O Come, O Come Emmanuel...

This season of Advent has been quite a wonderful (but busy busy busy!) one. I've been very preoccupied with school work and homework, but now that Christmas Break has finally arrived, I can sit back, relax, post on my blog, and sip my tea. (Earl Grey. Hot. )
Just a summary of my last few weeks...December is the concert month for the Chorale...so I've had 4 concerts in two weeks, not to mention opera practice. The concerts wouldn't have been that bad...except that two of them happened on one night, with only 2 hours between them for dinner. It was exhausting, but worth it. Sadly, for the first time since I don't know when, I couldn't participate in Lessons and Carols, which is an annual concert our church choir does. I just couldn't fit it into my schedule without going mad. *sigh*. Oh well. There's always next year.
I'm trying to complete all my many Christmas present projects in the remaining 6 days before Christmas...thank God there are 12 days of Christmas. Otherwise...I just might be up a tree! :)
I'm still working on my siblings' present (which is the book I wrote for NaNoWriMo). It's going through some major yet hasty editing, and some POV changes. I'm not quite finished with it...still. I can't believe that I managed to write 50,000 words in November, but I've only managed 6,000 in this entire month of December. Oh well. I'll blame it on school, and not procrastination, who is the real culprit. *cough*
As for my dad's present...I've had to cave in my rule. I'm buying him something. I just could not think of anything to make for him that he would actually use.
Regarding the rest of the family, I am completely set. I've written some short stories for my aunt and uncle (they're summaries of stories that our uncle tells us after dinner about his hilarious mother - I'll have to post one or two up here someday), and my grandparents are getting a poem which I have written by hand with my best Levenger fountain pen, and framed on beautiful scrapbook paper. My mom is getting a pair of fingerless gloves, which I have yet to finish...I'm going to have to knit fast.
I wonder if you can count your knitting speed like your word count? Like, 40 STM(stitches per minute)? That would be a handy gadget...

NaNoWriMo....WINNER!

Yes, you read that title correctly. I am officially a NaNoWriMo winner. WOOT! I have written 50,000 words in 30 days. And lived to tell the tale.
Truthfully, I'm still not quite done with my novel....I have about 10,o00 words to go before I actually finish the book...but I won. I actually won. I actually completed 50,000 words...with a life, a family, schoolwork, Chorale, and friends. I managed not to lose any of them during this month of wonderful insanity either. I just had to explain to them I don't hate them...I'm writing a novel :)
Now, I can look back at NaNoWriMo and see both its amazing good side and it's faults as well. The good things about NaNoWriMo are numerous. You learn to write fast. You learn to make yourself stick to a deadline (well, actually, this is optional. If you want to win, you learn to stick to a deadline.) In my case, you up your typing speed by 20 words per minute. You learn how to set goals for yourself, make yourself a structure, and then write without regrets, without turning back. And you also learn that you're not alone in the crazy-writer world. I know that some of you may have friends who are just like you and would stay up all night writing...but frankly, I don't know a person who would. And even for the most connected writers, writing can be a very lonely buisness. In NaNoWriMo, you are connected with people everywhere who are attempting the same things that you are attempting, and sharing the same pains and the same joys you are going through in the process. It's quite an experience.
Now, on the flip side. I also learned to turn off my internal editor for a bit. Now, I know that can be a good thing...but it's also one of the things that helps a writer identify what's right and what's wrong. If my internal editor would tell me "That needs fixing", I'd go back and fix it, or at least highlight it, so I'd know where to come back to it. But during NaNoWriMo, in order to survive, I needed to turn her off, and ignore every little thing she said to me. I consider that a bad thing, but maybe some of you writers out there disagree. And that's ok :) The other thing I didn't quite like about NaNoWriMo is that it seemed to encourage haste and quantity more that care and quality. Haste and quantity don't make a good book. Usually. But care and quality do. In moderation, haste and quantity can save your life...if you don't have a quantity, you sure won't have any quality. But if you're only focusing on your word count and not the actual words...then the book isn't going to turn out that great.
All in all, I think that NaNoWriMo is one of the best tools I have used in my writing path so far (which hasn't been very long yet :), and I'm sure going to do it next year! And I hope I'll get some more friends to join me! :)

Silence.

NaNoWriMo Update,and Other Updates Too!

