It's been great fun to write this blog as part of my Effective Writing project and assignment. I was glad I get to share a bit of my writing with my coursemates and lecturer. Although I wasn't able to share my other writing pieces such as my fictional writing (those are available on another website, for free! Shameless promotion hahaha).
Thank you Dr. Sheena for giving us this chance to write blog posts and share our writing with the world, and thank you for guiding us in writing throughout these 14 weeks, you're the best!
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Reflections on Writing Activities
I'm a great fan of writing prompts, they're great to generate ideas from. Writing activities are no different. When pitched with like-minded people, it can develop into something bigger and far more creative than we can ever expect.
All the writing activities done in class, from academic writing to planning out a research paper has given me an insight on how formal writing is done, and will help me greatly if I ever have to write a research paper in the future.
All the writing activities done in class, from academic writing to planning out a research paper has given me an insight on how formal writing is done, and will help me greatly if I ever have to write a research paper in the future.
Monday, 24 April 2017
e-Learning week
I was actually looking forward to e-learning week, for I much prefer learning from the comfort of my own home than to spend time in a classroom. We were supposed to log onto our Spectrum accounts and open the chatroom of our respective classes.
I went home for e-learning, as a continuation to our mid-semester break. My mother didn't understand the definition of e-learning week, so she was screaming lists after lists of chores for me to complete although I kept reminding her that I have classes.
Spectrum hung and crashed the moment I entered the website, most likely due to website database overload because there are at least 7 faculties carrying out the e-Learning week, and more than hundreds of students are trying to access the website as well.
My lecturers prepared videos for us to learn, as well as different exercises which I found helpful in helping us understand a new topic. Overall, if the website would stop crashing, e-learning week would be a wonderful opportunity for the students to use technology to is fullest.
I went home for e-learning, as a continuation to our mid-semester break. My mother didn't understand the definition of e-learning week, so she was screaming lists after lists of chores for me to complete although I kept reminding her that I have classes.
Spectrum hung and crashed the moment I entered the website, most likely due to website database overload because there are at least 7 faculties carrying out the e-Learning week, and more than hundreds of students are trying to access the website as well.
My lecturers prepared videos for us to learn, as well as different exercises which I found helpful in helping us understand a new topic. Overall, if the website would stop crashing, e-learning week would be a wonderful opportunity for the students to use technology to is fullest.
Dear Abby
Dear Abby,
What do you think is more important? Family, or love? My parents wants me to marry a man named P, but I have no love for him, my eyes are on the man I met during the masquerade party, his name is R. He was so charming and beautiful, nothing like all the other men I have met in my life! Although I don't know him, he kissed me. I thought maybe we could get to know each other and eventually marry, but then I found out he is the son of my father's greatest nemesis. This means we can not be together.
What should I do? Should I run away and marry him or stay and honor my family's wishes?I don't want to spoil my family's name, yet at the same time my heart tells me to go to R. Please advice, Abby.
- BROKEN GIRL
What do you think is more important? Family, or love? My parents wants me to marry a man named P, but I have no love for him, my eyes are on the man I met during the masquerade party, his name is R. He was so charming and beautiful, nothing like all the other men I have met in my life! Although I don't know him, he kissed me. I thought maybe we could get to know each other and eventually marry, but then I found out he is the son of my father's greatest nemesis. This means we can not be together.
What should I do? Should I run away and marry him or stay and honor my family's wishes?I don't want to spoil my family's name, yet at the same time my heart tells me to go to R. Please advice, Abby.
- BROKEN GIRL
Monday, 20 March 2017
Online Shopping
I started online shopping in 2014 when my American friends introduced me to Amazon.com. At that time I was living in the States, and shipping was close to free. That was when I started to get addicted. I bought a lot of books, franchise goods like the Mockingjay pin, crystals and jewelry. After I returned to Malaysia, shipping from Amazon.com was extremely extravagant in which I couldn't afford, even till now, so I switched to ebay.com.
I consider myself an online shopping addict, and sometimes I hate myself for it. One item leads to another, and soon you'll end up with a bunch of things you really like but don't really need. I usually buy crystals, Pagan jewelry and anything whimsical or antique-looking in general, and I have this obsession with jewelry, although I only wear one or two of them, or certain ones based on the Sabbats and seasonal festivals.
