical period, when would it be and why?

Am I allowed to change who I am in order to promote my survival in said period? In that case, I'd like to go back to the Jurassic period. Or maybe even the period of time the Croods lived in! Just because.

8.Where do you hope to be in ten years' time?

In a cottage in the mountains, surrounded by forests with a single road in and out of the area. Self-sustained by my vegetable garden and solar power. That'd be nice.

9.Which of your characters is your favourite and why?

 Jarred from the Olarunae series. He's the only character who popped up one morning and told me I couldn't wear pants because it wasn't very ladylike. We had a ten minute argument about it, and I wore the pants. He didn't speak to me for a week.

10.If you were given one wish, what would it be?

I would wish for everyone to gain respect for themselves, self-esteem and self-love, along with the realisation that they alone are responsible for how their lives turn out. I think the world in general would just be a much happier place if we took responsibility for ourselves and the way we live, instead of trying to blame money, society, religion or a million other silly things for our self-created misery.

The rules of the Liebster award say that I have to nominate ten other people and give them ten questions to answer... Er... That's a lotta people. I don't know that many folks in blogland so I'm just going to nominate who I DO know. Surprisingly, that's increased by a few since the last game of tag.

The nominees have to answer the questions, then select 10 others with less than 200 readers, and ask them 10 questions in turn.

  1. amimental
  2. All the awesome folks at the Sprint Shack. (technically this counts as three people, so haha!)

My Questions:

1. How did you decide on the title for your blog and what alternatives did you consider first?
2. What is it about blogging that keeps you coming back for more?
3. If you could live anywhere, anywhen, where and when would it be and why?
4. Do you ever try to write outside your chosen genre?
5. Some people have received book deals based on their blogs. If someone offered you one for your blogs, would you accept and why?
6. Do you like vegetables or fruit more?
7. What is your favourite nursery rhyme and why?
8. Technophobe, technogeek or somewhere inbetween?
9. Do you believe in ghosts?
10. How much wood can a woodchuck chuck?

All yours!  

Too Many Butterflies...

...Not enough time!

I was shocked to see that I haven't posted anything since February! Time has just flown by and I never seem to have enough of it to do everything I want to do.

A friend of mine told me that I'm constantly distracted by all the pretty butterflies, and I need to take a step back and focus on one at a time. So I've been trying that. "What are my butterflies?" I hear you ask.

Let's make a list:

