tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46551064254344579872024-03-28T17:30:16.324+08:00Missing My PenWelcome to author J.L. Chan's blog! Please help find his pen along the way. Thank you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-48404725626218777902017-06-25T00:37:00.001+08:002017-07-23T10:32:37.118+08:00More Artwork of Characters!Hey, guys! I'm back to share more artwork of my novel characters! Just so you guys know, I'm writing my novel besides working on a new short story featuring Melissa Trixton as the main character [which is also written in first-person!]. Anyway, here they are.<br />
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Kudos to the artists for taking their time to draw such brilliant art. Always motivates me to write more whenever I see them. :]<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRQU2DLY-_6w1_uZFNltYWfrtRIP-pKwfcOTfj8WcC19p4HHc-NOusXezoET81bdbfNvKu6rn_HWD8cVxUUvbN_g8s7wDFMGLs1qyiUEKGzEIaKA_coLPqSpIGrzEd2aOjfPkI3QGAtc/s1600/Salmon%252C+by+Fachrusy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="281" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRQU2DLY-_6w1_uZFNltYWfrtRIP-pKwfcOTfj8WcC19p4HHc-NOusXezoET81bdbfNvKu6rn_HWD8cVxUUvbN_g8s7wDFMGLs1qyiUEKGzEIaKA_coLPqSpIGrzEd2aOjfPkI3QGAtc/s400/Salmon%252C+by+Fachrusy.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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Artwork of Samuel "Salmon" Barry by Fachrusy.</div>
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He looks adolescent here but that's completely fine. As long as he looks like a <strike>ding-dong</strike> suave young man.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK_eMx3DI85HrK_RsyHEqP7H108suAKLGdnUhEANqOXsMR3HQn0gpX_gg3AzPn3ojm5dPPGGoLvN75HXLIvMJrhF6-2iZXm-lBXqGd632LFZjPHEzfVQi6tNI_139l5mYhloDTtOSI_g/s1600/Salmon%252C+by+Jhon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="809" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK_eMx3DI85HrK_RsyHEqP7H108suAKLGdnUhEANqOXsMR3HQn0gpX_gg3AzPn3ojm5dPPGGoLvN75HXLIvMJrhF6-2iZXm-lBXqGd632LFZjPHEzfVQi6tNI_139l5mYhloDTtOSI_g/s400/Salmon%252C+by+Jhon.jpg" width="336" /></a></div>
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Another artwork of Samuel "Salmon" Barry by Jhon, the same person who drew Cassie and Dyven in the previous post. This one looks more mature, but still a <strike>doofus</strike> handsome knight-in-training.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6Py3DrleoIBorIlxyi74P6g_TZ7pVGacO2Cs8lHF6RhPSzd7q5SxgmQ86oszdoxnGh5Vw1K1KuTWZwpDj1mSP2VV-U6ofCMocEminaLdOjGfE-C29TrKOav8IFosZY4CeiE6Tl_-Y9E/s1600/Rina%252C+by+Phoebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6Py3DrleoIBorIlxyi74P6g_TZ7pVGacO2Cs8lHF6RhPSzd7q5SxgmQ86oszdoxnGh5Vw1K1KuTWZwpDj1mSP2VV-U6ofCMocEminaLdOjGfE-C29TrKOav8IFosZY4CeiE6Tl_-Y9E/s400/Rina%252C+by+Phoebe.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Artwork of Alluriana Hyland in a waitress uniform by Phoebe. She has always been my favorite in the novel and seeing her in visualization just makes me like her ten times as better as all the other characters. Really captures her feminine features here, oh, what a <i>tease</i> she is.</div>
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Again, thank you guys for spending the time to draw the characters. Hope you enjoyed admiring their artwork as much as I did. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Oh, how I wish I could draw!</span><br />
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EDIT: On a side note, my friend has just started out his DeviantArt account! He hasn't drawn much yet but do see his artwork there too. You can find his DeviantArt account here: <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Flester2208.deviantart.com%2Fart%2FZone-Tan-692879582&h=ATP5ddLUPfHHO86H_DoocTiq7fM5CeImrVwXc_bPWJEmrB8M8rhLjx9xo1peD6w-P5yEpfo2pDTREioYKgfoImZWrL_iyeVcoqTSzzG2uSvnW_4r6i3f2Pdh3pXKOW4YLKL6e_QzVC1vI1qQKQ52wQx2EEiwUA" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: #f1f0f0; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">http://lester2208.deviantart.com/art/Zone-Tan-692879582</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-41956713841610206392017-06-12T17:49:00.003+08:002017-06-12T17:53:09.658+08:00I Went to a Camp! Part 3Hey, guys! I'm back for part 3 of the camp, covering the third and also the final day of the camp. Yesterday, I went to an education expo down in Kuala Lumpur, though there wasn't much to see. Wanted to write at night, but sleepiness got in the way. So, with that said, lemme get right back into the story!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day Three</u></span><br />
I woke up at the same time as yesterday: 7:15 am. Energy rushed into me almost instantaneously, knowing today would be one of the best days. Hearing from Ms. Connie and Kurniati yesterday, they mentioned a surprise in store for all of us during the end of the day. Quickly, I got dressed for the day and got my things. This time, I didn't want to wait for my other housemates since I was going to run late, so I excused myself by telling them I'm going off and went off alone. Well, not really, because I bumped into Kalai, Kayal, and Khirtanaa, three girls who came along during the camp. Arriving there 5 minutes late, I ate my breakfast then went up into the lecture hall.<br />
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Once everyone was assembled in the hall, the first lecturer of the day came inside. I was more acquainted with the rest of my peers now and was able to greet them more casually, and also recognize them. (Yep, that icebreaker <i>really</i> worked.) Looking at the agenda, I found that today, there were two lectures. Cool, I thought. The first one began momentarily and it talked about computing and IT by Dr. Lau Sian Lun. Out of all the sessions so far, this one was less... exciting. Mostly because the slides were just text and had no pictures or videos or anything—completely text. First time I felt sleepy in any session (lol). But nearing the end, a cursed stomachache had to trigger in my bowels and I had to rush to the toilet. Spent a good ten to fifteen minutes there I think. Wasn't pleasant; my stomach hurt.<br />
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So after that toilet break, I returned and found that the next session had begun. It was about Biological Sciences, by Dr. Gopalasamy Reuben Clements. Out of all the lectures, this one was really creative—<i>too</i> creative. The professor made a parody of Jungle Book, called Jungle Book II, where Mowgli travels to the Malaysian jungles for us to get to know the wildlife in our country's jungles. At first, it was cringy. But we did get to know what a "Conservative Scientist" was (which is a pretty cool job, I must say) and how people live in the jungles. We also learned that panthers could be found in the jungle, and so do elephants and wild dogs native to Southeast Asia called "dholes". All in all, even though the presentation was cringeworthy, it was still a cool one. Oh yeah, and another group photo before the session ended.<br />
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The next session marked the return of the <i>Trainsition</i> team. For this session, the Peacock Guy told us the basics of interviews and also companies providing several types of scholarships. He also showed us several questions coined "Curve-ball questions" designed to use our critical thinking skills to answer. After that, he showed us two scenarios. The first one required some of us in a group to discuss among ourselves as ministries to reach a consensus while also going below the 1 billion ringgit budget. Two different groups will be playing the first scenario. The second scenario required seven of us, as survivors, to decide who to be on the boat since it could only support three people to reach an island some kilometers away. I knew this wasn't going to go well since a large group of us had to decide and solve a single yet huge problem. After discussing, we were tasked to present our results too.<br />
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I ended up being in the first team, which my ministry was Science, Technology, and Innovation (I thought was pretty nice to have). The rest of my group was Kalaiarasan, Foreign Affairs; Kurniati, Women, Family, and Community; Shelly, Roadworks; Kalai, Human Resources; Phoebe, Higher Education; and finally Jun Wei, Trade, Cooperation, and Consumerism. Our ministries' proposed budget was 1.8 billion, which was over the 1 billion budget. My ministry started out with a proposed budget of 100 million, which I didn't think sufficed since STI would require a whole lot more. And I didn't think this group would work since we had the only <i>two</i> Eagles in the <i>same</i> group. Two power freaks—oh, the humanity! Well, just because I felt that way didn't mean I would give up on the group so easily.<br />
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So upon starting, we tried to lower each other's budget while not defending ours because we didn't know what we were doing. Until one of the <i class="">Trainsition</i> members told us what we <i>should</i> be doing: defending our rights while also attacking other's rights to reach a point where both or more ministries could agree with one another. So, all of us got into our characters as ministers and introduced ourselves as well as our projects one by one. Then came the point where we proposed how much money we needed and then opposing the said propositions while also giving points. All of us worked together to lay out points. I requested more budget since STI would obviously need more to cover up the rest of the ministries' lowered budgets. In the end, we did manage to reach 1 billion (800 million cut!) but we used up a lot of extra time.<br />
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When it was our turn to present, we agreed that Phoebe should be the representative speaker of all of us. She told everyone in the hall of our plans. The Peacock Guy then pointed out how only STI got an increase in budget whereas everything else was lowered, which I had to speak about. I explained that our group decided that STI was the key in the discussion whereby the project was STI could be used to overcome the other problems faced by the other six ministries, along with examples, to secure my point. It ended up our group being praised by the Peacock Guy for giving a concrete point to support the result of our discussion. What I thought wouldn't work since larger groups equal more problems in a discussion ended up becoming a grand success. What an awesome group! (By the way, this session also finished very late.)<br />
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After that session, we took a group photo with the <i>Trainsition</i> team after filling up our feedback forms. Gonna miss that Peacock Guy—he was an awesome person. Then, we had our lunch. I sat with the Tropicana trio and hung out with them for a short while before returning to the hall. Once everyone was in, we were greeted by several foreigners who came from Bain & Co. Yep, those were the people we had to speak to for a few hours. We got into our reflection groups. Our group went to join Mr. Robert Oushoorn, the partner we picked, and the second partner happened to be Mrs. Kenzie Kwong, one of the founders of Leaders' Quest. We took them to the grassy sky platform on the next floor for our talk.<br />
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As a group, we introduced ourselves as they did too then we delivered our elevator pitches that we rehearsed the night before. It went well. We also asked them to give us their elevator pitches. After that, we began asking them questions while I recorded all their words on my notepad (journalist-in-the-making!). We continued the conversation which was indeed interesting—so interesting that time had to be in the way and we had to go back to the hall soon. That was when Mrs. Kenzie told us that we had forgotten to let them give feedback on our elevator pitches. Simply, we had to do it again so we could receive the feedback. Mine, according to them, was great as it showed passion except it lacked elaboration on why I had these passions. I resolved to improve my elevator pitch. I really wanted to have them ask questions for us too, to balance the conversation, but we ran out of time, unfortunately, and so we all returned to the hall.<br />
