Profound moments

If you remember, a few posts ago, I mentioned having a profound moment in the park. Well, I had another one.

Some days, I just feel empty --completely drained, no matter what kind of week I've had. On these days, I like to have nice, relaxing baths. I don't know what it is about water, but it makes me feel so free. From the bath tub to the ocean, I always feel at home when I'm in the thick of it, right up to my neck. When it rains, it only feels right when I let it fall all over my skin.

So, today, after coming to the realization that I felt completely and utterly drained, I filled a bath, turned off the lights, and let myself float away. But the profound part is that as I relaxed into the water, I could feel it refilling me, rejuvenating me so that when I finally got out of my tub, I felt brand new.

No matter who you ask, the idea that humans come from water is essentially universal. Now, I know that aiden, for one, could probably do without an extreme amount of water (firehead), but I think, if they're being honest, almost everyone will admit that water makes them feel more comfortable.

Well, have a good weekend!

Arika

I never want to be a writer!

OK, so I really do want to be a writer.  But there comes a time when you read a book that is so devastatingly beautiful and amazing that you realize you will never come close to comparing.  That time has come my friends.

Please do yourselves a favor and read Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Here is the official teaser:

      

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. 

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

I think I just died and went to heaven. 

I would post my favorite quotes, but I'm not sure about copyrights and all that.  However, I will still post just one, because I think it has a great message. 

     "To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of strength."



SO TRUE! THAT IS MY NEW OFFICIAL MOTTO.

Honestly, I have no idea why I hadn't heard of Laini Taylor before now.   But I'm even more excited because the second book in this trilogy is coming out in the Fall of 2012.  That is this year you guys.  Freaking out here!  And guess what the title is?

Days of Blood and Starlight


 I think I have fallen in love even more.  This goes to prove my theory that books is all a girl needs.  Really, I could just die happy right now. :)

Have a great day.

Aiden.

Something is terribly wrong.

Why, you may ask, is something terribly wrong?

Because, I tell you, one, I'm posting two blogs in a row, again, which I thought would only happen once every three months or so, and two, I'm sitting on my bed, in a football jersey, paying rapt attention to a football game!

See? This. Is. MADNESS!!!!!

The only football game I have ever payed this much attention to that was on tv is the Super Bowl! And most years, it's for the commercials!!

But, I can rationalize this--me watching football games is just an example of a change some go through. I'm paying more attention to sports. The jersey is because my lovely parents brought me back an amazing jersey from nebraska.

But I'm betting if my current extreme flow of communication from England has its way, I'll be in a soccer jersey(if that's the right term) soon enough!

Until next time

Arika :)

Ugh.....

Throwing up sucks. Period.

Anyway, I had a profound moment last night, although I didn't realize it until after I was home, safe and warm in my bed. See, I have this shirt, definitely a soho shirt, completely chiffon and totally loose. I love it! Well, I was wearing said shirt last night, with my lettermans because it was windy outside. Well, as the night wore on, my friends and I ended up at a park, and I began to feel like my jacket was too bulky and really more of a barrier. So I took it off and put it in my car.

Then, it was like I had unlocked some event! I could feel the wind brushing over my skin, smell the thick scent of rain, and see the beautiful midnight sky. I felt completely intune with nature-- I felt like dancing to the music I could suddenly feel in my soul. It was amazing!

But I didn't realize it untl later, when I was explaining to a friend why I hadn't been wearing a jacket. When it happened, I just felt happy, and I can't really ask for more.

I think moments like this happen all the time, we just don't notice the gravity of the event until later. Still, enjoy it while you can :)

Arika

Writing . . . and why I love it!

When ever I first tell people that I am an English Major, their first response is “Oh, are you going to be a teacher?”  To which I say, “I would end up in jail.”  

I do not believe this is an understatement.  I truly believe that some annoying kids would be murdered if I were their teacher.  I love kids (as long as they are my niece or nephew), and I hate kids who misbehave (unless they are my niece or nephew).  However, that being said, I love to help others learn which is why I work part-time as a tutor for English, History, German, Biology, and Geometry (the bio and geometry is temporary, not exactly my strong points).  It was when I began tutoring that I was getting excited about making of mini lesson plans.  I enjoyed knowing that helping my student get her grades up would make me feel all warm and fuzzy. 

Anyway, back to the title, the reason why I want to be a writer instead of a full-time tutor, or heaven forbid a teacher is because while I can get warm and fuzzy while helping a student, I feel warm and fuzzy all the time when I am writing.  

It is truly everything to me.  There isn’t one day that goes by without my thinking that I will want to write something down.  Of course, writing doesn’t always happen, but it is always in the back of my mind.  Currently, I work as a Technical Editor, and I love the job even if the content is not the most exciting.  I am majoring in English with an emphasis in Professional Writing.  I hope to be an editor of novels.  I think it would be easier for me to edit a novel than a remote control manual.  However, if need be, I would happily take on the remote control.  