• Studies - I'm in my first year of BCOM Management Accounting. The company I work for is very generously paying my tuition and it's an opportunity I'm not prepared to pass up. I've almost finished my second semester exams (one more to go) and then I can take a break until January/February.
• Reiki I, II and Advanced - Week 7 is on Tuesday night (it's a 12 week course), and then I have my certificate to practice Usui Shiki Ryoho or Western Reiki from the Soul Healing Academy. For those who don't know what Reiki is, it's touch-energy healing. It can be used for anything from a common cold, to helping cancer patients. Does it work? My own experience says yes, but there's no way to scientifically validate it. The only proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Nevertheless, I'm loving every second of the course.
• Level 1 Animal Communication - This is a biggie. A real BIG butterfly in my entire collection of butterflies. I registered for the home study course via the Animal Healing Centre and although it's taking me a while to work through it, I have started to practice it with my animals and with some friends' animals. All I'm going to say is WOW! As soon as this level is done, I'm going to move on to Level 2 and then Masters, which will allow me to teach Animal Communication. Technically, I suppose I could teach it now since it's not really a formal 'degree' as such, and I've had some really amazing results with it already; but a lot of work and love went into creating these courses, by people who are really passionate about what they do, and why they do it. They have a lot more experience than I do at this point in time, and it wouldn't be fair to them, myself and others if I passed on my learning without experiencing everything they have to offer. Once again, there's no scientific proof that can validate Animal Communication, but then again, there's no scientific proof that we're not all figments of someone's imagination.
• Dog Training - This is something I've wanted to do for years. We have just added a new canine companion to our pack, bringing us up to a total of 3. Ali is a fox-terrier, and still quite young. She's a rescue dog of sorts - a friend of mine realised her previous owners were a bit...uncaring of her well-being and when she gave birth to puppies after wandering the streets freely, the SPCA was called in. A long story short, Ali ended up with us (skinny and recovering from biliary and a uterine infection), and is now sterilized and due to be vaccinated when her stitches come out. In the meantime, Lady and I have been to training classes (Lady is 6 years old and has never been to training before), and she was just amazing. I suddenly realised how a mother feels when their child learns to walk for the first time. I'm going to be taking Lady, Tobi and Ali to training every Sunday and we're all really looking forward to it. It's fun, social and gets us all some much-needed exercise as well as some discipline and agility classes for the girls. I'm hoping that with time, I'll be able to offer dog training in conjunction with Animal Communication.
• Teaching - Once more, another big butterfly. I love teaching. I started out studying teaching, but left for a variety of reasons. Now, I want to get back into it. Montessori is a method of early childhood teaching that really strikes a chord with me. Best part of it, is that I can study it part time for a year, complete my practical in three months and get international accreditation in the Montessori method. This also allows me to open my own school if I choose to do so. I'm not sure about the latter option; but the main reason I want to do this is because I miss working with kids. I worked with them for just over a year, and it's something I love and am passionate about. Enough said.
• Spirituality - You've probably already guessed by now that I have some unconventional views. If you haven't, you haven't been paying attention. I believe very strongly in the ability of humans to create their own reality - their lives. We can choose what happens; or doesn't, in our everyday existence. Is this an easy thing to do? No. But it's far from impossible. I've done a lot of self-therapy with shamans, (the friend I mentioned who told me I have too many butterflies), and I'm not even half-way done yet. But, I am getting there, and am working on it continuously. Part of this process is in helping others to do the same with their lives. To create positive, healthy and well-balanced people who actually LIVE. Energy work definitely forms a major part of this, and although a lot of people will scoff and shrug it off, I've seen and experienced too many wonderful things to ever be afraid of being thought a nut again. My opinion and the way I live my life is all that's important to me now, and I'm choosing to make the most of it - bumps, lumps, nuts and all.

So those are my major butterflies. There are a ton of other smaller ones, equally pretty, fluttering around and trying to distract me from the big ones. There's Rhapsody's Readings, which has by necessity become a smaller butterfly; my writing (I'm busy living the fantasy instead of writing about it); the millions of other ideas I have on a daily basis, all of which involve some form of teaching/spirituality/people/animals; and of course, work - which includes the part-time Saturday job at the esoteric shop.

And each day I tell myself I have plenty of time, and the other butterflies will come to land in my hands if I just wait patiently and focus on one at a time... So that's what I'm doing. My life is definitely happening.

Happy Birthday to my Bestest Friend

Today's post is dedicated to a very special person.

We met fourteen years ago, at our grade 8 orientation day. We were both extraordinarily shy, and somehow ended up standing next to each other in the assembly. I greeted her, she greeted me, and the next thing we were chatting like old friends.

She emigrated to Australia in 2004, and although we haven't seen each other since then, we still email, message and occasionally Skype.

When she was here, we used to go to the mall to eat waffles and watch a movie. I would always smother mine in every kind of syrup, she would have hers plain. She would watch me drenching the waffle and ice cream in syrup, pull a face and tell me; "that's disgusting." When she left, if I had a waffle, half was plain for her, the rest was covered in syrup for me. (She wanted me to eat two - one plain, one covered in syrup - but I just couldn't manage it.)

Although I was an anti-social freak and never remembered her birthday, and she was a much better friend to me than I ever was to her; she's always called me her friend and I consider myself extremely lucky to have a friend like her. I am proud that today, she is the friend that I've had the longest, and that I can still call her my Bestest Friend.

Today is her birthday, and I just want to send her the biggest, syrupiest, sweetest, most disgustingly yummy waffle I can. Unfortunately, Google doesn't have one like what I used to have, so here's the next best thing:

Happy Birthday Chips!