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As the groups returned one by one, the session with Bain & Co. ended with our thoughts and their thoughts on the conversation we all had. I managed to get Mr. Robert's and Mrs. Kenzie's contacts. Sometime during our time away, my classmate's mentor arrived. We took a group photo in our reflection group with the two partners before they left. Honestly, it felt a little bit awkward to speak with such influential people, knowing that I felt a bit inferior to their status. However, it went better as I expected.<br />
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Well, the next on the agenda was actually Rest & Free Time, but we had to stay in our reflection groups for the third day's reflection. After that, with an hour left on the clock before dinner and the surprise coming up next, I traveled with Phoebe and Crystal back to our accommodation. I put my things there, hung around for a while and played Osu! before deciding to go back to the university for dinner. Extra walking was totally worth for what's coming up later even though I loathed it. I ate dinner alone as everyone wasn't there yet, save for some mentors and the CtG team. When I finished, everyone had arrived by then, but Ms. Ida came to give me the evaluation of the group's and my performance on the group discussion earlier.<br />
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After that, I went to sit with the Tropicana trio, where Phoebe's and Crystal's mentors had had already arrived. Wei Pin's mentor, however, hadn't arrived yet. I chatted with all of them until it was time to depart for Sunway Pyramid. I was then told that we were going to an Escape Room, which thrilled me since I'd always wanted to try it out once. The walk to Sunway Pyramid was tiring, especially with the uphill walking, but we eventually reached our destination. The Escape Room studio (not sure of the proper name) was called Mission-Q.<br />
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All of us, mentors and CtG team included, went inside. We had to group each other with at least 7 people and pick a room to play. There were 5 rooms: <i>The Harvest</i>, <i>Knock Knock Who's There</i>, <i>Saving King Arthur</i>, <i>The Tomb of Life and Death</i>, and <i>The Imperial Mausoleum</i>. I wasn't a fan of horror, but I managed to find other people who weren't fans of horror and groups up together. Kurniati wasn't up to horror either and neither was my classmate's mentor. We ended up choosing <i>Saving King Arthur </i>since it was fantasy-themed. After choosing, we had to keep all of our accessories and belongings in a locker before entering the room. Then, we went to our room and were briefed for a moment. And then, we were all alone. Oh, goodies!<br />
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Well, I would tell you what happened in the escape room throughout our time there, but I think I'd rather keep the experience a secret in case some of you readers go to Sunway Pyramid and play that room while knowing everything, which would be unfair. However, what I <i>can</i> tell you is that Kurniati has a dead eye's accuracy, everyone used their brains to solve weird yet creative puzzles, and that we managed to escape our room in time. After escaping, we took a group photo. Our group managed to achieve the 3rd fastest (woo!) of that room and were placed on the leaderboard. Finally, we took one last group photo of everyone once they returned (wow, that's a <i>lot</i> of group photos) saying <i>Connie!</i> before taking our things and returning to the Sunway-Monash Residence. None picked the 5th room apparently. That walk home was also an extra long walk if you're wondering.<br />
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While I was preparing to sleep, the door somehow had to freaking close on me with the keycard inside the room. I facepalmed and facewalled and also facedoored. Asking my housemate Rhyshie for help, we went to the control room to help open up the door. Thankfully, I didn't have to pay anything as a summon. After that, I dressed for the night, packed my laptop since the Wi-Fi would never work for me and other things for tomorrow, and slept.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day Four</u></span><br />
And then the dreadful final day. I woke up later than usual since I had already packed everything prior. I arose from my bed and grabbed my duffel bag and my laptop backpack then left the unit. I reached there for breakfast, but nobody was there, so I ate alone. The rest of my peers eventually came. After breakfast, I joined the Tropicana trio and went with them to the hall.<br />
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Once everyone gathered, we listened to talk by Soon Teck, who had a Sunway University scholarship. I met him earlier during the first day and learned that he learned from zero English to really fine English—in the span of 6 months. Wow, if I could learn Japanese at that pace, it would be great. Next, we had to be in our reflection group and had to reflect on the past 3 days and what we'd learned throughout our experiences. Then, one of us had to tell everyone else about the summary of our group's reflections. Imran agreed to do it, so when it was our turn, Imran spoke about our reflections as a whole. After everyone reflected on their parts, Kurniati went up front and explained about her background and her pathway to getting an A-Levels Scholarship followed by Shamirah. The talks were all inspiring and admirable. I even managed to write a bit on their details on my notepad (hooray journalism).<br />
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Finally, the very last session of the camp: the pledges. We were tasked by the CtG team to make a specific promise on something we'd do for the following months. I wrote mine after a very long period of thinking. Once I was finished, I got a call from my mother than she had already arrived. Which meant that I, unfortunately, had to go. The session picked up the pace and we had a final group photo before I had to rush out. Honestly, I really didn't want to go that fast and personally say my goodbyes to every single one of my peers. But I couldn't—so Ms. Connie had them say goodbye to me as a choir of voices instead. It was a bittersweet farewell.<br />
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The experience I had from this camp was something I would never forget in my life. "Great" isn't enough to explain how much I truly felt. Everyone was so supportive of each other and I've met some people I admired, inspiring me. I think most of my friends would end up as a character in my book (in a good way, I mean!). It was definitely a wonderful time spending my four days for the camp.<br />
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Oh, and lemme attach a video by <i>Closing the Gap</i> on the camp. Enjoy!<br />
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And thank you guys for reading my whole experience on the camp! I had a fun time retelling the story of what happened and I hope you guys had a fun time reading it. Thanks again and leave me a comment if you have anything to talk about—I'll be sure to reply!<br />
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See you guys in the next post!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Noooo school!!!!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-82747075695052823562017-06-10T22:57:00.002+08:002017-06-11T22:59:59.376+08:00I Went to a Camp! Part 2Hey, guys! I'm back for the second part of the camp: day two. Before I begin, I'd like to tell you that I have gone to the 2nd Asian Leadership Conference today and learned a couple new handy tips on leadership. The 1st one was in January. Anyway, without further ado, allow me to tell you what happened on Day Two.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day Two</u> </span><br />
I woke up at 7:15 am and got dressed for breakfast. I had to wait for the rest of my housemates to ready before departing to the university. Suffice to say, we were <i>almost</i> late. Nevertheless, we still made it in time and had our breakfast, then went into the hall for the first activity of the day.<br />
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Once everyone was in the hall, we were introduced to a Canadian man, Professor Harold Thwaites, who was the dean of the university's faculty of arts. So yeah, we had an introductory lecture on the field of arts. We learned about the annual Expo event which showcased the ideas of several countries of the world in relation to the theme, which was usually related to the future, in grand scale. We were also shown a video of a beautiful dance that involved water and digital rain. Marvelous, I say, truly marvelous. When the lecture was over, I asked the professor if Sunway offered Creative Writing courses. Unfortunately, they didn't (currently), but Sunway's arts programs mostly included that subject, which was pretty rad. I mean, I could learn something else, but also learn the subject I enjoy at the same time. Would open up to other career choices.<br />
Still targeting a major in Creative Writing, by the way.<br />
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Before the professor left, we all took a group photo with him. And I looked derpy in the photo, as always. Anyway, when he took his leave, a group of two guys came in. A cameraman Adrian and the speaker whose name I kept forgetting, so let's call him "Peacock Guy". I'll explain why I call him that later in this post. They make up the organization called <i>Trainsition </i>and they had a load of sessions with us. The first of which is about writing resumes and personal statements. One thing to note: the session was completely wild. The Peacock Guy really liked to get us in an interactive environment, and I liked it too. Wasn't boring, that was for sure. And it was awesome. I'd had learned about resumes beforehand, but he really gave insight on what to write and how to write. I also received a handout of personal statements where we were tasked to examine and proofread various personal statements, but I've yet to do it.<br />
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The session went longer than it should have had. <i>Way longer</i>. So our lunch was kinda cut short, not that it mattered. After lunch, we were back with the Peacock Guy, who taught us about communicating effectively. This workshop was even more interactive than the last, with him calling us out for a little advertising. We were face to face with a brand of Dynamo and were asked to volunteer to promote the item. And of course, I participated, why wouldn't I? :P After that, the next slide was about trying to convince potential buyers to buy the brand of car. I didn't participate this one, though. My other friends, however, were called out by the Peacock Guy. Lastly, the last slide introduced us to a type of communication we would use to sell ourselves to a boss in a very short time. The term was coined an Elevator Pitch. Well, I had no clue what that was, so I kinda screwed up with that when I came up for a try. Still, Imma research a bit on this Elevator Pitch thingy.<br />