Well, I'm on track!! And, boy, has that been an accomplishment!! I didn't think I'd be able to stay up with the 1500+ word count you're supposed to type out per day, but at this moment, I'm only 200 words behind. Wow. And it's fun! I knew I would enjoy it, but I didn't know I'd enjoy it this much. I have a very big sense of accomplishment right now...I'm 30 pages into a novel I was just starting 7 days ago, and I'm approx. 10,000 words farther along than I was a week ago. How cool is that?!? :)

As for my knitting, I'm still doing it!! Yay! I found I can keep up with my schoolwork, (and get A's), do NaNoWriMo, have time for my family, and still knit! Wow. I'm doing it mostly in the car or during my online classes (Shh!), but you get a lot done if you do it just one row at a time. I've shown off some of the things I've made, and now I'm getting requests from my friends, lol. Now, my next task to tackle in knitting is to learn how to cable-knit, then knit in the round. Hopefully, I'll learn both before Christmas! And if not, there's plenty I can knit that doesn't need that knowledge. :) (However, if you know of a book or a website with a great tutorial on either of those, please let me know!!) I should be posting some pictures of the things I've made on here soon, I just need to find the time to upload all my pictures. :P

I'll write again as soon as I find the time!! :)

Conformation of my Insanity

Ok, if you aren't convinced I'm insane yet, this post will convince you. Once you hear what I'm doing, you will either shake your head and think I'm crazy, or think I'm a masochist, or both.
I've participating in NaNoWriMo.
*gasp*
For those of you who don't know what that is, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's a rather large organization for writers of all ages, and it's a challenge. A challenge to write a 50,000 word novel (or more) in 30 days. It starts at 12:00 A.M. November 1st, and ends at 11:59 P.M. November 30th.
This is going to be insanity. Fitting in writing nearly 2000 words a day around 9 classes plus family time? But it's going to be so much fun. :) I am looking forward to it, and hope I'll make it to 50,000 words in 30 days. It's going to be a challenge, but it'll be useful in getting my butt in gear. I've been very lax in my writing lately, what with school and all. Now, if I'm posting about it both on the NaNoWriMo page and here on my blog, I have pressure to keep going. I'll be more likely to make it to the end. And if I make it, I'll be so happy :) So I'm going to keep you all updated on my novel status now, and if you've participated in NaNoWriMo before, or you are participating, please tell me! I'd love to be your writing buddy on NaNo, and I would love to hear tips on keeping that word count up! :P

LINKS!! :)

So, as I've been gone for so long, I've had some chances to find some awesome new websites I would love to share with you:




RainyMood.com - Rain makes everything better. If you're like me, you like the sound of rain. Acutally, you love it. And this website is for rain-lovers. It continuously plays the sound of rain, for as long as you want. I use it as background sound while I'm studying or reading. It's very relaxing.



The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild - I discovered this at the Folger Shakespeare Library, when I got my favourite souviner. It's a mug that has insults from the Bard's plays wrapped all around it. Guess where it's from? The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild, of course! The site, if you ask me, isn't as epiclly awesome as Think Geek, but it does have some interesting stuff for lit. nerds like me, and not just computer and sci-fi geeks.



Collage Fashion - I found this site because it was linked to another one of my favourite sites (Surviving Collage Life- check it out if you want to; great articles on studying.), and I am now hooked. For someone who's just getting into fashion, or for someone who's been in love with designing outfits since they could draw - you will enjoy this website. I know I do! :) Check out the Disney inspired outfits as well - Ellie from Up is my favourite!!! :)



Scarf Tying - I love scarves. Always have, always will. And this is a tutorial on 37 ways to tie a scarf. I fell in love instantly. Hope you do to.



Courageous - Ok, this is one of the only movie trailors that actually made me cry. I mean, like tears rolling down my cheeks. It's a movie that all dads today should see. I can't wait to see it myself. If the trailor doesn't convince you to see it...I'm not sure what will.





Don't Blink Cat - This was shown to me by one of my Doctor Who friends, and I laughed so hard I cried. If you love Doctor Who, you would love this YouTube video.





Goodreads - Ok, this site is amazing. I was seeing it mentioned on Facebook quite frequently, so I decided to check it out. One of the best things I've ever done. A friend of mine described it as a "Ravelry for readers". (Btw, if you like to knit or crochet, and you don't know what Ravelry is, you are deprived. Check it out, and friend me, I'm under Scriptor :) And go ahead and friend me on Goodreads too, I'm under 'Rachel'.