In addition to my emphasis, I have two half minors (more like emphasis).  They are Creative Writing and Criminology.  When I tell people this, their first reaction is, “Oh are you going to write Crime Solving novels?”  Oh you little naive person.  That is not all I write, and that is not the reason I have a half-minor in Criminology.  

 I am studying Criminology because when I had my first mock crime scene in a Forensic Class, I did an autopsy on a little piglet.  The crime scene was based off a real crime that had taken place a few years ago.  A little girl, a baby girl, had been killed.  All I could think was, “What if that had been my niece or nephew?”  

After I finish my half-minor, I will have a certificate in Criminology, and then I hope (and plan) to attend the summer CSI academy in Riverside.  I suppose that since writing might be a fickle business, crime will always be rampant.  As my Uncle says, “It is a growing industry.”  And I know it is a little bit cliche to say this, but it is still true, if I could make the streets a little bit safer, I would feel as if I had protected my nieces and nephew, or someone else’s little princess or buddy.  

So there you have it!  That is me in a nutshell.  College student for two-thirds of the year, technical editor and tutor for one-third, and avid writer for the rest of my life!  ;)

Aiden

Make the best

Well, my blogging bug seems to have died down, but it's not completely gone!

So, this story is a long one and requires many details, so get comfy!

Alright, so, as you know, one of my resolutions was to get fit/live healthier. Well, in order to keep it going, I joined a gym with a friend of mine (who is determined to get me a four-pack before she leaves). So, I'm pushing myself to keep up with the gym-going; I went tonight, for instance.

Well, as Aiden and Jassy can tell you, I'm not always the most attentive person. On grad night, I ended up locking my keys in my car...while it was still running. Well, tonight, when I went to the gym, I did the exact same thing, again! Well, I, unlike most sane people, do not keep an extra key to my car with me, so I had to wait for my sister to arrive with the spare.

But, while I was waiting for her, I began to watch a very active group of pigeons flying around an old, abandoned building.

And that was when the magic happened.

As I watched, the white underside of the wings caught the color of the setting sun, and turned a beautiful, vibrant gold. It was as if I was watching sun drops flying through the air! So very beautiful...

So, good things can come from irritating situations.

Also, my sister has verbal diarrhea when it comes to my romantic interests. DON'T LISTEN IF SHE STARTS TALKING!!

Anyway, until next time!

Arika ;)

New Beginnings

I started my new old job on Tuesday.  That was pretty exciting!  I was able to see the same people with whom I had worked over the Summer.  Today, I was offered by a friend's old boss to be a tutor to her daughter.  I am very excited about this, not only because it is more money (wow, how shallow does that sound), but because I will be able to spend even more time with my favorite subject English.

I am honestly not sure exactly how I will go about tutoring, I suppose I will just have to learn along the way.  Currently, I will be tutoring the student for English, History, and German.  How cool is that!   I know, I am super excited.  Anyway, all for now.  Have a great day!

Aiden

College life without my sisters

Well as you have probably guessed, I am really bad at posting on this bog. Aiden has been texting and messaging me on facebook for the past couple weeks to write on the blog. So here I am.

Well I miss my sisters!!!! I missed Arika my first semester, but now Aiden is gone to and I'm all alone. Anyway, this semester has been really fun so far. I got all new roommates this semester. Sam is a convert to our church and a junior this year. She is really funny and nice and a great girl to hangout with. Katie is a sophmore this year and also from California. She is nice and funny. Megan is my main roommate who shares the room with me. She is a first semester freshman and a great girl. We all get along really well. We are very supportive of each other. Katie has a crush on this one guy and we are supporting her in that and giving her advise. I am starting to like this guy in my FHE group. He is really really nice and sweet, and I would like to get to know him more. My FHE group this semester is amazing. I love my brothers. They are so fun to hang out with and talk to. Last night we got together and played volleyball which is like the best sport ever invented. It was a blast.

Well I am now going to go Ballroom dancing with my friend Jessica and the guy I'm starting to like. So I'll hopefully post again soon and give you an update on my college life.

Toodles

Why Yes, I Do Love Technology!

So . . . .


I got a new Ipod!  It is the latest generation of the Ipod Touch.  I am so excited about it.  My other one was slowly dying.  However, I decided to give it a good retirement and thus let it me my mother's Ipod.  She was pretty excited about that as far as I could tell. :)  Anyway, it is amazing and I am so glad that I have it!  The camera (for photos and video) is amazing.  I am excited to try it out.  I'm hoping that I will be able to make some awesome videos with Arika over my break. However, I will be starting work on Monday so it might take awhile for me to get into the beat of things.  Regardless,  I am sure that Arika and I can come up with some time to have fun.  Just as an example, getting locked inside of McDonalds.  I didn't think that was possible!