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That session ended way past overtime too. But after a short break, they were back for the third session: Personal Branding. No idea what it meant, but it sounded pretty cool. However, what I got was completely different. This one told us about how we dress could potentially affect the outcome of an interview, be it a scholarship or a job. The Peacock Guy showcased several choices of clothing and the liability to wear to a job. Some of us had to go out there and wear some clothes. Nifty clothes, if you're wondering. Now <i>this</i> was extremely informative. Not just for general knowledge, but for my writing. I had been looking for information on clothes so I would know how to describe my character's clothes. What a lifesaver! I literally took a photo of every single slide of clothes for reference. Woooo! THANKS, <i class="">TRAINSITION</i>!<br />
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And that session also ended way past overtime. (Seeing a pattern? lol) The next one, which is the final session with <i class="">Trainsition</i> for the day. It was a personality test. Expectation: MBTI. Realization: a personality test with an unfortunate acronym of DOPE, which stands for Dove, Owl, Peacock, and Eagle. The test was more to a person's work habits. As an INFP, I expected myself to be in a group of peace-lovers. But nope, I was an Eagle—who are control freaks, if you're wondering. Uh oh. I thought the personality test messed up, since Ms. Ida, who was another CtG team member, and also a fellow INFP, also got an Eagle. But when I looked at my result again, I realized I had an almost equal score on <i>both Eagle and Dove</i>, which the Peacock Guy explained shouldn't be possible since the two traits conflict. But I got it anyway. Oh, right! The Peacock Guy was the Peacock Guy because he was a Peacock in the DOPE test, so yeah. So what? Was I supposed to be a guy who loved to manage things and put himself in control but also a peace-lover and practiced relationship-making? But now after countless reflections, I find that being an Eagle-Dove did cover each other's weaknesses. Pretty cool, I realized.<br />
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So after that session ended, I resolved to go and play the piano I had found on the previous day with Ming Lok. And so we did, but I totally forgot how to play and horribly messed up <i>Long, Long Ago </i>(which was a Grade 1 song. Yeah I know I'm noob). But while we were playing, we encountered the trio who sat behind us: Phoebe, Yuen Yen, and Wei Pin. Phoebe wanted to play the piano, so we let her and she played <i>River Flows in You</i> by Yiruma. It was amazing and I felt a little mushy inside after hearing it. She was a Grade 6 and I stopped at Grade 1. Derp me. Anyway, Ming Lok and I then chose to go to the Student Life Center to play ping pong.<br />
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But! The ping pong table was occupied so we couldn't play obviously. I split with Ming Lok there since he wanted to stay and I wanted to leave for the accommodation. Though that was where I bumped into Yuen Yen and Wei Pin again. I chose to follow them just because and I got to know them. We went back to Phoebe who was at the piano, playing a song I didn't know (a Chinese song). After a while lingering and listening to Phoebe play and Wei Pin sing, I followed them to dinner. Well, we wanted to return to our rooms, but dinner was almost time, so we went to the cafeteria instead. I sat with them during dinner. I was kinda curious about them since I never really spoke to anyone else rather than Ming Lok. I learned that the three were from SMK Tropicana (not that I knew where that was... until I Googled much later).<br />
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After dinner, I followed them back to the condo, where the final session was held—at the student lounge. On the walk there, since I was so terrible at names, I asked Wei Pin and Yuen Yen for their English name. Wei Pin didn't have one, so I had no choice, and I did sometimes mess up his name. For example, how I typed his name "Chow Pin" several times until I realized it was "Wei Pin" while writing this whole recount. Yes, that happened while writing. Don't judge me! >:( Back to the story, Yuen Yen said I could call her Crystal—which was indeed so much better. On that same walk, I learned that Crystal was also a <i>writer</i>, who writes in her free time and in Chinese. A novelist too, who would write short or as long as 200 pages. My heart screamed. I didn't know there was another writer in that group of 22 people, and for the first time, I met with another writer—personally! Holy moly, my day suddenly got better.<br />
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For the last activity, we gathered at the student lounge, and in our reflection group. When we went in, we saw a freaking slide from the second floor to the first. Suffice to say, the Tropicana trio, especially Phoebe, freaked out about sliding down. I wanted to slide too. 0:) Following Ms. Connie, we went outside and sat under a gazebo. I sat next to Imran, Crystal sat next to Wei Pin, opposite of us, and Kurniati sat next to Ms. Connie. Just like yesterday, we reflected on the whole day. After the reflection, we had to give Ms. Connie our elevator pitch for the meeting with the partners of Bain & Co. Oh right, earlier (I forgot when; shame on me), we had to pick two partners to talk to for tomorrow. We ended up picking Robert Oushoorn, from Amsterdam. However, there were two people with missing profiles and the rest were already picked, so we could only pick Mr. Oushoorn, the other guy was up to fate. Resuming, I tried my best making one and made it sound casual since the pitch was in a casual conversation. (I asked.) Anyway, it went well and everyone else's pitches were pretty cool too. Especially Imran's, who cracked an awesome witty joke. (y)<br />
<br />
After the reflection and pitching session, I spoke with Wei Pin. I figured his mindset was completely different from anyone I've had ever met. Completely neutral. No overthinking, no nothing. He just thought of the present and nothing else. He sounded like an extreme version of my brother. A hard ISTP, for sure. So I recommended him to try out philosophy, which I found was an interesting yet crazy subject. I explained to him what philosophy was all about and how he was suited for it. He said he'd research about it. Now, I just hope he'd be considering. Malaysia would likely need philosophers for cultural development. :3<br />
<br />
So after that little talk on philosophy, I said my good nights. But before I went, I slid down for the lulz. That was definitely fun! But, the day was ending. It was getting close to midnight. So, after lingering for a while and listening to other's reflections (with permission, of course!), I went back to my unit, changed, wrote on my story, and slept. Also played a nightly game of ping pong using the dining table with the rest of my housemates for a while before sleeping. An awesome day this day was. But tomorrow was going to be better, and I can assure that.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
So stay tuned for the 3rd day of the camp. I'll probably join this with the 4th day since that was until only noon. I can't believe I met another writer, still can't shake it off my mind. Haha! So, see you soon guys, and thanks for reading!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-1939828224367200392017-06-09T14:43:00.000+08:002017-06-09T14:43:07.278+08:00I Went to a Camp! Part 1Hey, guys! I'm back from the camp I mentioned a few days ago. To make up for the lack of activity the past 6 months, I'm going to spend some minutes (or hours) to tell you what happened, in detail I guess, during the 3 days at camp. It's going to be pretty long, so bear with me.<br />
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Update (while editing): Yep, this is going to be hella long so I'm going to split this into three posts. Hopefully, I can post all on the same day.<br />
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<br />
Before I get started, I just wanna let you guys know that since the beginning of this year, I was involved in a program focused on helping teens with low income but great potential to prepare for life after SPM and working our way to our dream career while also covering up our people skills. The program is called <i>Closing the Gap</i>, which is organized by <i>Teach for Malaysia</i>.<br />
<br />
Anyway, in June, they had organized a camp at Sunway University for us to experience life in university, titled Residential Camp, from the 5th to the 8th, which is during my semester break. First impression: Hey, I get to live in a university for a few days; would be pretty good to get the gist of how living on campus feels like. So, I agreed to join the camp. Then, we were told that we were going to live in a condominium at the Sunway-Monash Residence and that we're going to be living in single rooms. Cool. (Actually, the word "camp" here is a bit metaphorical, so let's just call it a type of campus stayover.)<br />
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A week before, the agenda for those 4 days 3 nights came and I took a look at it. It was filled with a lot of workshops and even a session of a personality test, an interview simulation, and even some hours with people from a business company. Wow.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day One</u></span><br />
Then comes the date. I've already packed my things on the day before. I also packed my laptop to blog about each day at night after the activities are done. I woke up at seven in the morning to have breakfast before traveling to the university. Actually, the registration starters at nine—and the first activity of the day starts at ten. But I liked being early, so I chose to wake up at seven. Yippee me.<br />
<br />
So we reached our destination at around eight (I think) and took my things, which is in a duffel bag full of clothes and a toiletry bag, and my trusty laptop backpack. I reached where the <i>Closing the Gap</i> team was having their workshops, put down my things, and registered. Honestly, I felt excited but also nervous. I didn't know what to expect living alone since it was my first time, but definitely excited to be with CtG again.<br />
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I waited until everyone else arrived. We ended up having 22 students, including yours truly, in Lecture Hall 5, which is the rendezvous point. I was supposed to have a schoolmate coming along with me for the camp, but I found out he was accepted for the ASEAN scholarship and had to sit for an examination—but that exam conflicted with the camp's dates. Too bad, huh? But good for him, though.<br />
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So, we had our opening ceremony and an opening speech by a Harvard alumna named Jacintha. She told us of her father's struggle back in the days. How he lived in a village with a poor background and how he had to walk for a whopping 5 days <i>just to get to school! </i> If I were at that situation, I'd be whining to my parents that I'd stop schooling or I'd just live at school for the rest of my education years. And at school, he had trouble communicating in English, but his American teacher did not give up on him. So, he did not give up on himself. Learned English he did, every day. Never give up he did. Truly an inspiring story of determination. Cassie could learn from that.<br />
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After the speech, we had a little briefing on the camp then we got out things to prepare for a walk to our residence. What I expected was a tiring walk because of the weight of my things but I'd only have to go through this twice. What I didn't expect was that the tiring walk was more tiring than I thought and that the walk from the university to the condominium took a hell amount of time. I nearly ran out of breath upon reaching there. But we managed to get a keycard to our rooms and the Wi-Fi password and went to our rooms to discover them. My unit had 6 people. 3 other boys were in the opposite unity. I walked around the room, looking at stuff. But looking at the time, I realized there won't be enough time to take out everything, so I called my roommates out back to the university for the next activity on the agenda.<br />