I get most of my stuff from ebay, Amazon, lazada (mostly ebay because they're crazy cheap). Below I have disclosed a picture of my witchy jewelry which I shall remove later because it's rather personal.
Crystals are exceptionally great for attuning your energy, storing them and then bring them with you on the go. I have a lot of crystal rings, and my favorite is amethyst and blue fire labadorite. Some of the jewelry I bought are only to be photographed as stocks to use in my own artworks or sell them for commercial use.
I also own headdresses, headpieces, dangling earrings, pendulums, tarot cards, crystal balls, Spirit vessels and many other Pagan related items which I bought all online as they are impossible to find in Malaysia. For instance, I will not be able to find a statue of Anubis here, but I can buy it at factory price, or commission an artisan to carve a custom one through their etsy shops.
I consider myself an online shopping addict, and sometimes I hate myself for it. One item leads to another, and soon you'll end up with a bunch of things you really like but don't really need. I usually buy crystals, Pagan jewelry and anything whimsical or antique-looking in general, and I have this obsession with jewelry, although I only wear one or two of them, or certain ones based on the Sabbats and seasonal festivals.
I get most of my stuff from ebay, Amazon, lazada (mostly ebay because they're crazy cheap). Below I have disclosed a picture of my witchy jewelry which I shall remove later because it's rather personal.
Crystals are exceptionally great for attuning your energy, storing them and then bring them with you on the go. I have a lot of crystal rings, and my favorite is amethyst and blue fire labadorite. Some of the jewelry I bought are only to be photographed as stocks to use in my own artworks or sell them for commercial use.
I also own headdresses, headpieces, dangling earrings, pendulums, tarot cards, crystal balls, Spirit vessels and many other Pagan related items which I bought all online as they are impossible to find in Malaysia. For instance, I will not be able to find a statue of Anubis here, but I can buy it at factory price, or commission an artisan to carve a custom one through their etsy shops.
Monday, 13 March 2017
On reading and writing
It's been a very hard two weeks for me. My anxiety levels are on an all time high and I almost had a panic-attack all too recently. I've decided that the best way to keep my ADHD from annoying others is to refrain from speaking or basically not react too much. As a compensation, I've went and brought four amazing writing guide books which I thought would be a great addition to my collection.
These books most definitely cost a bomb, as they are around $20 each, not to mention I purchased around 4 other books on digital painting which were $33 each. It cost me more than $250, but it was totally worth it. Instead of spending my time trying to fit in and be someone that is not me, I might as well invest my time in something more productive.
I blame my friend, Emily Godhand on making me go on a binge book shopping session. She piled all these amazing sounding and looking books on me and I cannot resists the temptation to do so. Deborah Chester's book is highly recommended for those who want to delve deeper into building the intriguing fantasy world with I most definitely need. I already have a complex world, but it is the layering and sorting that is hard to pull off.
Well, there goes my plans to stop spending too much on books, or splurge it online (no regrets here). On the bright side, I've found that a writing schedule is super important. Before, I keep on giving myself the excuse for not writing, such as writer's block, flat inspiration, or plain lazy. Now, I take my laptop with me wherever I go (unless it involves physical stress) and try to get writing done whenever I can. As a result, I'm almost at 50,000 words at my newest story rewrite and I plan to hit that sometime this week. My aim is to finish this draft before the semester ends so I can commence editing and rereading.
Another aim of mine is to get a kick back into digital painting. Those books cost me an arm and a leg and I am not going to let them go to waste. If I can do heavy photomanipulation in less than a year, I must be able to master digital painting too.
Okay I guess I'm done writing blog post. Peace out and may the odds be with you. I'm off to drown in a kickass Two Steps From Hell album.
Friday, 3 March 2017
The Final Empire Book Review
The book review I am going to do today is a wonderful masterpiece from the International Bestselling, #1 Sunday Times Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. He is my far my favorite author and is my king. 👑
The Final Empire is the first installment in a 7 book long series titled "Mistborn". The first three is considered a standalone trilogy while the remaining books take place in the same world but 200 years later.