Hope you enjoy these websites as much as I do!! :)

Apologies

I must apologize to my readers...I haven't been posting lately because...well...for multiple reasons. First, I went on a two-week trip to Virginia and Washington DC. Secondly, because of the trip, I had quite a bit of catch-up to do in school, and that made doing anything extra-curricular very difficult...but now, here I am. And ready to tell you all about it :)

First, the trip. It was amazing! We took it with my grandparents, and there wasn't a day that didn't have at something memorable. We went to colonial Williamsburg first. If you have never been, you need to go sometime before you die. It is fantastic! Above is a picture of an artillery demonstration they did with real cannons...and I thought regular gunfire was loud!!

Every day, we did something that was fascinating and full of history: toured the Governor's Palace, went through the old houses, listened to actors portray the characters of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and (my sister's favourite) the Marquis de Lafayette. We watched people do trades that they would have back in colonial times: blacksmiths, brewers, wig makers, barrel-makers (coopers, technically), gun-makers, shoe-makers, milliners, wheel-makers, book-binders (my favourite), printers, and so many more which I can't think of at the moment. Each one would talk about his trade and then demonstrate it for us, using all the techniques they would have in the colonial times. It was fascinating, and there was never a dull day!

After the trip to Williamsburg, we went to Washington D.C., which was absolutly fantastic. We walked around the entire Mall, and saw every single monument there was to see. They were beautiful and awe-inspiring. I loved seeing the Abraham Lincoln and the Thomas Jefferson memorials. They were so breath-taking...I can't wait to see them again someday!! We also got to tour the Captiol, which was amazing. We got to see all the statues, and the beautiful masonry, and all of the gorgeous paintings. But my favourite had to be the Library of Congress. I think I could live there and never, ever get bored. The paintings and the sculputres alone could take up weeks of study and enjoyment, not to mention the Reading Rooms. I need to go back there someday, just to see the Library of Congress. If you're considering going, go. It's so worth it.

A close runner-up had to be the Folger Shakespeare Library, however. There was a rehersal of Othello going on, and we got to see the actors practicing. I loved watching the directors and the sound guys do their jobs...I've always been fasinated by the behind-the-scenes workings. It was also fun to watch the actors play around on the stage when they got bored between scenes and during sound and lighting tests. And in their giftshop, I found the souviner that made me SO happy: Hamlet by the Royal Shakespeare Company, starring - guess who!?!?!?! - David Tennent and Patrick Stewart!! I was so happy!!! Now, all I need to do is find time to watch it...!

I also got a mug with some of Shakespeare's best insults written all over it. Here's a picture...

Awesome, isn't it? :)

Anyway, I hope I can write again soon...keep updated! :)

Cloudless Skies

In spite of the contradition of the weather, I'm knitting a project which I'm calling "Cloudless Skies". The yarn I'm using reminds me of the sky on a windy day in late summer, when the sky is so blue it seems to be almost as bright as the sun. I'm making basic fingerless mitts for my sister, and I've already completed one of them. The other is almost done...but I've not been able to find time to knit, or even write! *insert shocked gasp*. It's been very, very busy around here...but I'll elaborate more on that in the next blog post. :) Once I finish the gloves, I'll have to upload a few pictures for you as well :)

Have a holly, home-made Christmas...

I decided that this year, I'm going to make all my Christmas presents, instead of buying things. Home-made things always seem to carry more sentiment than things from the store, I've noticed. I always get a little thrill when I receive something that someone has made especially for me. Just the idea of someone working away over needles or yarn or whatever for me has always made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. So, I've decided to spread that warm and fuzzy feeling, by working with warm and fuzzy yarn. Yep, I've taught myself how to knit. I've already made my mom's Christmas present (I'm not completely sure if she reads my blog or not, so I'm not going to say what it is :)) I'm working on my Dad's right now, and still have to discover what exactly I'm making for everyone else. It's difficult to find something that's pretty, useful, and still in my skill level.

Not everything I'm making for Christmas is knitted, however. I'm also embroidering some other things, and for my siblings, I'm writing a story that we used to play when we were younger.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for home-made Christmas presents, please let me know!!