<br />
Back after another tiring walk just 30 minutes after resting, we went back to the university and met with Sunway's Student Ambassadors. But I'm kinda already acquainted with them since I've been to Sunway for a couple of times (lost count, by the way) this year. Soon enough, we were brought by them for an orientation around the campus and some destinations in the Sunway College as well. I thought this was going to be boring since I had an orientation of the campus just last Thursday, but they did show some places I've never been told about before. (Still boring though).<br />
<br />
Then, we had our lunch at the university's cafeteria, where the orientation conveniently ended too. The food was pretty fair but it was spicy. I hate spicy. :(<br />
<br />
I finished my lunch pretty quickly and went back to the lecture hall for the next activity—again with the Student Ambassadors. We were led to the Gallery just outside and were told to sit in a huge circle. Then, we had a game. Not just any game, but a game of making an adjective to go with the first letter of your name. Sounds easy? Nope. We had to memorize and say out the 10 names before us just to be able to introduce ourselves. I went with Creative Chan. Heh. Suffice to say, I did have some trouble, but it did help me memorize almost everyone's names. (Shame on me not to know everyone yet.)<br />
<br />
Then came the best part(s) of the day. We were divided into two teams. Ours was named <i>Dauntless</i>. First game: we returned to the big circle and had to write a unique fact about ourselves. Then, we had to fold the paper and randomly pass ours to the next until they said stop. We repeated that until we had 3 facts about ourselves. Then we had to crumple the paper and threw it <strike>at the center of the circle</strike> at the guy telling us to do things who was at the center of the circle, then pick up a random paper. Next, we were tasked to ask everyone about their facts and linked them to the said person, finishing our paper, to yield points for our group. Only the top five could get points. Unfortunately, I only matched one. Strangely though, nobody got my facts. Did I make them a bit too... unique?<br />
<br />
Just in case you guys are curious what I wrote, mine were:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Likes to read up about religions, but is an atheist.</li>
<li>Can play piano, but only online.</li>
<li>Has an unconventional love for onion rings.</li>
</ol>
<div>
After that game, we were then tasked to find the landmark somewhere on campus to take a group photo and come back first to get points. But we were only given a clue and had to ask the people around to find the place. Yep, we had to ask the students or lecturers for a clue. The first clue was talking about a "Garden in the Sky". I thought of the place upstairs, but that wasn't right. Whoopsies. So after my crazy bout of "I think I know!", we asked around for the location. Eventually, the people we asked pointed to the Sunway College 4th floor, opposite of the hall. We got there and took a photo quickly and rushed back. Apparently, we were first and scored points. :D</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But I came to realize something. I had forgotten to bring my bottled water and I'm dying of thirst. Worse, I didn't know where I could buy drinks in between the games. Though I still tried to continue on, with a Student Ambassador promising to bring water. For the next game, named the "Human Snake", we had to align ourselves in a straight line and link ourselves by holding hands. I was second in line, so the guy to the left of me was the "head". The game was simple: we had to cross over each other based on the sequence of the links' number, then untangle ourselves. However, because it was <i>too</i> simple, they twist it up a bit by getting the tail to do the same thing. There were three rounds. We won the first and second but lost the third. The third was mega crazy so we pretty much got ourselves to look like we were playing Twister with 10 people instead of playing Human Snake.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So after that game too, we had to go for another photo hunt. This time, the clue was a question. "What are the facilitators wearing?" This one was pretty obvious and both teams figured out in less than a second. We rushed to the <i>I <3 SU</i> statue-slash-arch thingy and took a picture of it. Quickly than ever (since they were close behind), we rushed back to the gallery. Turns out, we managed to reach first with the picture again! But turns out too, I'd never been more thirsty in my life than now. Thankfully, one of the ambassadors led me to a water fountain for me to drink up. Whew, I thought I was gonna collapse from exhaustion.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I came back to the Gallery, refreshed, and with the other team back. I reunited with my team just in time for the third game. This one had us reuse our embarrassing adjective names. We were given time to ask and remember the names of the opposing team before the game starts. For this one, one of each team had to go up front and face a blanket. When the blanket lowered, both rival team members had to call out the other's name as fast as possible to earn points. One thing I knew: I was probably going to screw up. I went up second and was face to face with a person I kinda knew. But I went blank for a few seconds (both of us did), then we called out each other's names. But what came out both of our mouths was a butchered version of the other. We both ended up as a tie and scored zero. Haha. The rest of the game flowed pretty well, but I couldn't tell which side was winning. According to the scorekeeper, both sides ended up with an equal amount of score. No tiebreaker, however.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Like the previous two games, we were tasked once more with another photo hunt. For this one, we were given a picture of Beethoven and the question: "Where does this person practice?" or something like that. All of us thought of the art room, but they clarified the instrument, not the location. So we asked the students the location of a piano. It was also in the Sunway College, but on the second floor in the study area behind the Financial Department. We found it way at the back and took yet another group photo. There was a sign near the piano that stated we could play only after 5:30 pm, which made me scream internally. There was a piano here? I could play the piano? Cool! We dashed back to the Gallery, and again, we were first. I went to get another drink before returning.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When the other team returned, with all of our tired as hell faces, we were asked if we would want to continue. But we all said "No", and so the scores are tallied. It ended up with us winning. Best team ever! Each of our members won a mascot pin badge, then we posted for a group photo. With the games finally done and the high possibility then I was going to get cramps and aches, we returned to the hall for the next session after a short break.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
According to Ms. Connie, one of the hosts of the CtG program, this would be the only time in the whole camp we would be active since we were going to spend the rest of the days in the lecture hall. Not that I minded, though. The next session was a talk on scholarships by the Manager of Scholarship, Ms. Soo Ee Sarn. One thing I could glean from that: I didn't know that there were 30 different kinds of scholarships that cover almost every single aspect. She also conducted a short interview listing out the common interview questions and the ability on how to "make a good impression". I tried answering some of those interview questions and I learned how pushy the interviewer may get. Seriously, a question that leads to another question. So I locked these in my mind: be extra specific and I definitely needed to practice ahead of time. Anyway, she concluded the talk by saying the key importance was to "make a good impression", not whether one was right or wrong.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After the talk, we had our free time. I chose to hang out with a new friend, the guy sitting next to me, Ming Lok. He was a real sports junkie. He invited me to play ping pong, which I was terrible at, but I agreed anyway because why not? So I led him to the Student Life Center in the college to play. We played for a good 45 minutes of hitting the ball into the ceiling several times and swatting the air until I suggested we played darts. I love darts, by the way, even though I never played it in real life at all. I remembered there was a dartboard in the Life Center too. But for who-knows-why, there was the dartboard, but no freaking darts. I was tempted to ask where the darts were, but Ming Lok suggested we resume playing ping pong. But I said I had enough since I was already tired. He then said he was going to return to the residence, but I chose to stay. I didn't want to walk all the way back just to come back again here for dinner, then walk back again to sleep.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, I went back to the lecture hall where I conversed with CtG team and relaxed until dinner came. Dinner was definitely more delicious than lunch. After dinner, we all returned to the lecture hall. Everyone but me went home to change before coming back. I shrugged. For the last activity of the day (whew, am I writing long), we were asked to go into a group of five, dubbed the reflection group. I chose to join a random group and sat together. I tried recalling the names of the others: Kurniati, Chow, Yuen Yen, and Imran, which I could. Celebrated a little bit inside. Ms. Connie was our group's "instructor". We were told to reflect on the day: 3 things we learned, 2 questions we still have after today, 1 thing that inspired us, and what do we want to learn or achieve after the day. I enjoyed the time with my group and I had the urge of getting to know them a little bit more.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Soon enough, even the final activity of the day ended. We all took another long, long walk back to the residence. I bathed, told my good nights to my housemates, then went in my room. I turned on my laptop so I could write a blog on the first day. But guess what? The Wi-Fi couldn't work so I couldn't access my blog. I could use my phone's data to write, but I suck at typing on the phone and it'd take almost the entire night to type out what I want. I hoped the Wi-Fi could work soon, but I resolved to type it all once the camp ended if it still couldn't work. (Spoiler: it still couldn't work.) I finally went to sleep for the day.</div>
<div>
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<div>
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<div>
Wow, that was pretty long for the first day. The second and third day might just as well be as long, but I will post them up pretty soon. On the same day, if possible. But thanks for reading and hope to see you guys soon. </div>
<div>
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<div>