I've been tagged...

...by Skye over at ThinkInk. Skye is an old friend from Booksie, where she's known as UnderxYourxSpell . If you're ever looking for some brilliantly written, all-consuming fantasy stories, have a look at hers. I'm looking forward to reading Her Clockwork Heart *hint-hint*, which is her current work in progress. Pop over to her blog for an in-depth review of this Steampunk Fantasy.

Oops... got distracted. As I was saying, I've been tagged in The Next Best Thing Blog Hop. I'm not quite sure how this tagging business works, but I'm assuming I have to answer the questions about my writing, and then tag others to do the same. Since I don't follow any writing blogs, except Skye's and she was the one who tagged me, I'm afraid to say I won't be tagging anyone, but if anyone who reads this and does write, would like to take part, you're welcome to consider yourself tagged by me. Drop me a comment, and I'll link to your blog in an edit.

So without further ado, here are my answers for The Next Best Thing Blog Hop:

What is the working title of your book?

At the moment, it's just called Pandora's Box because that's the name of the main character and I haven't really thought about the title yet.

Where did the idea come from for your book?

I've always been fascinated by the concept of Time as a living thing. A friend of a friend died, and then a friend's beloved dog of 19 years passed away and I started thinking about how many of us waste our time wishing for days to go faster, or for the weekend to come, etc. I watched the movie In Time (which I totally recommend by the way), and it all seemed to come together to create the character of Pandora.

What genre does your book fall under?

Fantasy, with a dash of romance.  

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Time-Keepers never waste time on distractions, but Pandora has just opened her mythical box with the biggest distraction of all: Love.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Hahaha. Oh. That was a serious question? Sorry. If When, I manage to finish this story, I'll have a look at my options.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It's still in progress.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It would be great if I could compare it to some really big names, but so far I have a vague plotline and a few chapters, so I can't really say where it's heading or which books it compares to.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I'm not sure. I don't watch a lot of TV or movies. Katherine Moennig who stars as Shane in the L Word appeals as Pandora, but I suppose it depends on how the characters develop as I go along.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

A lot of different things. A new take on relationships and what a person would be prepared to give up for one, as well as how time or lack of it, can affect a relationship, and also what would happen if some things that aren't possible in our reality, were possible in the characters'. I'm also determined to finish a full length novel that's worth publishing, instead of some half-finished nonsense, which is normally what happens. The inspiration of that goal is from my girlfriend (who keeps 'Pfft'-ing me when I start telling her I can't seem to finish), as well as other brilliant writers who do finish; the major one being Skye.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

If you're interested in fantasies that make you think, deal with real-life issues in supernatural ways, and take you on a fast-paced journey to save, not only her Forever love, but also time as we know it and the fate of the universe, then delve into Pandora's Box and see if you can find Hope.

I have an Eco-system...

...in my hair.

In other words, I have lice.

Excuse me while I have a complete freak out....

Dragonfly calls it my eco-system. And laughs. Tells me it means my hair is clean because lice don't live in dirty hair. Or curly hair for that matter.  

It's still lice! I don't even know how I got the little bugs. *shudders*

She bought me poison. It comes with a hectic list of contra-indications and a warning not to leave it on for longer than ten minutes. Uhm.... No.

I tried pet shampoo instead. It doesn't work. So I checked the Fragrant Pharmacy. Lavender, Geranium, Chamomile, Lemon, Rosemary... All essential oils that won't poison me, and will deal with the issue. And Bingo! I have some completely natural Lavender shampoo and conditioner from EarthSap. So I tried the conditioner last night. Ha! My eco-system dropped dead faster than the cats sneaking into the bathroom before I can close the door. Yay! I've ordered more conditioner and will be adding some of the other oils to it before I apply it to my hair again tonight. 

And Dragonfly says she'll be using the poison. Turns out, lice don't mind curly hair all that much.