The Men are Back Home :)

Today, my brother and dad came home from a week-long backpacking trip in the wilderness. It was an interesting week without them...I always took for granted the presence of a man around the house. But with both of them gone...we didn't feel complete. Oh, we had fun without them, going to movies, hanging out, and generally having a 'Girl's week', but we weren't complete. Coming home to a cold, empty house was a bit of a jar, when you're used to your dad waiting there for you.
And to top it all, my little baby brother came back a young man. AHH! I'm getting too old! Wow, I remembered when he was only a day old and I was holding him! It's so cool to watch him grow up...but bittersweet.
So glad they're back. :)

Bee Adventure :)

Today, my dad and I drove far up in the foothills to capture some bees. It was a beautiful drive, surrounded by orchards and vineyards and rolling hills...hardly any houses at all. When we finally arrived there, we found that the bees had made their hive inside a small stove in an old tin shack. The shack was something straight out of a Western...complete with a half-empty Jack Daniel's whiskey bottle on a rickety shelf, and a crooked mirror hung over a rusty sink. It inspired a short story...maybe I'll actually write this one! :)
It must have been 95 degrees out...and bee suits makes it feel like 950 degrees..but we survived, and have a small hive to show for it. On the way back, my dad and I slipped in Mumford & Sons, cranked up the volume, and rolled down the windows. Awake, my soul. Awake, my soul. For you were made to meet your Maker.

School and Life

Well, I have no illusions of still being in summer. All my classes have hit me, full-blast. And, amazingly, I'm not drowning. Well...not yet at least. :) I'm juggling the workload much better than I did last year, which is a relief. And I'm enjoying most of my classes as well! I think the most challenging one will be Chemistry...it has a lot of math, which isn't my strongest subject, but I will live through it.
Somehow, I'm managing to keep my writing schedule afloat during all this. Every night, I still write, whether only a paragraph, a scene, or - if I'm lucky enough to finish school early - a handful of pages. So the novel process has obviously slowed down, but it's still plodding along. Also, when I'm stuck, I indulge in writing a bit of fan fiction. It's really quite addicting...I didn't know how addicting until I actually couldn't put my pen down! Or, I guess I could have...but I would have had much trouble doing it. :)
Anyway, school has started, and I am coping quite well. Except for a few late nights with St. Augustine's Confessions and Chemistry homework, everything has been smooth. Let's see how it continues to go...

Novel Update, and other Updates :)

...Well...I didn't finish it before the deadline...*sigh*. Oh well. There were some circumstances beyond my control...such as a great idea that ended up causing major plot reconstruction and a few chapters edited and the whole beginning of my story nixed. Yeah, kinda drastic, but so worth it. I'm now enjoying my plot, because it doesn't seem so heavy. However, the scene I'm supposed to be writing isn't going as well...I'm procrastinating by writing fan fiction, any other scene besides that, and blogging. Oh well, this post is a result of that procrastination...so it can't be too bad, right?
I baby-sat some adorable kids tonight. It's so much easier when they're good kids. There was a slight thunderstorm, and they were enthralled by the booms and the lightning. It was so cute to see their faces whenever lighting split the sky.
School has finally started. I don't know whether to be happy or sad...summer was getting kinda boring, but now that I'm swamped with homework I'm really missing sleeping in and reading whatever whenever I want. Right now, I'm reading The Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon, Mirror Dance by Lois Mcmaster Bujold, and Sylvester by Georgette Heyer. Something from each of my favourite genres: fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. All of them are great books, and I'm enjoying each one :)
I'll write again when I have time to spare!!

Catch-Up :)