Dammit, the holidays are ending.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-29937415451546031452017-06-07T00:49:00.000+08:002017-06-07T00:49:01.236+08:00I'm at Camp!So hey, I have not been writing here much and I apologize. It is my final year in high school and it is pretty important to get good grades and earn a good future for myself and everyone else. Anyway, I dont really wanna weite so muxh because I am on phone, which I had to type in. The WiFi here is having problems so I am using my phone data. I just wanna tell you guys that I am not gone and wlill be writing about my experience at a university camp when I amback home. Excuse my terrible spelling because I am really bad at phone typing and I just cant get it to function properly xD. So yeah, that is all I am writing. Do look forward to my next post very soon. It is late at night right now so I gotta catch some sleep for the next day. See you guys later!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-38780085574624589612017-01-31T14:17:00.000+08:002017-01-31T14:18:22.235+08:00Wrote a Short Story! (Girls Camp Out! — A Rina Side Story)So, just last week, I was extremely bored and I was done with writing my novel for the day. And then this happened: I went to write a small side story to kill time. And now that it's finished, I'd like to share it with you. Probably the first time I shared any actual writing material and not updates.<br />
<br />
And yeah, for the record: the odd naming of the title is intended. And no, the novel titles won't be like that. Also, this side story is non-canon. Don't believe everything it's written to be true (yet). Because <i>everything</i> is subjected to changes. 0:)<br />
<br />
Anyway, here is the story.<br />
<br />
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4h9R8_w4fPYeDFnNXBTLUE3amM/preview" width="600" height="450"></iframe>
<br />
Looking to download? If you wanna download the PDF file, click this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4h9R8_w4fPYeDFnNXBTLUE3amM/view?usp=sharing">link</a> and click the Download button on the top right corner.<br />
<br />
Thanks and hope you enjoy the story. Leave me comments on what you think in the comments below.<br />
See you in the next post!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-52336840471779729812017-01-29T12:23:00.001+08:002017-01-29T12:23:35.945+08:00Artwork of My Characters!So, I've been away this whole month with school homework and management, plus spending quality time writing. At the same time, a friend of mine has been drawing out my characters and, wow, I am impressed. To be able to see my characters through my eyes instead of picturing them in my mind--it feels great. Drives me to write more. And here, I'd like to share with you his drawings. He's done two characters so far.<br />
<br />
(Meanwhile, I'm writing like hell cause it's the Lunar New Year holidays. Expect writing updates soon!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHlAu5hF91bgyuVBHBhnCt3qtogZlu7ZGRBMp7z3pSjsH1bl10NbPhDj5vQ_pDapDLth71SyDi1SnjQT8CHrDfvvhSHDKPeRPqLvIPX_efJ82Z9OUtX9LsSO5Z5mmwCw5H_fTguWRcjM/s1600/Cassandra+Monica+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHlAu5hF91bgyuVBHBhnCt3qtogZlu7ZGRBMp7z3pSjsH1bl10NbPhDj5vQ_pDapDLth71SyDi1SnjQT8CHrDfvvhSHDKPeRPqLvIPX_efJ82Z9OUtX9LsSO5Z5mmwCw5H_fTguWRcjM/s320/Cassandra+Monica+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
This one is of Cassandra Monica, the main character of the novel. Floragne is with her and so is that Celestials-damned smug of hers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04mS4nNwTSaictykezX-m65pBqR6Z_J7IgzFacYj3ivioCsKPj_P6kN20I2PSAEpR07R_rK6zU5euxnUJrK3KxN0P7VO5agHa4uy1B5RRG2wdovrInr95yavJWN3Y7WkABKrMTI_K2yg/s1600/Dyven-Mazak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04mS4nNwTSaictykezX-m65pBqR6Z_J7IgzFacYj3ivioCsKPj_P6kN20I2PSAEpR07R_rK6zU5euxnUJrK3KxN0P7VO5agHa4uy1B5RRG2wdovrInr95yavJWN3Y7WkABKrMTI_K2yg/s320/Dyven-Mazak.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
And this one is of Dyven-Mazak, the ogre of Cassie's group. For the record, yes, he <i>is</i> blue.<br />
<br />
So those are the two characters so far. On the other hand, I've been participating in a lot of programs too, mostly involving those on self-development and preparation for college and universities. Anyway, that's all I'm writing for now.<br />
<br />
Thank you for reading this post and maybe leave a comment on those artworks. Both my friend and I would love to know your thoughts on the art. See you guys in the next post!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-68470752263916827442016-12-26T11:59:00.001+08:002016-12-26T11:59:34.336+08:00First Page of My Novel (and Apologies)Hi, guys, and Merry Christmas. It's been a month since I last posted and I apologize for leaving on a hiatus so abruptly. After my brother came back, I spent my time reading a murder mystery visual-kinetic novel of his, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, then he'll probably ask me to read Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. I also spent my time playing new games (to 100% completion) such as Assassin's Creed III and trying out new things on Steam. I also spent my time doing absolutely nothing but procrastinating.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to business. I wasn't able to write on my novel much at all this whole holiday. Why? Because I arrived at a dead end. No matter what I tried, either I couldn't shake off the feeling my novel is going the wrong way or that I've writted myself into being unable to continue. So, I've decided to rewrite the whole thing. Yes, the <i>whole</i> thing itself, from the beginning. I'm using my old copy as a reference in case I forgot the plot, but most would be changed from then on.<br />
<br />
And I've been wanting to share at least the first page with you guys. So, here I will be doing it. Please mind that I can't seem to put indents (if you even can?), so I've altered it a bit to fit with the format. More news: got Harry Potter, the <i>full</i> series; watched several movies; played and completed several games; <i>maybe</i> more reviews.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Night howled before the sky of Seriquas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
Only a few hours before the new year. Only a few hours before
they arrived. Only a few hours for her to strike, which may be her last chance
at it.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
Shrouded in a cloak as dark as the mist of Ink Woods, she
hastened through the forest—trees and brushes all specked with thorns and
rotten beyond death. Dried leaves and branches crunched with every step. She
treaded carefully through the blinding pitch black mist; one little misstep could
tear right through her cloak, skin, and flesh.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
She had to get to the tavern near the edge of the woods.
Rumors circulated that one of the major familias were plotting to toss the
kingdom into chaos—and she knew who they meant. And she wanted to stop them.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
Trees and trees later, she could see dim flickering colors of
purple and orange mixing into the mist. Not long after, she stepped into an
open field surrounded by purple thorns and brambles, and there it was—the
tavern, The Witching Hour. More or less, it looked like a nondescript and
derelict shack left to the mercy of the weather. Small holes covering the
mildewy wooden planks whistled as drafts flew by. Seemed like no chaos ensued
yet. Good.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
Which also meant that they'd arrive in no more than a few
minutes. She should best be prepared.</div>
<div class="Creative">
She stepped toward the entrance of the tavern, one hand
clutching the cloak over her body and—</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ring! Ring!</i></div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
The bell above the door chimed as the door creaked open to
reveal the interior of the tavern. Witches, gargoyles, ogres, imps, goblins,
orcs, and a red-skinned troll paused and turned to look at her before resuming
their activities, unconcerned. The troll behind the counter bowed at her
entrance while cleaning a beer mug. She tried her best to act natural—but she
hadn't been around with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">these</i> kinds
of people for a while.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
But all should be fine, she hoped.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
The tavern was much more lively than it was outside. Ogres at
the counter chugged down beer mug after mug, bubbles frothing around their
mouths. A gargoyle and a goblin were pitted in an arm-wrestling match as the
others cheered on their sides. Some of the dead drunk people lied on the floor
and seats, utterly unconscious. Witches, down at the far corner of the bar,
brewed up random concoctions and throwing them at one another. Different sounds
flooded into her ears while the smell of liquor filled her nostrils.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
She thought she looked out of place, considering how she was
dressed. A casual periwinkle dress with a floral motif, fitted on with a velvet
black-stringed corset. Its veil-like sleeves fell from her arms and to her
thighs. Her hazel brown hair was tied into a bun. Just like how a typical
Evrysan woman would look like in her early twenties. Just like how a person
such as her didn't belong in a place like this. But the people here couldn't
care less, in fact, they weren't reacting at all.</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
And to think she needed to keep a low profile. </div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
----</div>
<div class="Creative">
<br /></div>
<div class="Creative">
Thank you for reading, my apologies for being inactive for so long. To you critical people out there, all criticisms are appreciated and encouraged. See you soon!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-85859391764342181592016-11-07T19:25:00.001+08:002016-11-07T19:25:25.658+08:00My Finals English Exam EssayHey! Simply a long time since I've posted anything, and I'll be completely honest why. #1 Yes, definitely procrastinating too much. #2 Translating my History textbook to English as a new means of studying. #3 Simming whole day long (I have all expansion packs on my Sims 3 <3 ).<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've gotten my English finals paper back today and I scored what I targeted: above 90 or we'd call an A+ here. Yayyy! I've already planned to share the essay I've written on my blog after I gotten it, just that I didn't expect it would take such a long time. But it's here now, so I'll share it. :)<br />
<br />
Note: All errors are <i>deliberately</i> left unchanged. Only British English variants are switched into its American version.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Question: Write a story about someone who lives in the city. Begin your story with<i> </i>"<i>The traffic was heavy. Cars were moving inch by inch... "</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The traffic was heavy. Cars were moving inch by inch. Honks and voices of those around John thrummed in his ears. He was rushing back home, which was not actually a pleasant home, but an apartment. He did not spare a glance at anyone nor did he pay attention to anything. He just had to get home, get himself ready, and get going with his overdue project. City life was his life.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
High-rise buildings stood tall in every curb and corner, yet John stared at the sidewalk as he trudged. The air, polluted by smoke fumes from the congested traffic, was appalling and rancid. Each step was like a lifetime. Minutes of ageless walking later, he arrived in his apartment.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Although life outside his room was lively, his living space looked dull, mundane, and lifeless. John collapsed on his sofa after setting his suitcase down. He wished he could sleep off, but his watch read three in the afternoon, and he still had not finished anything. John sighed and slowly lifted himself up and into the bathroom.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