Anyway, that is all for now.  I'm just hoping that Arika still have the blogging bug becasue I would hate to be the only one writing on here. :)  I hope you all have a great day.

Aiden

Three in a week?! What madness!!

That's right, three posts in one week. Someone hit me with the blog bug!!

Anyway, this post is entirely about a funny quirk of mine--there isn't going to be a moral. Anyway, I have this habit of immediately picking up on patterns. Now you might be saying "Arika, there's no problem with picking up patterns; in fact it's probably very useful!" to which I would reply, "Right you are, Stranger! But you have yet to enter my mind!" When I pick up patterns, they are generally the parallels that leave me feel like a totally obsessive freak/nerd/geek. Take, for instance, when Aiden, Jassy, myself, and a very close male friend of ours we will refer to merely as Max, all chose our immediate colleges, the result was, of course, Aiden and Jassy going to one while Max and I stayed at the community college. Now, let me add the tidbit that, at the time, both Aiden and Jassy would have preferred entering Gryfindor, while Max and I knew we belonged in Ravenclaw. Coincidence? I think not!!

See? I'm a nerd.

Anyway, I only mention this because I suddenly started looking at powderpuff girls again this morning. In the past, I have always been considered blossomish, so, for a rare occasion, I wore pink.

Now, as anyone who watched the power puff girls will remember, the girls had opposites known as the rowdy ruff boys. Well, when I went to work, I thought it would be fairly hilarious if the guy I'm currently confused about wore red, like Brick, Blossom's opposite.

I bet you'll never guess what happened.

That's right, he wore red.

COINCIDENCE?!?! Yea, probably; but for a minute, I had the worse case of jawdrop on earth. Good thing he didn't see it, otherwise he would have been just as confused as I was.

See where patterns lead?

Btw, if anyone is confused about the spelling when it comes to the powerpuff girls, I apologize, my iPad seems to refuse to land the cursor on the correct line, so I can't fix it. But I'm sure you know what I mean :)

Until next time,

Arika

Mediator Series!

Oh how I love books.  They are honestly my best friends (don't tell Jassy and Arika).  It seems that no matter what problem I am dealing with currently in my life, I am able to get through it by reading.  Why is that?  Oh you know, after reading a book with a hero or heroine whose problems are much worse than mine seem to put mine in perspective.

Currently I've been reading The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot.  If there was one author I would like to be like it would be her.  She is funny, sarcastic, and an amazing writer. What else do you need really?

Anyway, I recently finished the third book in the series Reunion.  But before I tell you about it, I better talk about the first and second books.

Shadowland starts out just as any great YA book does.  The main character is Suze (shortened form of Susannah).  She seems like a normal young woman, except of course, for the fact that she can see and speak to the dead.  See, Suze is a Mediator.  It is her job to help Ghosts finish whatever business they didn't get to in their life.  It isn't exactly all bunnies and happy meals, as the reader comes to find.  Not to mention the fact there is a really hot ghost named Jesse who haunts Suze's bedroom.  Oh mom, don't worry, nothing bad (read: immoral) happens.  Jesse was born in the 1800's so his morals are off the chart.  On top of that,  her mom remarried and moved them across the country to live with her new husband (who comes fully stocked with three sons).  Of course there is a girl who died recently, and whose job is it to take care of her?  That's right, Suze. The only problem?  This girl is on the hunt for blood, and it's up to Suze to stop her in her tracks.

The next book in the series, Ninth Key, starts fairly soon after the first ends.  And despite of Suze's rather tough attitude, she is one of the most popular girls in school.  It certainly helps that she helps the weak and the defenseless.  Unfortunately, she has bigger problems than how to juggle her school life with her home life.  One of them being her personal life.  Specifically, the possibility that the guy she recently went out with, Tad, is totally fixated on sports, can't remember her name, and oh yeah, might possibly have a vampire as a father.  But when Suze looks into it, it seems that Red Beaumont may be the real thing, with real people's deaths being his fault.  How's that for a parent interview.  Suze must solve all sorts of clues, and make sure that Tad asks her to Prom (though she really has a thing for Jesse, the guy that still 'haunts' her bedroom), even if she is planning on staking his dad.

Finally, the most recent book in the series I've read is Reunion.  Sure enough, recently, four teenagers, nicknamed the RLS angels, died in a car accident after a school dance.  But when they begin looking for someone, someone they are intent on killing, Suze decides to step in.  It seems after talking with the Angles, Suze can't help but feel suspicious the other party in the car accident might have murder on his hands, and he's just getting warmed up.

