First post of 2013

To those who celebrated it: Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Gong Hey Fat Choy)

Happy Year of the snake

During a semi-recent trip to Washington D.C. I happened upon an art installment beneath/within the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden entitled Circle of Animals/ Zodiac Heads by Ai Wei Wei (please correct me if that is wrong). Perfect for the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Not exactly the best picture but you can see how the busts were arranged in a circle, almost like a zodiac clock. The amount of detail in each head was pretty spectacular. Unfortunately my picture of the horse didn't come out (the sun bleached it out of the picture) and I seem to be missing one of the rat. Sorry horse & rat friends.

Hopefully this exhibit will be open a while longer so more people can go take a look, so if you're in the D.C area, why not stop by the National Mall? If not for this exhibit than any of the other fabulous art displays, monuments or museums that are open free to the public. 

I kind of wish I had posted this sooner but I was purposely holding off on doing so. I wanted to give people time to read my last post & the story within but even going past the scheduled month release, I find that the people who promised they would read it, never will. I can't help be a little resentful toward them since most of those people are friends and family, but I suppose I can't be too upset. Imagine my surprise when someone who just happened upon an another post I made about the release of chapter one, elsewhere, got back to me with a review. I am very thankful to them, even though some of their remarks escaped my understanding (I admit here and now, I am not too smart). So, despite my discouragement from those closest to me, perhaps this means there's still a chance for me?
I will continue to soldier on, keep writing/ editing and try to ignore the constant wonder of why. I have much to consider and more to think about, from what I do understand of the review, so on I go with re-writing, re-shaping and reinvigorating my story with hopes that another time around might be the charm.

Interested on reading my first chapter (before the retooling, after?) let me know.

P.S.- While in D.C- Guess where I got to stop? I'm not a huge fan of cupcakes but they weren't too bad. What made it all the better though is the group I was with, with myself included, were all dressed up (suits and dresses) from a function we had just been at, so it appeared as though we'd gotten all gussied up just to get some cupcakes. The wait on line to get in was pretty quick though it was a tight fit once we got inside, not to mention finding parking was fairly troublesome with the garage across the way full. Got a cupcake reindeer sticker along with my cupcakes and someone else got a colorful cupcake mug with theirs).

Happy Holidays!

                     (12/12/12 @ 12:12pm -Make a wish)
Normally I would have a holiday themed picture to share round this time of year but I haven't exactly been in the greatest of drawing moods lately. Horribly uninspired and all that, but I still want to wish any followers/lurkers/passerby's a happy holidays. I'm still reluctant to do this but seeing as how the end of the world has come and gone... I need to take a bit of a risk. I also need to experiment a little more with blogger. I know I said I would (possibly) put up a blog entry on my trip to New Zealand, but interest in that from my peers has dwindled to the point that I'll upload one or two worth seeing but nothing more beyond that. I really wish I had more to say about the trip but it was nothing more than just... fair. I wasn't expecting much from it, but I was expecting more than what I got, much more.
So first- a few pictures:

(Iconic fern)

(sorry, for some reason this picture makes me laugh)

(Mauri Village Church)

(orbing/zorbing range)

And I will leave you with an image of Huka Falls. If anyone is interested in seeing more pictures, I have hundreds more. Just let me know if you want me to post any more & if there is anything specific you'd like to see. (I mainly did the north island. Have a few from Christchurch but not that many due to camera issues from many a day out in the rain) New Zealand truly is a beautiful, rolling, country.

Now for the real treat. As you might know, or as a new reader will learn to know, I have been writing/attempting to write a novel. I finished the first book, am presently editing the first volume of said book and am in the consideration stage of book two, which I'd really like to get a start on. I've been volleying back and forth on what I should do with my writing and have decided for one month only to release chapter one of my novel for any readers to view. I would really love some feedback if possible, despite my terror in learning what others might think, and to know if I should continue on or if it is all just a lost cause. I would be much obliged as well to post more, if reviews are at all positive. Just to note I have not looked over this chapter in a while, nor have I run it through spell/ grammar check, so be kind with critiques when it comes to stuff like that, please. 

Chapter 1- After the jump

I can't believe I'm doing this.

(Present title tentative- originally considered title already taken by a comic book series. Chapters don't have listed titles, but a few have them based on content or how much trouble they were to write/edit)

(Tentative volume 1 cover design- 2nd idea)

 

Chapter one preview removed

 

Late comer? Still interested? Drop me a line/ leave a message and I'll see about putting something up again.

Happy holidays

Post to come shortly-


 New Zealand pictures and a holiday treat for followers to come. Expect another fairly large picture post + a fairly long document.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(Pictured above: A new Carvel -local USA/NY ice cream chain- treat came out this year called the Gobbler. A mini ice cream blob shaped like a little turkey. They were both adorable and delicious though in the add I had been led to believe they were either coated in fudge or choco-rock (the stuff they use to coat brown bonnets). They were not, but none the less they come in boxes of four and unless you customize your order, that box will be made up of two "white meat"-vanilla- and two "dark meat"-chocolate- Gobblers. I think they also have snowmen -vanilla only- but they didn't have them at my store yet.)

Well then! Things are finally settling back into the norm after my having returned from abroad just in time to face Sandy and her winter storm (2 weeks without power). So I thought I'd hop on and wish everyone a Happy Turkey Day!