His family living somewhere near the mountains might think a bath was relaxing. For John, it did not relieve him of stress in any way. He came out of the bathroom looking as if he never bathed. He wondered if his colleagues thought otherwise. He wondered if his son would like to live in this cesspit. Probably, considering the advanced technology he had in his apartment. Naïveté, he would say.<br />
<br />
John wearily stepped to his worktable, where hundreds of stacks of paper awaited him. Just by setting his sights on the paperwork was enough to send him a splitting headache. Suffice to say, work was work, and work had to be done. Then, he sat and began his task. He knew his body gravely needed a rest, but what could he do? Work first, then his needs. Sometimes, he was glad his son was not here with him, since he would likely not have time to even say hi to him.<br />
<br />
Evening flew by like an arrow. He rose from his worktable, and frowned. He had not completed half his work yet and the day was coming to an end. He would ask his neighbors if they were kind to help, but who had time to form a mere bond with them? Not with John's strict routine, no. After contemplating for another minute, John went for dinner.<br />
<br />
Actually, John did not go anywhere, but his kitchen. Fixing himself a bowl of stale instant noodles, he swallowed it without as much as a bite or a chew. He had to get back to his work immediately as it was due tommorow. If not, he could only imagine what his tyrannical boss would do. No one should mess with the boss, he knew he should not experience that again.<br />
<br />
John paced toward his apartment window and gazed. From up here, people and cars looked like a blur of motions as they passed. His eyes, however, were still as he took in the mountains behind the grids of buildings and roads. His family. Only then did he realize he should never had moved to a "better life" in the city. Only then did he realize how stressed and troubled he was. Only then did he realize he was dead in the inside.<br />
<br />
John should probably rest for tomorrow. After all, it was just another normal, casual day tomorrow. His work and life and all. One last look at those mountains, he wondered if like back in the mountainsides would be any different. Probably not much. He had to go to bed now anyway.<br />
<br />
City life was his life.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
And that's all! Hopefully, I can try to force myself from playing Sims 3 after dinner so I can write blog posts. I've also thought of writing a review for a movie I've recently watched. :) That's a first, eh? Anyway, thank you for reading this post!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-28927645667947309742016-10-28T12:17:00.002+08:002016-10-28T12:17:24.329+08:00"Empire of Storms" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3uaAbYpHRRArmZYP7ljmAYHRJHqWJ49WUzvQ7Ebl2ZYLCGqV9lMvMbD-MhPqfLfP8zws2j09D2xntl_5KhXHFzJzEOKZvaS95k92xoC2DM0bJx4YMpTWXt1ddjPAfvVd3rChGTyfx3E/s1600/Empire+of+Storms+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3uaAbYpHRRArmZYP7ljmAYHRJHqWJ49WUzvQ7Ebl2ZYLCGqV9lMvMbD-MhPqfLfP8zws2j09D2xntl_5KhXHFzJzEOKZvaS95k92xoC2DM0bJx4YMpTWXt1ddjPAfvVd3rChGTyfx3E/s320/Empire+of+Storms+cover.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
Hey! Holidays are here and I've been doing the character interviews for a while. But when I'm done I'll be sure to post it here. Anyway, I've read <i>Empire of Storms</i> a few days ago, and boy, what a ride it was. So allow me to give you my review on this book.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>BEWARE! SPOILERS BELOW!</b></span></div>
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<b>IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ MORE</b></div>
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<b>YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED </b></div>
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Let me first say: what in the world just happened in this book?</div>
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This is the fifth book already and there are so many twists and turns and I can't stop hanging my mouth wide. Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, the protagonist who was a former assassin and now fighting for the throne of Terrasen and the safety of Erilea, in the fifth book, starts in Terrasen in hopes of regaining the throne. Unfortunately, the lords say no and Aelin and her court (composed of one Fae prince, one shape-shifter, and one Adarlan's Whore) are evicted from her own homeland. GREAT! But she doesn't give up and attempts to regain the throne no matter what.</div>
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One thing's for certain: lots of shippings and pairs that people wanted <i>actually</i> came true. A number of characters in this book found their pairs—even those I didn't think would happen in any lifetime. Maybe Sarah J. Maas is secretly watching the fans' pairings?<br />
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But what shocked me more is how the book unites <i>every</i> other book. From the novellas that were prologues of the series to the previous installment. <i>Everything</i> was related. Characters from way behind came back to help Aelin fight for Erilea. Even the stories were interconnected somehow! There had been people manipulating behind the scenes and I couldn't even think of it.<br />
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The whole story from beginning to end was amazing. So many characters from previous installments came back better than ever—with some twists added into them. So many parts in the book that'd make you say "da hell". Oh yeah, and, <i>two</i> sex scenes. Not one, but <i>two</i>. Uncensored too.<br />
RIP imagination.<br />
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And since Aelin had sex and never took contraceptive tonic... <u>BABY NOW OR ELSE!</u><br />
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But the ending though. That rutting ending! The bad guy wins this game and lots of the main characters were put into distraught. The shape-shifter took the role of Aelin, as planned covertly, and starts leading the army of all the people Aelin'd met in the past. From here, more "da hell"s happened and left my eye twitching for the next ten minutes. @_@<br />
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Anyway, I loved this book, and by far, the best book of the series. The sixth and final book will (I think) come out on September next year. So then, I probably will try to never find a new series I can read. Ah, maybe <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses?</i> Thank you for reading my review. I hope you read other reviews too. You can find the link right down below!<br />
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Check out all the other book reviews <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/09/list-of-book-reviews.html">here</a>!
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-11181321294193250842016-10-21T20:51:00.001+08:002016-10-21T20:51:14.025+08:00"Eclipse" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-B3KeSWxqOIsA65FCwv4W0vADQCYcxokypFlSmXRCzCE4Y-ir_JFYufy54azbvSW8rh8NfdB0kt_5dMtjYcalsLG4TMeOjAQfBaornQ1-eSwFL1DyDY9LSnEnbnIxFbjjNR2PaYa7pIU/s1600/Eclipsecover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-B3KeSWxqOIsA65FCwv4W0vADQCYcxokypFlSmXRCzCE4Y-ir_JFYufy54azbvSW8rh8NfdB0kt_5dMtjYcalsLG4TMeOjAQfBaornQ1-eSwFL1DyDY9LSnEnbnIxFbjjNR2PaYa7pIU/s320/Eclipsecover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
Hey, guys! I'm back being active and throughout the week, my mind came up with serious ideas for my novel. (yay) I'm going to apply to them soon, let's to say that I don't end up procrastinating my time away. Anyway, I've finished reading this book for a week now but I think I still remember how the story goes.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>BEWARE! SPOILERS BELOW!</b></span></div>
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<b>IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ MORE</b></div>
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<b>YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED </b></div>
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The story begins with Bella Swan, the I-don't-care-if-you're-a-monster-of-whatever-as-long-as-you're-my-friend protagonist, and her boyfriend, Edward Cullen, who happens to be stuck with a visiting schedule—courtesy of <strike>Bella's cliff diving</strike> Edward nearly exposing himself back in Italy. So we now have a new problem: vampires—new ones—wreaking havoc. I mean, from here, anyone can guess it's Victoria doing her bid, right? Danger magnet indeed, hmm...<br />
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The beginning of the story went smoothly and I enjoyed reading the first chapters. Jacob returned, now keener than ever, to steal Bella's love away from Edward. Edward keeps his cool while Bella tries to third-wheel herself or set things right to no avail. Well, he's a teenage jerk, give him that. Edward is like what? A century-year-old? Classic teenage love-triangle drama. I give it a thumbs up. :D I would give it a bigger thumbs up if Bella actually did something rather than moaning about this problem. Sheesh, she could at least tell Jacob to <strike>fuc</strike> see somebody else right?<br />
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My first problem in this book (which I hope there wasn't 'cause I liked the beginning) is when Bella visits the Quileute tribe to hear their stories. Well, dedicating one chapter to backstory for suspense-making is fine actually. Two chapters later, another long full chapter backstory about newborn vampires for more suspense-making. Fine, too, except... it was <i>boring</i>. The whole part was dull and draggy and completely felt like the book was trying to make itself longer. Still, it was okay, actually. Because I got to know stuff I didn't know.<br />
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Jacob and Edward's love-triangle with Bella (let's not talk about the girl not doing anything, okay?) is a strong conflict. I love how Meyer manages with this all through the time. But when the three went to the woods before the big war between newborns and the coven + tribe, it was a horror. Jacob and Edward argued while Bella was half-sleeping like <i>children</i>. I mean, what with the name-calling only ten-year-olds would do and ridiculous tantrum throwings and vows? This is melodrama! And it does <i>not</i> fit!<br />
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Also, let's not forget Bella moaning about Edward and Jacob not to hurt themselves when she definitely knows they aren't as vulnerable as she is. We get it, Bella; you don't want them hurt. But later, Jacob got hurt after the battle. Bella, you freaking jinx.<br />
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Speaking of the battle, that part was awesome. This was like, the second or third time I got to see vampires engaging in battle. And Victoria could finally be decapped and burned. No more Victoria meant one danger off the list. The aftermath of the battle, Jacob seemingly accepted the fact that Bella wanted to be Edward (ain't that weird?). And that last time though. That freaking last line in that last chapter before the epilogue. That sent chills down my spine. wew<br />
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All in all, this book is better than <i>New Moon</i> but not as good as <i>Twilight</i>. I still am waiting to read <i>Breaking Dawn</i> to conclude this series. In the meantime, I'm almost finished with <i>Empire of Storms</i>. I can't wait to write the review of it too. I also can't wait to apply all my ideas into my novel! Alright, thank you for reading my review. Be sure to check out the other reviews! See you in the next post, soon!<br />
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Check out all the other book reviews <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/09/list-of-book-reviews.html">here</a>!