If you haven't read these books, please do yourself a favor and do.  They are great fun to read and to talk about.  Not to mention, it's helpful that Jesse is the perfect ghost. I only wish I was a mediator.  Sometimes.  :)

Onto other news, Jassy is gone.  Back to college. I miss her a lot, but we have Skype, so it's not as bad.  Not to mention, I get to hang out with Arika a lot more often since I am back home until April.

Well, that's all for me! Have a great weekend.  I hope you don't see too many ghosts.

Aiden

It must be the end of the world!!

Because I'm actually writing two posts in a row!!! *gasp*

I know, I know, this crazy talk, but really, it is me. I have apparently worked too much this week, so now I'm not allowed in until 2:30....

Details aside, today is an important day! January 6th is the epiphany! And that is the extent of my biblical knowledge on the subject...nim not very well versed, he he he...... Anyway, aside from the three wise men visiting baby Jesus (ha, caught you there, didn't I?!) today marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas, so the holiday season is officially over. That means no more Christmas lights or decorations, no more of that amazing spirit that normally takes hold of your heart and mind for one fabulous month. Now we get into the depths of winter-- the cold, heartless period. Well, heartless until everyone gets lovey dovey in February.

And yet...

The skies are beautifully clear, and with the long nights, star gazing has become my favorite pastime. Last night, when I looked up at Orion, I found that I could clearly see the red color of Betelgeuse and the blue of Rigel. To see the colors so clearly without a telescope and not outside of the atmosphere is rare. I felt so happy for that brief moment, I wanted this winter to last and last.

Never forget how beautiful the little things are, like looking at the stars. It makes the bad things seem that much better.

Arika

That post-holiday madness

Heeeeeeyyyyyyyyylllloooooooo!!!!!!

So, Christmas and New Years has come and gone, yet again, and I am writing this post from my *drumroll* BRAND SPANKING NEW IPAD!!! *crash of the cymbals*. And I've already found out that, when writing you should never ever touch the UNDO button, because the beautiful sentence you just spent time building is GONE--FOREVER! (ok, technically, not forever, but the odds of me remembering an exact sentence I have not written down and repeated several times is low to none)

And I haven't written on here in a while... Sorry... He he he....

So, I spent the new years doing something quite admirable: I told someone how I truthfully felt about them (note the past tense). I should probably mention that the person was drunk and brought the conversation on themselves. But anyway, the reason I mention this is not because I'm still thinking about what was quite possibly the weirdest conversation I've ever had, but for two other reasons: 1, that was my first time telling someone I liked them without knowing with a high certainty that said person liked me back, and 2, when the conversation was done, I didn't feel embarrassed--I felt like I had a huge release, and I felt fantastic!

So moral of the story: if it won't cause some huge, apocalyptic ending to your life (be it physical, mental or social) tell the truth. It feels so fantastic, it's worth it.

Also, for a brief time over the holidays, I had both of my sisters back home!!! It was so wonderful to see Jazzy again, and I'll miss her so much over the next few months :'( But on the bright side, I have Aiden back for the next four months!! :)

Talk to you later!!

Arika

P.S. because I read the other posts afterwards XD my new years resolutions include living an overall healthier life, being an honest, good person, and working hard in order to get into a four year come two years from now :)

Ta ta for now!!

2012 . . . I will survive you!

Apparently my sisters didn't see my last post.  That's OK, I didn't tell them I had written one.  :)

I wrote two chapters today and my third book in a trilogy is currently at +12,000 words!  Hopefully this is a good sign for the new year. I can actually remember what it felt like this time last year.  I was going to write so much that year.  Truth was, I did.  I wrote 5 full books and finished 1 other I had been working on.  In total, I brought my written book numbers to 8.  How happy does that make me?  Pretty darn happy.

I will be working this year to write, edit, and read a book a month.  Reading should be easy (or would be). The thing is that I promised myself that I would read a book that I haven't yet read (ever!).  This is a big stretch for me.  I tend to stay with books that I know I love.  However, I figure that The Chronicles of Narnia series takes up 7 of those twelve I would like to read.  Other than that, I really want to read Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.  I read the first five chapters of DSB and the writing is amazing.  Arika tells me that Divergent by Veronica Roth is very good.  I have been following Ms. Roth on her blog for some time and believe in this claim.

I suppose we will see how everything goes this year.  I have decided that writing series is hard.  It is difficult to make sure that everything is being brought up as it should and that you haven't written something already.  It is rather stressful, but that's OK, the uncertainty is what makes the work fun.

I figure that I can write 5,000 words for six days of the week and 7,500 for Saturday.  After two weeks, I would have 75,000 words written.  That is pretty awesome since I usually stride for at least 55,000 words in a YA novel.

I am sure that there are some days I will not write, that is what happens in life.  But I hope that with the disappointment, I will be able to pick myself right back up and keep on going.  I am a writer, and writers write.

Have a great New Year!