Random Musings

I haven't really had a lot to post about, although a lot has been happening. A blog is an unusual tool. On the one hand, it allows you to share your life with others and remain anonymous while doing so. On the other, it allows you to share your life with others and, in my case at least, remain not-so-anonymous.

When I started the blog, it was just a way to hold myself accountable for tasks I normally wouldn't complete, stories I never finished writing, ideas that I wanted to turn into goals, etc etc etc. So I made a conscious decision to involve my friends and family in it, giving them the site address, letting them know when I posted something new, and so on. It was a way for me to showcase things that were important to me, and share it with whoever was interested.

The problem is, when everything is going well; there's a lot of excitement and new things happening everyday, the blog is awesome. I can share the good stuff with the entire world and no one will be offended or upset or whatever.

It's when LIFE happens, when there are problems to solve, emotional baggage to unpack, issues in general to deal with; that a not-so-anonymous blog gets a bit tricky to maintain. Mainly because, the blog was created as a place to vent and share, even if no one really cared about what you were writing. And suddenly, when everyone you know, knows about your blog; venting becomes less of a vent, and more of an exercise in mystery writing. Pronouns become favourite tools, nicknames are used (or not), to prevent confusion between all the "he's", "she's", "they's", "we's", and so on and so forth unto bewilderment. Writing about a sticky home situation becomes an intricate dance to prevent any dire offense from being uttered.

And yet, if a blog is about one's life, and it becomes a major part of your daily existence; ie. thinking that finding the parktown prawn kindly dissected into individual body parts and scattered around your house by the oh-so-self-satisfied cats, would make a brilliant story when you wake up in the middle of the night, stumble through to the bathroom with barefeet and step on something that is simultaneously spiky and crunchy *shudders*... Well, it stands to reason that something as awesomely disturbing as stepping on a dismembered insect would be something you'd want to post on your blog so the whole wide world will know about it. It also stands to reason that the story you wrote about it would be so awesome, that you'd want everyone you know to read it and laugh (or shudder), and so you tell everyone you wrote a blog and they should check it out. Whoop!

Then something not so awesome happens and you want to post about it, and vent and scream and cry (the pc screen is much less messy than actually screaming and crying); and suddenly you wake up and realise that the people who read your creepy insect story will read this one too (duh! They keep asking why you haven't written any more on your blog). And so you stop writing until the next harmless yet increasingly disturbing prawn-massacre disturbs your nightly trip to the bathroom. And you start keeping a pair of flip-flops next to the bed so when you hear that terrible crunching sound, it's under your shoe and you don't try to walk back to bed without touching the floor once.

So to keep the blog going, you have to try to find the middle ground between the awesome, and the issues. Not so easy when life isn't as well balanced as a cat about to pounce on its next victim. And that, my dear friends, is why posts are scarce and random musings randomly happen.

Finally!

I know, I know. I'm a terrible blogger. All I can say is, there's a reason my blog is named "When Life Happens." Cos you know; it happens.

As promised, here are some photos of the medieval market, mostly taken from Gypsy's camera, as I actually didn't take any myself.


Pixie (Gypsy's daughter) with some of the warrior women.



Myself and Gypsy



A really, REALLY big guy being buckled into armour.






 
 
 
 
 


A bizarre mix of medieval and modern.

 


Pixie. She spent the entire day dancing through the crowds.

 


Awesome costume! Whatever it is.



I love the runes on his shield.

 

 


Knight in shining armour anyone?

 


Me. By this time, the corset had become a torture device. Rethinking that one.

 


So NOT a practical sword.

When they had the demos of fighting, and whipped out this sword, I thought they were kidding. Until they actually started battling. I've been doing Kenjitsu for a few months and while I'm far from an expert, one thing I'm starting to realise is bigger isn't necessarily better. This sword is so big and unwieldy, that you'd need stupendously slow zombies as opponents in order to stand a chance of winning. It'd make an awesome zombie skewer though.  


Pixie riding one of the 'dragons'.

Some more cool costumes.

 


The Grand Poohbah of the Golden Gecko.

 
 

Myself and Pixie