A new Year and new books!

Nanowrimo, New Years and Christmas has come and gone, but I still remain! Mwuhahaha. Ok, I'm fine now.

Now that the busy holiday season is over, I have more time to write. So my dear readers (who I think are non-existent so far...), I'm back with a resolution to keep up with this blog while writing more of my stories every day. I have found a calendar* and I have decided that I would put up a sticker for every day I worked on my story.

Your Audience

I find the questions ‘why you write’ and ‘who is your audience’ is two similar questions, but mean something completely different.

As a Reader, Criteria in Choosing Books at the Store/Library

I'm the kind of person who goes shopping with a specific list and picks up random things on the way to checkout counter. This applies to my reading habits as well. Usually, I go to the library to pick up five or six books... and walk out with more than a dozen. But for every book I decide to take out, I leave a few more on the shelf. They have drawn my interest, but overall, I decided not to read them.

But why?

Happy Heat-Haze Day!

Even though the appointed time has already passed, please watch out for incoming traffic and heavy falling objects.

For those who don't know, or aren't familiar with Japanese songwriters, Jin (Kagerou Days series) and mothyP (Servant of Evil series) are perhaps two of the most brilliant storytellers using pictures, music and lyrics ever. I mean, ever.

What had happened?

Life happened, the product of being a lax writer. I'm writing at 2:47 in the morning because I realized how long it had been since I last wrote.

Since I last wrote, many things happened:
- I got older.
- I'm almost done school. A whole semester flew past in the span of me uttering 'what happened?'
- Moved everything back home from my university (4 hours away) in the span of one car ride. Was very squished and forgot to return some books to my friend.
- Missed AnimeNorth due to a lack of funds. Sadly, I will miss AnimeNorth next year as well due to BEA being on the same weekend.
- Found a day job - in a restaurant. Now have even more respect for people working in the food industry, especially waiters and waitresses in the buffet style restaurants.
- Working on version 2.5 of Cyndia
- Transferred most of my stash of 'memory souvenirs' into a scrapbook... at least until my glue ran out. (Will write more on this later)
- Started looking for Canadian author's conferences and expos... so far, I found a whole bunch in Vancouver.
- Learned how to clean a frozen yoghurt machine.

The last one happened yesterday. It was interesting, watching the machine go 'hum.... glub, glub, glub' before and after you take out parts of the machine to clean it.

Staying positive

As a NanoWrimo, I sometimes see posts where my forum friends stress themselves out over Thanksgiving in America. When that I see that happening, I am thankful that Canadian thanksgiving was last month. (Then I feel bad for that, since it would be like seeing someone fall off a cliff, then I drop a boulder after them.)

I suppose it is fitting to start with A Debut

This weekend, I had the honour of attending a traditional filipino debut.

A debut is a filipino traditional coming-of-age party and considered one of the most important events for filipino women. Middle-class and higher families would save up money to throw a grand party on their daughter’s eighteenth birthday to celebrate her birthday and also to introduce her to eligible bachelors. Traditional rituals such as the 18 Roses* and 18 Candles** takes place throughout the party symbolize her passage from childhood to adulthood.

The lavishness, preparation, the budget and hard work involved with the planning of this party could be compared with planning a wedding. Freshly cut roses decorated every table, utensils and napkins set immaculately, glasses of drinks filled with orange pop for toasting awaited every guest. Huge platters of food were laid out in a buffet style and guests came in with elegant dresses and crisp tuxedos. A DJ and his sound system occupied a corner of the room, right next to the dance floor. There are even tickets for alcoholic drinks available for the persons 18 and up.

Despite all these grand luxuries, I was struck most by the people who came together to celebrate this debut. The young lady’s family worked so hard to make this party despite the stress of work, university studies, or a combination of the two. All those sleepless nights, all those times worrying about venue, all the times cooking (at least half of the dishes), all the people who took the time to travel through terrible weather and long distances so that they could chip in and help out or to celebrate, it’s amazing.

I wish that her dreams will come true. (Not the nightmares though, when I talk about dreams, it’s about her life-long goals, her dreams jobs and such. Not the weird dreams you get with unicorns goring into dementors and throwing pineapples at Voldemort at five in the morning.)

* 18 male family members and close friends are to give a rose to and waltzes with the debutante. The last person the debutante waltzes with is her father.

** 18 candles are lit up and to be given to the debutante by 18 female family members and close friends. They are to say a speech and their well-wishes to the debutante.