Not sure how much I'll end up sharing of my trip... I had more of an adventure right outside my own door than I did abroad (;_;) but I did take a few nice pics so I might as well post a few for those interested. Untill then however:

I MADE TURKEY CUPCAKES!

(pfffffft! okay, I used a kit designed to make monster cupcakes but never got a chance use it due to losing our power -Halloween was cancled this year >o< - So I modified it and made these dumpy turkey cupcakes. Apparently they tasted great but I think that was all the butter talking (*coughsomuchbuttercough*!!!)

Ps: SANDY SNOW

2 Hour traffic jam caused by Sandy snow! (Many a tree was downed by Sandy and even more by the snow. This one blocked the entire parkway and the only way to get around it was to go up on the shoulder through a depening mud puddle. Yes, I had my camera. No, no one got hurt by the tree, though there were countless accidents due to poor road conditions, and luckily the Help truck & unmarked white van were close because that 2 hour traffic would have ended up being close to 5 if not more.)

 

This wasn't even the worst of either storm.

Have a Happy, folks!

Rotorua

Update!- leaving rotorua and heading to taupo for a day of relaxation. I officially want to make a children's book called "the rainiest day in hobbiton" after my rainy day adventure yesterday.  More on that later.


- in rotorua, just finished up at the wakarureru geothermal village and am now getting ready for my trip to Hobbiton. It's a rainy day but not too bad and though I was warned on how horrid it would smell here, it's not as sulfurous as I expected. The hotel on the other hand...


Just popping in to say hi! Finished up with the bay of islands and on our way back to aukland. It's a rainy day, glad we got the water sports out of the way. More on those later. Now to the sky tower and beyond. Later folks!

Happy Autumn!

 If I had to choose, I'd have to say my favorite thing about the Autumn is the smell in the air. It's crisp yet wet and fresh with a hint of decaying leaves as they turn their brilliant shades of red, orange, yellow and brown. A smell that reminds me of the apple orchard I used to visit when I was little. The sky may darken but the lanes I travel glow with warm colors that brighten the world if only for a short time and with them come the spirits of the past that draw me into yearning for old traditions long since broken by time and age.
One is never too old to visit an orchard, no, but with age comes responsibility and with responsibility comes less time to do... well really much of anything. Yet when I was younger we always found time to head upstate, where we would hit up an orchard until I was red in the face from running about looking for the best of the apples and my parents would always joke "look at your cheeks, so read someone might mistake you for an apple!" We would then gather our apples, take the hay ride back to the car and head to a dinner/restaurant called Grandma's where we were greeted by animatronic displays and cases full of sugar coated cookies and pies aplenty. How I miss those days, yearning each year to go apple picking just once more like I used to, rather than just visiting the local market to get my apples, shined, waxed & touched by countless hands.
Well, this year, though we couldn't head upstate, we finally found our way to an orchard. It was small & a little crowded & lacked the hay ride & abundance of trees & apples,(less apples due to an early season) but heck, it was still an orchard & where they lacked apples they had peaches and plums to fill their void (well not exactly all that many plums).

(There were very strict rules about picking apples in the restricted zones, if caught your apples were confiscated and if caught again you were expelled without a refund. Though the sign said the apples in that zone were not ripe... they looked to be the ripest, reddest, JUICIEST apples I have seen in a long while. A lot of people, sad to say, went home empty handed that day.
There were also signs warning about bees:
"Warning: There are bees in the orchard this year. If you have an allergy we recommend that you DO NOT ENTER to go picking. If you choose to go picking you do so at your own risk."
With that warning in mind I entered & found no bees... until I stepped on a swarm of them. My voice went up three octaves that moment and I ran like the wind, only to find more at the plum trees as I grabbed a plum and gently turned it around- TADA bee! -I'm not a big fan of bees- So... when an orchard warns you about bees... THEY ARE SERIOUS!)

PEACHES!

Some kind of berry! (Not meant for picking or eating, I don't think)

I spent a short while in the orchard wandering then chasing after the butterflies, thinking they might lead me somewhere with the best fruit since they tend to have good taste in sweet things. Of course they all ended up going toward the forbidden zone or toward the pasture beyond the orchard.

 

Hmmm, now looking through my pictures it would appear I didn't really take any pictures of the apples... or the plums for that matter. Oh well.

Needless to say we managed to fill up a bag or two worth of apples and one for peaches and half of the plums. Then on our way home we stopped at a farmers market which was a ways down the road.

Gourd Pumpkin things!

I like how the ones to the left are named "Spooky gourds" though they're not all that spooky.

I wanted to take a picture of the Brussel sprout plants because they were really weird looking (in my opinion... I've never actually seen a brussel sprout plant before so I was getting really odd looks when I exclaimed my fascination of them... they looked like big hands holding little pods...)

Corn Stalks with ears!

If ever you stop at a farm stand and they are selling fresh cooked/roasted/grilled sweet corn, I recommend you buy an ear... I did and it was the tastiest corn I have ever eaten.

(droplet of water on some kind of lettus-y plant)

I have never seen a cricket like this in person before. It kind of reminds me of the cricket from the story: "The Cricket in Times Square" By George Selden

And of course no trip to an orchard (or the market) is complete until you make (or purchase) a fresh apple pie. My favorite part my Autumn tradition. The only one I refuse to let go of.

And for the heck of it:

Guess what was chillin' in front of my house when I got home yesterday.

:)