Wow! What has happened to the last two weeks! They've seemed to have sprinted by and left me in the dust, blinking. I apologize to all my readers; I've been in L.A. and in Northern CA, camping. The two weeks I was away are full of things I did and saw, some for the first time, others for the millionth. :) Be warned, this blog post is going to be longer than usual, as catch-up on the days I've missed! :)
I spent the first week with my best friend down in L.A, doing fun and crazy things such as going to Disneyland, running a 5K, playing volleyball on the beach, surfing, frequently visiting Starbucks, hanging out at the mall, eating at Panera Bread, and staying up to watch random movies until 2 A.M. The week was full of fun and great fellowship!
The next week, we went back up to my family and headed up to Northern CA to go camping. The ride there was uneventful - almost. Two hours from the campsite, our car's radiator exploded, leaving us stranded on the side of the road for almost 5 hours. Our awesome friends drove up to the campsite with their trailor, dropped it off with half of the party, and then drove the two hours back down to pick up our trailor. Meanwhile, we had called a tow truck and gotten our car towed while we stayed with our trailor on the side of the mountain road. My brother, his friend, and I went exploring for a bit down either side of the road and found a creek and deer tracks to pass the time. We also met the nicest people, who pulled over to see if we needed any help. I won't give up hope on the human race until there is no one left who pulls over for another person in need.
The camping trip, after that, went smoothly and wonderfully. We hiked down to Burney Falls and around it, enjoying the cold mist and the beautiful waterfalls and scenery. Then, we kayaked across Lake Britton and to an obscure hiking trail, where we found a waterfall and little pool. Before we left, we drove up to Lassen National Park, and saw the sulfur springs and the gorgeous mountains and lakes. Up at 8,000 feet, there was still snow in the lakes and on the hillsides, and the water must have been just over 32 degrees. But it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The water in the lakes was the deepest blue I had ever seen, and the snow and the creeks were something out of a fairytale. I felt as if I was walking through a little patch of Heaven.
We also visited the lava tunnels, and they were amazing! The huge caverns the lava had carved into solid stone were spectacular. We hiked through them twice, amazed at their size and beauty.
On the way back from the trip, only 17 miles away from home, actually, a huge semi truck swerved, flipped, and crashed directly in front of us. It tore down one of those huge, green freeway signs and crushed it, ripping it right down the center. My godfather, who was driving, pulled over and ran to help, along with 10 other cars which stopped. The driver was stuck in the crushed cab, but he was alive and not seriously hurt. Every kind of person was there, a buisness man in a suit, two teenage guys in jeans and tanktops, a nurse, a motorcyclist - you name it, he was there. The man in the suit was pulling the huge crushed sign off of the road, to clear the way for other cars, and the teenagers pulled up in a van and helped him. It was a very encouraging sight, to see people of every different race, age, and background working together for the good of another. There is still hope for humanity.

Holding onto Summer....

I can't believe summer's almost over. EEK!! Where did July go?!?!?! Where is August going?!?!?! I've been cramming as much summery stuff into my weeks as I possibly can, before schoolwork begins to take over my life again, including watching movies. I don't usually have time for that during the school year, so I've been catching up on some I've missed. Right now I'm watching Inception, which is amazing. Mind-boggling, but amazing - at least, so far. Haven't quite finished it yet, still have 1/2 an hour to go :D) I'm also trying to teach myself to crochet, using the Internet and books. It's going pretty well...but, let's just say I need a lot of practice.

For all my Doctor Who friends out there, a friend of mine just shared this with me. It's a hilarious sketch done by Catherine Tate and David Tennent for Comic Relief, and it's guaranteed to give you a few laughs...I laughed the entire time, truthfully. :)

Camping and Bees :)

I just got back from camping up in King's Canyon National Park. It's a beautiful place to camp...surrounded by the tall 'kings' of the forest, or the redwood trees. It was an amazing trip, actually, one of the best that I've had so far. We all went swimming in Hume Lake, roasted marshmallows, and did other fun camping stuff :)
I got up at 5:30 today to go get a bee swarm with my dad. It was fun, driving along in the pre-dawn chill. That is, until a bee got out of the box and we had to continue driving with our windows down...which made the average temperature about 30 degrees. Now I'm heading to church, and a friend's birthday party, and then hopefully a run or a bike ride. :)

Veggies!!!

As long as I'm training and getting fit, I decided I'd give vegetarianism a try too!! So far, I've been a vegetarian for half a week...and I LOVE it. I feel more energetic, I'm excited about the awesome new recipes I get to try, and I also feel like a hippie chick ;) Peace out! ;)

Seriously, though, I really am enjoying this. You can cook veggies in almost any way imaginable. Among some of the other things I've discovered, I've discovered tofu. (See previous blog post). It's an amazing food...completely different than anything I've ever eaten before...but good. Really, really good...at least if you prepare it right!

By the way, if any of you were wondering, my wrist isn't broken or fractured, thank God! It's just a bad sprain. When I told the doctor how I got it (mountain biking), it turned out that he was an avid cyclist, and we talked for a good 10 minutes about cycling, and racing, and different trails and rides we had done. He's done the Death Ride over 7 times...I'd like to do it once and live through it! :D

I might not be posting for a couple of days, but I promise I will post as soon as I have time! Pax vobiscum!! :)

Mid-Year Resolutions!