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-71864027657221228082016-10-21T09:17:00.000+08:002016-10-21T09:17:06.064+08:00Exams are Over!Hey! Long time no see! This will be a short post because I'm going to write a review on <i>Eclipse</i> later today. I'm just saying that my exams are over. The only subject I'm worrying about is History (ugh). 'cause of that, I pretty much forced myself to translate a bit of my History textbook to English every day to remember it. And I find that it works really well! :3 So there's my new way of studying History. Anyway, that's all I'm writing for now. Be sure to check back later to see my review on <i>Eclipse</i>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-53172075357662233442016-10-09T18:07:00.003+08:002016-10-09T18:07:44.967+08:00DKLS Writing Competition ResultsHey! It's the 9th, so it's the time for the results of the DKLS Writing Competition to be revealed. And I didn't win, unfortunately. I wasn't even in the Top 10. (ouch)<br />
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Then again, I knew I wasn't going to win because I'm not that good in writing politically-related topics. No worries, loses are loses. Now, I'm just going to go sulk at the fact that I lost my chance to win the book vouchers. Aw, and I was planning to go on a book-buying spree. xD<br />
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Finals are fine so far. First week went through quickly and I worry about my Biology. Actually, I should be worrying more about this week. Ugh, History! Again, I'll likely be inactive throughout October, but expect me to pop out every now and then if I have something extremely important to share. <br />
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Okay, I'm pretty sure you guys wanna know how my writing is doing. If you don't, I'm going to write about it anyway. I'm thinking about dropping chapter names and replacing them with numbers, so there's going to be a big revamp. Also, I'll likely be sharing with you the relationships between each character, and maybe the first page of the novel. Hours ago today, I found a questionnaire that I can use to answer questions through my character's minds, so I might be sharing that here too.<br />
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Anyway, I'll need to ready up for tomorrow. History and Physics stand in my way. See you guys!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-46894327214987342432016-10-04T14:12:00.002+08:002016-10-04T14:12:21.149+08:00Finals...!Yeah, my finals are here and I've just finished the very first day of it. Wasn't easy, but it wasn't difficult either, pretty average. Though, because of the exam, I'll likely be inactive this whole month, but if I do have some exciting news, I will post it on my blog.<br />
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So far, I am enjoying <i>Empire of Storms</i> really much that I stopped reading any other book except it. (heh) Well, not much has happened at all so there isn't really much to touch upon. Anyway, the results of the DKLS Essay Writing Competition will be revealed on the 9th of October. So, I'll most probably be writing about it here about the results. In the meantime, hope I win!<br />
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That's all I'm writing for today. See you in a while or on the 9th of October! :) Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-80551793404507540412016-10-01T10:48:00.001+08:002016-10-01T10:58:01.662+08:00"The Son of Neptune" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrQC1WcNn2W1Y6unMGyeiNLDTCK1zVPFT2qblv2mLKWFwtkqEncUor3cDTNdFpQx6Qkt0KgEoZDYsID1i9Zsh9RtPtytbSDP9eNJ5sSmhpHS4GqJLVoJj_1a_-DpueUYAXDRPPSIBtJw/s1600/Heroes_of_Olympus_-_The_Son_of_Neptune.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrQC1WcNn2W1Y6unMGyeiNLDTCK1zVPFT2qblv2mLKWFwtkqEncUor3cDTNdFpQx6Qkt0KgEoZDYsID1i9Zsh9RtPtytbSDP9eNJ5sSmhpHS4GqJLVoJj_1a_-DpueUYAXDRPPSIBtJw/s320/Heroes_of_Olympus_-_The_Son_of_Neptune.png" width="211" /></a></div>
Hey, guys! My finals are like three days away and I'm going hard on studying Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and History. Anyway, today, I'll write my review on Rick Riordan's <i>The Son of Neptune</i>, the second book in the <i>Heroes of Olympus</i> pentalogy.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>BEWARE! SPOILERS BELOW!</b></span></div>
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<b>IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ MORE</b></div>
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<b>YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED </b><br />
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And the main hero from <i>Percy Jackson and the Olympians</i> pentalogy is back! Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the god of the seas<span class="st" data-hveid="46">—oh wait, or is it the son of Neptune? o.O The first few chapters flow slowly (plus action and comedy in-between) before Percy reaches Camp Jupiter</span><span class="st" data-hveid="46">—apparently another demigod camp</span>, except it was for Romans. And here I thought the <i>Heroes of Olympus</i> series is mostly about Greek gods.<br />
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Percy meets Hazel Levesque, a daughter of Pluto (Hades), and Frank Zhang, a son of Mars (Ares), which I guess are also part of the Prophecy of Seven. Then Percy reveals himself as a son of <strike>Poseidon</strike> Neptune, but what the <i>graecus</i> didn't know is that sons of Neptune aren't appreciated. Ouch. And so he joins Hazel, who everyone condescends for being a child of cursed Pluto, and Frank, who is really naïve muscular Chinese boy from Canada, both of them are actually Camp Jupiter outcasts. The coincidences are strong. From here, Percy (and I) learn the differences between Greek and Roman. This series is really informative, I have to say. :P<br />
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<i>Go to Alaska.</i></div>
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<i>Find Thanatos and free him.</i></div>
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<i>Come back by sundown on June twenty-fourth or die. </i></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Mars's not-so-prophecy prophecy.</i></b></span></span></div>
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And then later, Mars comes down and orders Frank, who he reveals to be his son, Hazel, and Percy to embark on a quest to free Thanatos, the Death, in Alaska and come back to Camp Jupiter before the 24th of June, which is four days away. (Really? <i>Four</i> days again?) Hazel is revealed to have been dead before. (1940s, specifically.) And if she freed Death, then she would be taken back into the Underworld. But if she didn't free Death, then the world is gone. Same goes for Frank, whose life is tied to a freaking wooden splinter. <i>*shows vulgar gesture to Juno*</i> Sacrifices to be made... gee, the dilemma is strong.<br />
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I also liked the fact there was a super memorable quote, spoken none other by a horse. You heard me: a horse. Named Arion. Also a son of Neptune. (<i>A HORSE</i> <i>is an offspring of a GOD?!</i>)<br />
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<i>"I will trample you to death, silly Chinese-Canadian baby man."</i></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Savage. This horse is savage. Best horse ever.</i></b></span></span></div>
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Riordan sure knows how to make people laugh. I mean, come on, the giant Alcyoneus, bane of Pluto, humming <i>Jingle Bells</i> upon being unconscious? The giant Polybotes, being tricked to enrage OCD god of boundaries, Terminus, and indirectly helped Percy smack him into dust? That horse calling Frank a baby man? Damn, I wonder if Riordan had written in the comedy genre before.<br />
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Anyway, all in all, this book is awesome. It shows the Roman aspect of the <i>Heroes of Olympus</i> series perfectly, as <i>The Lost Hero</i> showed Greek. I didn't expect to find so many differences between the two. Informative, comedic, suspense-filled, dilemma-filled, drama, fantasy via mythology, this book has it. Though, I'm not continuing with <i>The Mark of Athena</i> until I've finished <i>Empire of Storms</i>. I waited too long for <i>that</i> book. Also, since exams are in the next week, I might be seriously inactive.<br />
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This has been my review of <i>The Son of Neptune</i>. Thank you for reading.<br />
Until then: <i>Senatus Populusque Romanus</i>, my friends. Next stop: <i>The Mark of Athena</i>.<br />
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Check out all the other book reviews <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/09/list-of-book-reviews.html">here</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-54780134900100263542016-09-25T11:50:00.001+08:002016-09-25T16:34:51.805+08:002,500 Page Views!<div style="text-align: center;">
<strike>1,000 page views</strike></div>
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<strike>2,500 page views</strike></div>
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5,000 page views</div>
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Oh, hey. So, I woke up today and realized that I've just gotten 2,500 page views overnight! Hooray! It's been roughly two months since my blog was set up and six weeks since I achieved 1,000 page views. </div>
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Another milestone achieved for this blog, which means my blog is going well. 2,500 is definitely a larger number than 1,000. If there are anyone here who knows how to decorate blogs, can you hit me up in the comments below? I'd like to know how to program blogs in a "customized" way through HTML formatting.</div>
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As for a wider scope of blog promoting... I have Facebook only. So, I might think about setting up a Twitter or probably even go on Reddit. This blog is still small and basic, but I plan to make it bigger and better.</div>
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Anyway, my finals are coming up in two weeks, but that doesn't mean I will stop posting. Ah, also, the DKLS Essay Writing Competition's results are revealed on the 9th of October. Big things are going to be revealed early next month, so I best prepare myself.</div>
