Spuddy Buddies» books

5 Things in 2011

cheeseburger — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:36:25 +0000

Lately I've been M.I.A due to lack of inspiration, but today, something random sparked. So here I am with this, what do you call it, 'meme'. It's that time of the year when you decide to look back at what you've done and try to make a list of New Year Resolutions. I don't follow to-do lists but if you do then, hey, it's a good thing. 2011, like the years before and the years to come, has its ups and downs, and of course, first-time moments.

Cheers to epiphanies, revelations and self-discovery. Here are five random things that happened this year:

1. My first attempt at reading a non-fictional book

Having a pet helped me discover a lot of things because taking care of it - him - requires plenty of research. I recently picked up Stanley Coren's How To Speak Dog and it's surprisingly good. Among interesting facts, there are witty and amusing stories (worth laugh-out-loud moments) told by the writer's acquaintances or simply experienced by the writer. If you think that the spotlight of this book is centered solely on canines, you're wrong. I learned a lot about other animals. I won't deny it - this book is life-changing and thought-provoking. You'll be surprised at what your dog is really trying to say. A dog's actions are not what humans assume them to be.

2. The year I spend more than an hour on DeviantArt

I don't, like, have my own page but sometimes when I get bored, I wander over there just so I can search up video game art or whatever I think of and spend hours admiring, observing and appreciating. The art created there is beautiful beyond words. The way talented DeviantArt artists perceive the world is indescribable. And hey, I even found out that getting a BFA in game art is possible. Wow. Never knew that. Am enlightened. On the side note, I'd like to own a Wacom tablet someday.

3. Keeping up with the Kardashians? Heck, no! Keeping up with game updates

I wouldn't say that I'm an avid gamer, but I wouldn't say that I'm not. I like playing video games twice and earning in-game achievements. Gaming isn't just for the sake of winning or completing it faster than your friends. If gamers would just stop rushing through their games, they might actually learn a thing or two and prove that gaming isn't just a brainless activity you do for entertainment. Okay, I'm going waaaay off-topic. I've been reading game news for the past three months or so because, you know, celebrity news is 'so 2008'. I'm kidding. I know just about any game out there now - Skyrim, Super Mario, Soul Calibur, Portal, Alan Wake - and I even remember a few company names of video game developers. You ask it, I name it. Just don't ask me this question, please-- Call of Duty or Battlefield?

4. Taking the time to learn how to pronounce Constantinople (and other words, of course!!)

Surprise, surprise! More intellectual stuff! Reading, writing, learning, it never gets boring. New challenges are great. When I come across a word that I've never seen, I try to pronounce it mentally. It always sounds perfect in my head, but it's a total tongue-twister disaster when I say it out loud. Not weird at all. 'Constantinople' was one of these words. Other words include 'Machiavellianism', 'meringue', 'harangue', 'juxtaposition' and most recently, 'conversazione'. It's those words I hardly use, but 'tis the season to be curious, I went to search them up this year. Lesson learned: Don't be afraid to satisfy your inner curiosity!

5. Everything starts with a base (even cheesecake)

For architecture, it's called 'blueprints'. For fashion design, it's a 'croquis'. 'Outline' for stories, 'biscuit crumbs' for cheesecake. Everything has a base. I didn't notice this until I started sketching. I used to start out with a letter 'U' as the head and chin. Then I would draw hair, features and so on. But I wouldn't know where the legs of the human belonged on the drawing. Are they too near to the right? Are they too short? Too long? I had no idea. So I did some research and decided to begin my next drawing with a croquis. I sketched the entire human form and then 'dressed' the sketch with clothes, accessories and such. Eureka! She shoots, she scores, she wins! Thus, the base is a very important element of whatever you're trying to create.

Wow. This is seriously long-winded. I have so much more unrelated things to say. But I think I'm done. Okay, I'm done. This makes up for all the action I've missed.