As you probably already know, I'm abnormal. Very abnormal. And one thing that makes me so abnormal is my counter-cultural attitude. I don't make New Year's resolutions. Every single one I've made so far has fallen splat. So, I make Mid-Year's resolutions instead, right before school starts. This year, my Mid-Year's resolutions are rather simple:

• exercise 5 times a week (preferably biking or running)


• blog at least once a week (this will be harder than it looks as soon as school starts)


• train for a 5K or a century...preferably both!

Let's see if I can make it until next August 1st!!

Camping!

Just got back from a surprise camping trip with my family! It was extremely fun...we went up to Cherry Lake, which has amazing swimming holes, hiking trails, and bike paths. It's actually my favourite place to bike...with pretty good pavement, wonderfully challenging hills, and fantastic downhill rides. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy much of it, as the first day there I had a mountain biking accident and injured my left wrist. (most of this post is being typed one-handed...an interesting maneuver!) Since the ER is so busy on weekends, we are going tomorrow to have it X-rayed...so I don't know if it's actually fractured or just badly sprained. It's painful and swollen enough to be both, if you ask me. Oh, well. At least I can say that I injured it mountain biking and not doing something mundane, like falling down the stairs. ;) I will say this, however: I am never going to underestimate the wonder of our opposable thumbs! The simplest jobs are made ten times harder by the lack of one...it did give me some quality writing time though...there's nothing like writing up in the mountains surrounded by pine trees and brooks!

Wordplay and Characters :)

I hit the 30,000 word landmark this week! My novel is soaring as I find all these awesome websites and blogs for writing...the best being Wordplay. It's posted on the top right of my blog, and I would recommend it to any writer. There are articles, links and videos for wherever you are in your writing process.
I recently found a way to get to know your characters better: write them in a fight scene. Take two of your favourite characters, no matter where they are, and have them fight about an issue, no matter what it is. You find their flaws and sensitive spots pop up like weeds! A good example of this I found is in the movie Star Trek (the newest one with Chris Pine). There's a part where Kirk is goading Spock, trying to get him to admit he's "emotionally compromised". Kirk tries every approach, but Spock remains the stoic Vulcan, emotionally blank. Then Kirk insults Spock's mother...and Spock flips out. Find what makes your character 'flip out'. Is it an insult to their honor, or a suggestion that he's doing something wrong, or a slight against someone they love? You'll find out many traits that define your characters! I found out that my Main Character, Michael, is most angry when he's being called a liar, or when someone says he did something he actually didn't. If you need to get closer to your characters, make them fight. It worked for me! :)

TOFU!

Today, I took a step out of my taste bud's comfort zone and bought a tub of tofu on a whim. As soon as I got home and put it into the fridge, my reason came back to me. Why on earth did you buy tofu?! You don't even know how to cook it! And it looks like this block of weird, veggie-smelling cheese...you're going to eat that? My imagination, however, was undaunted by the protests of my reason (another fact that proves I am definitely not Vulcan. ;). I Googled "How to Cook Tofu", and learned as much about the subject as I could. Did you know that tofu can be used in virtually everything, from soups to stir-fries to puddings to cakes? I didn't..."This block of weird, veggie-smelling cheese does have some virtue after all! I wasn't completely crazy when I bought it...

After browsing through hundreds of recipes for dinners with tofu in them, I finally created my own that catered to my taste buds...and what I had in the fridge. :)

8 oz tofu (firm to extra firm)

2 tsp extra virgin oil

2 small diced onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stick celery, diced

1/2 small zucchini, diced

2 small onions, diced

2 tbs teriyaki sauce (I used Trader Joe's "Soyaki", a mix of soy sauce and teriyaki sauce)

Drain and rinse the tofu, patting it dry. Slice into eight 1/2 in slabs.

Heat the oil in a skillet, then add the tofu and cook in a single layer without stirring, until the bottoms are golden brown. (about 5 minutes) Gently stir , flip over, and continue cooking for about 6 minutes, or until all the sides are golden-brown. Add the veggies and terriaki sauce, stirring until the veggies are done. (I check to see whether the onions are translucent. That's usually a good sign that they're done) You can serve this on a bed of brown rice if you want to...I was too hungry to wait for the rice to cook, so I just ate it like it was :) The tofu acts as a flavor-absorber, so in this recipe it absorbed the garlic and the teriyaki sauce...and tasted fantastic. I would recommend it to any first-time tofu tryer! :) It makes about 2 servings.