We follow Vin, a skinny, misunderstood, hungry Skaa girl who stuck to the side of a villainous man who was trying to weasel his way a large fortune. On a most important trip to convince a merchant to work with him, he brought Vin with him, for he considered her his lucky charm. Vin has special powers, powers that she considered as 'luck', which she had trouble controlling and its discovery will lead to her death.
That was when she met Kelsier, the smart, sassy, notorious leader of the rebellion against the Final Empire and its cruel and immortal king, the Lord Ruler.
Kelsier is a Mistborn, someone who possesses the abilities to manipulate the different metals of the earth. However, he first needs to ingest a small amount of the metal before he could do so. For example, but ingesting tin, his sight and hearing becomes enhances. If he ingests pewter, he gains extraordinary strength and durability for as long as the metal inside him lasts before it burns out.
There are only three Mistborns left in the world according to Kelsier--him, Vin, and the Lord Ruler, with the latter being the original and the most powerful of them all. Kelsier and Vin, like the many others, are Skaas (also known as slaves) who led a life of pain, starvation and hardship. In a world where ashes rained from the sky, the grass were brown and you serve your entire life away, Kelsier decided to bring together those who would stand up and fight and led the ultimate rebellion against the Lord Ruler, ending his reign once and for all.
Everything seemed easy, innocent, for Kelsier claimed he had a weapon called the Eleventh Metal that could end the Lord Ruler. However, his trusted friends weren't convinced. I wasn't convinced either, because there was no way a metal could bring someone so ancient and powerful to his knees.
The Final Empire is a story that brings out the best in modern high fantasy. There are tears, anger, heartbreak, death, love and SO MUCH TEARS. SO MUCH. Every single page and twist of the story is unexpected. The foreshadowing is so well done it keeps on coming back and slapping me in the face with every progressing chapter. The prophecies, the religion, the world building, everything is WELL DONE.
Reading Mistborn is probably the best decision I have made in my entire life. This book just broke the scale of awesomeness.
And the ending.
I can't.
*weeps and throws a city at the author*
The Final Empire is the first installment in a 7 book long series titled "Mistborn". The first three is considered a standalone trilogy while the remaining books take place in the same world but 200 years later.
We follow Vin, a skinny, misunderstood, hungry Skaa girl who stuck to the side of a villainous man who was trying to weasel his way a large fortune. On a most important trip to convince a merchant to work with him, he brought Vin with him, for he considered her his lucky charm. Vin has special powers, powers that she considered as 'luck', which she had trouble controlling and its discovery will lead to her death.
That was when she met Kelsier, the smart, sassy, notorious leader of the rebellion against the Final Empire and its cruel and immortal king, the Lord Ruler.
Kelsier is a Mistborn, someone who possesses the abilities to manipulate the different metals of the earth. However, he first needs to ingest a small amount of the metal before he could do so. For example, but ingesting tin, his sight and hearing becomes enhances. If he ingests pewter, he gains extraordinary strength and durability for as long as the metal inside him lasts before it burns out.
There are only three Mistborns left in the world according to Kelsier--him, Vin, and the Lord Ruler, with the latter being the original and the most powerful of them all. Kelsier and Vin, like the many others, are Skaas (also known as slaves) who led a life of pain, starvation and hardship. In a world where ashes rained from the sky, the grass were brown and you serve your entire life away, Kelsier decided to bring together those who would stand up and fight and led the ultimate rebellion against the Lord Ruler, ending his reign once and for all.
Everything seemed easy, innocent, for Kelsier claimed he had a weapon called the Eleventh Metal that could end the Lord Ruler. However, his trusted friends weren't convinced. I wasn't convinced either, because there was no way a metal could bring someone so ancient and powerful to his knees.
The Final Empire is a story that brings out the best in modern high fantasy. There are tears, anger, heartbreak, death, love and SO MUCH TEARS. SO MUCH. Every single page and twist of the story is unexpected. The foreshadowing is so well done it keeps on coming back and slapping me in the face with every progressing chapter. The prophecies, the religion, the world building, everything is WELL DONE.
Reading Mistborn is probably the best decision I have made in my entire life. This book just broke the scale of awesomeness.
And the ending.
I can't.
*weeps and throws a city at the author*
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