Now it's your turn. Five random and memorable things that you've achieved / learned / realized in 2011. It doesn't really matter. Whatever that comes to your mind. This is a live-in-the-moment meme. What are you staring at? The clock is ticking, the year is ending. Get your notebook out and get creative!

zombie your way through life

tacosauce — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:26:58 +0000

The Zombie Survival Guide

For y'all, who think that the world is ending in 2012. Here ya go. Buy one. Read it.
Also for Cheez who appreciates zombie books.

accessorize yourself with cute little pins

tacosauce — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:25:53 +0000

Why look dull in spring when you can have this totally cute pins stuck to your shirt or backpack?

Fun With Your Food Pins

Oh, look. They even have a Lil Jon version of a hamburger with bling and all. Too cute!

Educated Animals Pins

Even animals are talented at human hobbies. Show your support for reading and education with these pins.

things to do – drawing book

tacosauce — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:33:03 +0000

642 Things to Draw Book

I SO WANT THIS! Aspiring miss-little-nothing though.
If you're bored and you want something to do, you should get this. Sharpen your artistic skills even if you have close to none.

Who’s ever made me feel this way?

tacosauce — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:02:38 +0000

"Show me the barn," she said. "Unless there are mice in there."
"Mice? Hell no. That's the only barn in the known universe without them."

- Blue Bailey and Dean Robillard; Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

There is something insanely funny in this line. I don't know what it is but I couldn't stop laughing for 5 whole minutes. God, I love this book. Best book I've ever read. I used to think that All American Girl by Meg Cabot was the best book but stumbling upon this book has changed my views slightly. I'm not saying it's not good. I just like Natural Born Charmer's storyline and characters. I can relate.

I still love myself some classics. I especially love Anne of Green Gables and The Three Musketeers.

dont waste now, precious time

tacosauce — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:33:58 +0000

Dean Robillard: Who says you're not pretty?

Blue Bailey: Oh, it doesn't bother me. I have so much character that adding beauty to the mix would be greedy.

- Natural Born Charmer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

I love this book as much as I love reading which is a lot.

this love was worth it

tacosauce — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:13:34 +0000

I saw this the other day - I think someone posted it - and I like it. This is an article from copyblogger.com. I wish I came across this earlier because it sort of helps in big ways.

Doing these things can help you become a better writer:

1. Become a blogger.

2. Use self-imposed word limits.

3. Accept all forms of criticism and learn to grow from it. (Okay, still trying to get started here. Showing my work to others is sort of intimidating because it just is.)

4. Read what you’ve written over and over, until you can’t find any more problems. (Now I do this a lot but I often get distracted by other things)

5. Show what you write to a trusted friend for feedback. (Hah, my sister, sometimes)

6. Outline. And then write to that outline.

7. Edit, and edit again. (Don't I always?)

8. Live with passion. (Ditto)

9. Be open, curious, present, and engaged. (Double ditto)

10. Take a break between writing and editing.

11. Learn a new word a day. (I don't know if I'm doing this but I do look up the dictionary a lot)

12. Get the pen and fingers moving.

13. Write in different genres: blog posts, poems, short stories, essays.

14. Read grammar books. (There's one lying beside me but I gave up on that a couple of months ago. Does that mean it's time to pick it up again?)

15. Write without distractions. (I need this. Badly. Where is the solitary silence that I crave for?)

16. Challenge yourself: write in a crowded cafe, write on the toilet, write for 24 hours straight. (If only people would stop looking over my shoulder, lol)

17. Take a trip. Road trips, beach trips, bus trips, plane trips.

18. Watch movies. Can you write the story better? (Oh, I love this.)

19. Write. And then write some more.

20. Read, think, read, write, ponder, write – and read some more. (This is so me.)

21. Read your stuff aloud to anyone who can stand it – including the cat.

22. Go back and cut 10% from your word count. (I'm not exactly sure what this means but I do go back and cut)

23. Talk to people.

24. Listen to how people talk.

25. Read lots of books. Both good and bad. (Thanks, Twilight. LOL. Okay, that's mean. I like good books and I pride myself in having good taste. My friends recommend books that they think are amazing. I find them so-so and sometimes, bad)