Mischief Managed

July 15th was a bittersweet day. It was bitter because the last Harry Potter movie came out in theaters, ending a series that is both good and entertaining. It was sweet because, well...I, like millions of other Harry Potter fans, had been marking this day on my calender since November 19th, when we were left hanging from the ending of 7a. Being a loyal Harry Potter fan, to celebrate the last movie, I had a party :) {see image on left}

I spent half the day making Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, and Butterbeer, while friends of mine brought Acid Pops and Cockroach Clusters. After the party, my friends and I (in Hogwart's uniforms, of course!) went to the downtown theater and stood in line for the midnight premiere. Some of my friends started a "Harry Potter Puppet Pals: the Mysterious Ticking Noise" skit (if you don't know what that is, look it up on YouTube. HILARIOUS!) Then, after finally getting into the theater and waiting for another hour, we finally watched the movie. A friend of mine neatly summed it up afterwards: OMG!. The movie was excellent; well-acted, well-directed, well-written. But it wasn't the visual effects which made the movie. It was the beautiful portrayal of the spiritual battle which is going on all around us. Good and evil were clearly shown in this movie, there was no blurring of the lines. Goodness, honour, truth, courage, virtue, and, above all, sacrifice were praised and valued as keys to win the battle. All in all, it was a beautiful, good end to a beautiful, good series. Mischief Managed.

Summer Nights :)

Ahh. Summer nights. I can't think of a happier time in my childhood...or in my present. I just finished playing Capture the Flag with dear friends and family. Although nearly getting my shoulder wrenched out as I tackled one player, and getting a footcramp from running in flip-flops, I had the time of my life. The silvery moon shone down on us like a prop from Shakespeare's "Midsummer's Night Dream". The wind was blowing quietly as we ran from hiding place to hiding place, dodging other players and hunting for the flag. I treasure days - or rather nights - like this more than any other days. It is these days that pave the path of Childhood Memories. It is experiences like these that I remember when it's cold and rainy and I'm sick of schoolwork. Summer nights. I will treasure them always.

Novel Update :)

The novel is coming along...about a third of the way through now. It feels so good to type out the words that have been stuck inside my head all these months :) Writers get cranky when they don't get the words out of their heads, and I have never felt better than now! For any of you writers out there, I have some recommendations for writer's block.
1) Change location. Words get stagnant when you get too stagnant...so if you've been stuck at the computer for too long, get outside and write on a notepad or something.
2) READ! Believe me, nothing inspires me more than reading the words of another writer. I see the fruits of their labour, and decide that just maybe my labour might yield the same fruits.
3) Pray. The words come from God anyway. Ask Him to free them up, and remind yourself, over and over again, that you're writing for Him. And there could be no more noble cause.
Also, I have recently discovered the amazing lectures of Peter Kreeft. You can download them for free off his website, and there are priceless jewels to be discovered in those downloads. For example, I was listening to his lecture on evil in Lord of the Rings, and it was full of gems on what makes books good. I was taking notes like crazy in the back of the car, integrating them into my plot bunnies and nebulous what-ifs :) I would recommend downloading them. Believe me, you will benefit, not only in your novel, but your soul.
So, I've hit the 25,000 word landmark. Onward!! :)

Pie :)

Just finished making a blueberry/cherry pie a few minutes ago. I don't think any summer is complete without making at least one pie! It was my first time actually working with my own home-made pie crust...and I must say it turned out very well for a first attempt. :) It was a bit finicky; I had to roll it out and roll it out and roll it out in order to get it just the way I wanted it...but in the end it turned out pretty well. I was surprised at the outcome also because this was my own pie-crust recipe :) I wanted something healthy but tasty...so I looked at ratios and ingredients, and came up with this:

1 cup of all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup whole-grain flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 cup butter
8 tbs. cold water
1 tbs. brown sugar

Mix together flour and butter in an electric mixer, then add salt. and sugar. Add water one tablespoon at a time until the mixture looks like pie-crust consistency. You can use the pie-crust right away, or you can freeze it for later use.

A friend of mine recommends making a whole bunch of it, then freezing it so whenever the pie-making whim takes you, you can be ready right away with home-made pie crust. :)

Peter Kreeft on Famlies and the Sexual Revolution

Just got back from a lecture by Peter Kreeft, a Catholic philosopher and amazing speaker. I would like to share with you some of the points that he taught us. The ones that stood out the most to me were the ones about the sexual revolution and the ones about families. He calls the sexual revolution one of the three main false 'absolutes'. He says that the sexual revolution of today is different than the one of Rome or any other, because instead of being just about behaviour, it's also about belief. It has divorced two things that God has joined together: sex and procreation. And the sexual revolution has destroyed the holiness that is within marriage and sex. Why is it holy? Peter Kreeft says that sex is related to ecstasy, which is best defined as standing outside of yourself and giving of yourself. It is an image of what God is doing in heaven in the fellowship of the Son and Holy Ghost. That's why it is holy. And the sexual revolution is destroying the holiness. As Dr. Kreeft says, the two holiest places are the sacristy and the woman's body where God continues to perform miracles day after day, the first being the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the second being the formation of souls in the woman's womb.

On families, Peter Kreeft says that families are the foundation of society. Of course, that means marriage holds a very important place. He also says that promises are the fundamental way people hold together over time - and marriage is the most solemn promise made. Demolish families, and you demolish societies. That's why the Devil is attacking families: he wants to destroy our societies. And he's succeeding.

That's some of the wisdom that I picked up from Dr. Kreeft. I hope it was thought-inspiring to you as well. :)

Summer Musings

Summer. Ahh. I don't know about you, but it's one of my favourite times of the year. I think it has something to do with all the happy childhood memories of no school, swimming, and camping. To this day, if I smell sunscreen, I think of towels and goggles and iced tea and aqua blue pool tiles. To me, summer is defined by special smells, sights, sounds, and tastes that come around only during that time of year. For example, when I think of a summer sight, I always think of a sunset, reds and pinks and periwinkles and soft lavenders, all blended together with the orange hues of the last dying rays of sunlight. In spring, autumn and winter, the sunsets are different than the sunsets in summer. Summer sunsets are more alive, more vibrant.

When I think of a day in summer, there are specific details that define it. The sounds of the crickets chirping. The smell of warm grass and flowers and popsicles. The feel of the hot rays of sun, making your skin prickle under the sunscreen your mom slathered on you. The shimmer that drifts over the hot road, making it look like it's flooded ahead when you're driving. So many little things, and yet, summer wouldn't be summer without them.

A Deadline...*gasp*

Well...I've decided to give myself a deadline for my novel. I hardly wrote all year because of my schoolwork load, and now that school is over, I'm going to write. I'm going to sit down at my desk each day and type out a certain number of words/chapters. Even if it's only one page, I'm adding to the manuscript. I'm going to get it done, even if it kills me. By August 31st, I will have a completed novel in my hands. Probably. ;D

Goal: to finish my novel
Deadline: August 31st, 2011

On the Myth of Wasted Pages

I believe there are no such things as wasted pages. Period.

People always look at me funny when I say this...they're probably remembering all those essays and reports they did back in school which are now happily decomposing in a rubbish pile somewhere. And yet, I believe that those words were not wasted. Not because they're feeding a grateful worm at the moment, but because each word penned prepared you for the next one. I have a confession to make: I have over 400 wasted pages. Seriously. 400. Count 'em. And my handwriting's tiny! They're contained in old, faded notebooks shoved in a box under my bed. Collecting dust. Not serving any purpose except to annoy my mom when she attempts to extract something from under there. And I firmly believe they aren't wasted. Each word I penned back then make the words I'm penning now even better. And the words I'm penning now make the one's I'll pen later even better. The more pages you 'waste', the more pages are saved. So, when you start to think "Nothing I'm writing now will ever be published...might as well stop writing." DON"T STOP. Pick that pen back up. Approach the blank page. And make the word's you'll write someday even better.

Study=Fail

what do you think? :)

Ink and Paper

When my body fades to dust,

and my spirit soars amid other worlds

When all I knew and all I loved

has faded into the fog of Time's relentless passing

May my words, my thoughts,

my insignificant specks of wisdom

be living still

bound in ink and paper

May my inklings, my dreams

be an inspiration to others

whom I have gone before.

May they be paving stones

on the world's jagged road

where many stumble and bleed

In Principio...

Today, I begin my blog. I thought I should lay out for myself, more than for your benefit, what I hope to accomplish in this act. The answer is simple: to make the world a better place. Perhaps my inklings will not make much difference. Perhaps this blog is too insignificant to make any difference. But perhaps it's not. Perhaps my words will shed a ray of light into someone's darkness. Perhaps they will make someone smile. And then, all of it will have been worth it. I hope this is a long and prospering endevor. I hope I will enjoy it. But most of all, I hope that you will enjoy it. Now, onward!