26. Make notes of your (fleeting) brilliant ideas.

27. Start your writing ahead of time – not hours before a deadline.

28. Listen to podcasts on writing tips.

29. Use simple, declarative sentences. (Picked this up from Mom who is also a writer and one of my favorite writers)

30. Avoid passive voice. (Really? Good advice. I'm constantly wondering which one to use - active or passive)

31. Limit your use of adjectives and adverbs. (Ah, ever descriptive us)

32. When in doubt, cut it out. (I need to observe this advice :/)

33. Kill clunky sentences.

34. Be inspired by other art forms – music, dance, sculpture, painting.

35. Read your old stuff and acknowledge how far you’ve come – and how far you have to go.

36. Write for publication, even if it’s only for the local newsletter or a small blog.

37. Make writing your priority in the morning. (I need my 'me' time *bangs head on keyboard*)

38. Keep squeezing words out even if you feel uninspired. (Blehh, I always close the word document when I'm uninspired)

39. Tell everyone: “I’m a writer.” ( :/ )

40. Recognize your fear and overcome it.

41. Let your articles rest and then return to them with fresh eyes.

42. Comment on your favorite blogs.

43. Keep a journal to keep the writing juices flowing.

44. Use a journal to sort out your thoughts and feelings. (Sometimes)

45. Keep it simple.

46. Practice monotasking. Set a timer for uninterrupted writing.

47. Watch people. (Good thing I'm a people-watcher then)

48. Get to know someone different from you and reflect on the experience.

49. Try new ideas or hobbies – the more variety you have in your life, the more likely you are to keep on generating good ideas on the page.

50. Read works from different cultures. It helps keep your writing from tasting stale in the mouths of your readers. ( )

51. Rethink what is ‘normal’. (Always!)

52. Work on brilliant headlines. (I like)

53. Check if your assumptions are right.

54. Join a writing group. If you can’t find one, form one.

55. Write during your most productive hours of the day. (Usually when everyone's quiet)

56. Designate time to research.

57. Take time to muse and mindmap.

58. Map out a writing schedule for your project and stick to it.

59. Ask someone else to proofread.

60. Read Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” at least once a year.

61. Break out of your comfort zone.

62. Write at the scene. If you want to write about a beach, get a picnic rug and go write by the sea. (Mmhmm, sounds goooood)

63. Go to the supermarket, the ball game, the class room, the building site. Make notes of the sensuous details, the atmosphere, the people. (I like this)

64. Start with metaphors and stories.

65. Approach writing with gratitude, not just with a ‘must do this’ attitude.

66. Deconstruct and analyze books and articles you enjoy. (I've turned pages of books I love until they're all worn out. The more tattered my books are, the more you know the value of it to me)

67. Know about story architecture. Many writers don’t. Which is like doing heart surgery or flying an airliner by intuition. Survival rates are low.

68. Socialize with other writers.

69. Stretch or exercise in between writing. (I need to do this too)

70. Make a note of ideas for further development before you leave a piece for tomorrow. (I should because I like to keep it mind but when I wake up the next morning, I have to dig deep to remember what I was thinking about)

71.Use mindmaps for inspiration.

72. Take risks – don’t be afraid to shock. You are not who you think you are. (Cool. I'm Batman)

73. [Please add your own suggestion in the comment section!]

i will be strong, i will be faithful

tacosauce — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:17:47 +0000

"What are you thinking of, Anne?" asked Gilbert, coming down the walk. He had left his horse and buggy out at the road.

"Of Miss Lavendar and Mr Irving," answered Anne dreamily. "Isn't it beautiful to think how everything has turned out... how they have come together again after all the years of separation and misunderstanding."

"Yes, it's beautiful," said Gilbert, looking steadily down into Anne's uplifted face, "but wouldn't it have been more beautiful still, Anne, if there had been no separation or misunderstanding... if they had come hand in hand all the way through life, with no memories behind them but those which belonged to each other?"

For a moment Anne's heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert's gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music; perhaps... perhaps... love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.

-A Wedding at the Stone House, Anne of Avonlea

This particular section of Anne of Avonlea caught my attention the most and I've been thinking about it for the whole day. If you've read Anne of Green Gables, you'll be well acquainted with the main characters - Anne, Diana, Marilla, Matthew, Gilbert, Mrs Rachel Lynde, Josephine Barry and blah blah blah.

And you'll also know what happened between Anne and Gilbert. And you'll know why this part is so sweet. Unfortunately, I lost the rest of the series and I have yet to find it but I'm pretty sure they're still at home... somewhere. I know that Gilbert and Anne got married and had kids and lived happily ever after but I want to read it. ): Must hunt for books soon.

I think if I had to name one person I'm most similar to, it'd be Anne Shirley. She's dreamy and she likes to daydream and she's got a wide scope of imagination and she likes writing and she's basically just a nice person. I think that a lot of people can't associate with her dreaminess and peculiar taste and clumsy behavior and they just think that she's a featherhead. She's more than that, really.

Just needed to say that. Now I'm off to write. To infinity and beyond..!!

one thing about you

tacosauce — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:11:37 +0000

Rules: We all are fans. Be it Star Trek or Twilight, you are a fan of something. Pick a subject, book, TV or movie series. Now tell us all about it!

1. The first character I fell in love with: I think it was, um, I don't know, Dimitri from Anastasia?

2. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Sawyer from Lost. LOL.

3. The character I would shag anytime: -

4. The character I'd slap: Bella from Twilight, d'oh.

5. Who are my 3 favorite characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Viktor Navorski from The Terminal. How random.

6. What are my 3 favorite pairings: Oooh, I love this! Blair and Chuck on Gossip Girl. Jesse and Susannah in the Mediator Series. Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swan. Muahahaha, sorry Will Turner. Oh, and Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in Ironman. Sawyer and Kate on Lost. That's five pairs but whatever.

7. Which character I'm most like: I don't know but being Blue Bailey from the book Natural Born Charmer would definitely be cool. And being Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kickass women, y'know.

8. The coolest thing about the canon: Whud?

9. The lamest crappiest thing about the canon: ??? What canon ???

10. My guiltiest pleasure in this fandom: Spending hours in front of the TV but they don't show anything nice on TV anymore... Or maybe it's because I haven't had the time for that noise box. Oh, and romcoms.

11. What story I wish I could read (or art I wish I could see): Not sure. But I'd like to see the original Mona Lisa.

12. What story I wish I had written/still want to write: Actually, I want to complete at least one of my own. I have loads but they're never finished. What does this say about me?

Meme stolen from SundayStealing.

This was fun.

be careful what you wish for

cheeseburger — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:03:28 +0000

My nose is screwed up and I feel like crap.
FML.

Reflex is not as good as Jumper. Sure, Jumper was about child abuse, crying, wars, relationships and complications but Reflex only had one or two storylines and that was all. This side was all about David Rice trying to escape from the people who kidnapped him and that side was all about Millie trying to save David.

End of story.

Each part was described inch by inch in a really long, boring way and I was itching to jump to the next few pages. The action scenes were pretty good but overall, there weren't as many moral values and the story was so-so only. The torturing parts were.. torturing and scary and slightly sickening.

Millie being able to 'jump' was just ridiculous. Just because David had teleported her around for a decade then she can start 'jumping'. So that means their kids were eventually start 'jumping' and their kids' lovers will start 'jumping' and their grandkids will start 'jumping' and so on? How ridiculous.

Conclusion : I don't like it. The ending didn't even make me swell with pride like I did for Jumper because he made good decisions and the ending was so simple - "We jumped."

I'm sorry but I feel like I lost my interest for this book. Now, I'll just wait for the second movie to be released.

I've been playing Batman : Arkham Asylum these days and I find it pretty interesting. Very good storyline and realistic graphics. I'm not done with the whole game but for now, I think it's really nice.

But I really miss playing Modern Warfare 2. I mean, I know a lot of you don't like it but I really enjoy the story and everything.

I'm not gonna upload any pictures today and I'm not even sure if I'll do a top ten for next week because I haven't been listening to much music and there aren't many new songs these days. At least new songs that I will actually like.

I don't have a favorite song. Anymore. I don't want to have a favorite song. I don't feel like having a favorite song.

My nose is noisy as hell and there's a mountain of tissues building up on the floor. I feel like flinging the tissue box against the ceiling but I won't because it'll get chopped up and it'll be all my fault.

I just know that there's nothing to cheer me up.

How depressing is that?

Later.