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That's all I'm writing for today. Thank you guys for visiting/following my blog. See you next post! ;)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-49567668145012586452016-09-24T13:06:00.002+08:002016-10-01T10:52:47.643+08:00List of Book ReviewsThis is the list of all my book reviews. I will periodically update this for books I'm reading that I'll review in the future. Click on the hyperlinks to go to my respective book reviews. Book titles that do not have any links attached are upcoming reviews.<br />
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1. <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/09/the-lost-hero-review.html">The Lost Hero</a>, by Rick Riordan<br />
2. <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/09/twilight-review.html">Twilight</a>, by Stephenie Meyer<br />
3. <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/09/new-moon-review.html">New Moon</a>, by Stephenie Meyer<br />
4. <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/10/the-son-of-neptune-review.html">The Son of Neptune</a>, by Rick Riordan<br />
5. Empire of Storms, by Sarah J. Maas<br />
6. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer<br />
7. The Mark of Athena, by Rick Riordan <br />
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<span id="goog_329218967"></span><span id="goog_329218968"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-11123393871286995952016-09-24T13:02:00.003+08:002016-09-24T13:02:55.646+08:00Got "Empire of Storms"!Hey, guys! I'm writing this one today to tell you that after more than two weeks of waiting, I finally have <i>Empire of Storms</i>. Yay! It's a whopping 693 pages, which means I can enjoy this book for a long time, say if I don't read too fast that is.<br />
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Let me show you a picture of the book. ^_^<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipW9BZ8WZhqJNAC818MmHzdLMR7WqyVoVlAlpqRuPJKKv7ccpcsGvI0UPVs2G9bjBVeNwlUqSiahEMZ0NJ24ocrZfP8uL81C6QZ-cfjXJfSpJquJ8nw_ZEepXxK4t8t46DZ7v_hZ23Ec/s1600/Empire+of+Storms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipW9BZ8WZhqJNAC818MmHzdLMR7WqyVoVlAlpqRuPJKKv7ccpcsGvI0UPVs2G9bjBVeNwlUqSiahEMZ0NJ24ocrZfP8uL81C6QZ-cfjXJfSpJquJ8nw_ZEepXxK4t8t46DZ7v_hZ23Ec/s320/Empire+of+Storms.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Now that's one cover!<br />
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And now that I have the book, there's going to be more of Aelin's badass fire-breathing bitch-queen action, Rowan's annoying-but-totally-worth-it ear-nibbling, Manon's debating of whether monsters are made or created, and all the other stuff! Hail Terrasen and House Galathynius and Aelin's court!<br />
If you'll excuse me, I'm going to isolate myself from the world and read this book.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-48925397772722380162016-09-20T21:54:00.000+08:002016-09-24T13:08:37.494+08:00"New Moon" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkhSY-Z5bOPwLGqt6VUg-JZRve6l2wo2EsTmuI2nxKNx3taJ5OWjoGoliQPpeq4uLPd17buo5S_PEW8D0BahlL7SPCu3S66ZlBgX_95F2eZzr6EHYytEwltnH8HqKR8ZSVG6qkXTb0Tg/s1600/Newmooncover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkhSY-Z5bOPwLGqt6VUg-JZRve6l2wo2EsTmuI2nxKNx3taJ5OWjoGoliQPpeq4uLPd17buo5S_PEW8D0BahlL7SPCu3S66ZlBgX_95F2eZzr6EHYytEwltnH8HqKR8ZSVG6qkXTb0Tg/s320/Newmooncover.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
Good day, guys! (Actually, not a good day, because it's <i>two</i> <i>weeks</i> and <i>Empire of Storms</i> STILL isn't out! <i>*tantrums*</i>) So, today, I shall be reviewing Stephenie Meyer's <i>New Moon</i>, the sequel to <i>Twilight</i>, which I had reviewed weeks ago.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>BEWARE! SPOILERS BELOW!</b></span></div>
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<b>IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ MORE</b></div>
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<b>YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED </b></div>
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<a name='more'></a>The story starts out well, with Bella's constantly urging Edward to turn her into a vampire, of course. But then everything changed when <strike>the fire nation attacked</strike> Edward abruptly decided to <i>leave</i> Bella. <i>ON HER BIRTHDAY</i>. And leaves no trace of him from before. (Dammit Edward!) The mood set right after was devastating, I could relate to Bella's torment—little did I realize that <i>I</i> longed for Edward to come back. Oh yeah, and that eight pages showing the months that pass. That was ingenious.<br />
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And then suddenly... a wild Jacob appeared—completely yet conveniently replacing Edward's stature in the novel. Jacob gets super chummy with Bella. First impression? <i>Jacob's turn. </i>The Cullen family was absent from the whole novel until like what—Page 320? Last impression? <i>Definitely Jacob's turn.</i> Of course, there were at least some throwbacks to Bella's gone-forever boyfriend with hallucinations. But that didn't really make up for anything at all.<br />
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Don't get me wrong; I don't dislike Jacob as a character (only his abrupt, convenient entrance)—he's far greater than Edward's (and Bella's) OCD-esque behavior. I like how Jacob treats Bella like Bella instead of his own personal brand of heroin. I mean, Bella's fawning over Edward was alright in the first book, tolerable even. But come on, it didn't have to be repeated again and again. I get it: he is beautiful, his skin is cold and rigid, his eyes are charming.<br />
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Right, the part where Meyer threw in werewolves. That was well-played out, the transformation and all. And the fact werewolves are the natural enemies of vampires...<br />
But then another problem arises: this obviously means this novel was trying very hard to form a love triangle.<br />
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After around 200 pages of going steady with Jacob Black, Edward Cullen decided to show himself again after a misunderstanding that Bella had died. The climax where Bella ventured to Volterra, Italy to save Edward (that's a change!) for once, that was awesome! I was so darn glad Edward returned. But then, <i>Jacob</i> was left behind and then his importance was thrown into the dustbin. <i>Really?</i> Who should I be rooting for now? Edward or Jacob?<br />
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The ending was short-lived, though. But it ends with more trouble than ever. Love triangle included. Honestly, to really make up for the abrupt leaving of the Cullens and the abrupt coming of the Blacks and the Uley pack, the ending should've been more detailed.<br />
But yeah, overall, this book is okay. The first one was much, much better. I just feel as if <i>New Moon</i> is more or less a "filler" part of the series, with complicating matters and Jacob's turn to hit on Bella, and all that.<br />
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I'd still continue reading the series. Hopefully, I won't be a tad disappointed in <i>Eclipse</i>. But I have to wait... unfortunately, my English teacher isn't here at the moment. Anyway, I think I'm going to go do some writing. Catch you guys later! Thanks for reading my review!<br />
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Check out all the other book reviews <a href="http://missingmypen.blogspot.my/2016/09/list-of-book-reviews.html">here</a>! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-60743231088072725832016-09-18T21:38:00.000+08:002016-09-19T15:17:18.275+08:00Emilia Mysticalia — The MatriarchNooooooo, holidays are over! ;-; Well, let me settle the final day in this character introduction week and then sulk on the Monday Blues.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TIdW3fijQwvSBkGQ0suWAhonmbjjBxOCh5NEsze7WUhJ-ykTAqeyb_rTpBwtBHIe-dkt5WIuXpa7Uw8taxfCVrT3EG5dGsppBqB-atFqbD-yXHIIA8tfY4r56s62LPCWKSzsXiJF_5A/s1600/Mysticalia.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TIdW3fijQwvSBkGQ0suWAhonmbjjBxOCh5NEsze7WUhJ-ykTAqeyb_rTpBwtBHIe-dkt5WIuXpa7Uw8taxfCVrT3EG5dGsppBqB-atFqbD-yXHIIA8tfY4r56s62LPCWKSzsXiJF_5A/s200/Mysticalia.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<u>Details</u><br />
<b>FULL NAME:</b> Emilia Mysticalia<br />
<b>GENDER:</b> Female<br />
<b>AGE:</b> 43 (19 in <i>Tale of Two Sisters</i> (TOTS) )<br />
<b>BIRTHDAY:</b> Day 9, Month of Happiness (Month 4)<br />
<b>RACE:</b> Witch<br />
<b>PLACE OF BIRTH:</b> Mysticalia Residence, Vathys Village<br />
<b>HOME:</b> Vathys Ruins<br />
<b>FATHER:</b> Cecil Noblese (deceased)<br />
<b>MOTHER:</b> Euphemia Mysticalia (deceased)<br />
<b>RELATIVES:</b> Esther, Eunice, Esmeralda, Evelyn, Elisabeth, Eleanor (sisters)<br />
<b>HAIR:</b> Dark cherry<br />
<b>EYE:</b> Quartz<br />
<b>HANDEDNESS:</b> Right<br />
<b>WEAPON:</b> None<br />
<b>MAGIC: </b>Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Healing, Love, Gravity (major), Light, Dark<br />
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<u>Description</u><br />
Being the eldest, Emilia is the matriarch of the Mysticalia familia. She has medium-length hair. Her dark cherry shade her most outstanding feature. She has quartz upturned eyes, a button nose, and natural lips.<br />
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<u>Personality</u><br />
Emilia is almost always seen serious and in deep thoughts. She is continually bothered with something, but she doesn't tell any of her sisters. Her sisters, Esther especially, tries to lift her mood up, though it doesn't usually work. However, she feigns a smile or a positive dismissal in fear of hurting her sisters' hearts.<br />
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Emilia cares about each and every one of her sisters. As the head of the familia, she doesn't take rule-breaking nor irresponsibility lightly. She will never turn her back on any of them, or else, she will feel incredibly guilt-ridden and blame things on herself. She takes achieving her goals diligently and will persevere through anything.<br />
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She doesn't mind Eleanor's constant teasing and chummy attitude even though they bug her. In fact, no matter what she does, Emilia will never genuinely hate her. Emilia is a tad bit jealous of Eleanor's positive behavior despite what had transpired when they were adolescent. This is because she, too, used to have one, but she has lost it ever since.<br />
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----<br />
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And that concludes character introduction week. Tomorrow's school and I'll probably be beat after coming home around 3pm. I might write my review on <i>New Moon</i> tomorrow, and if not, the day after. In the meantime, when in the world will <i>Empire of Storms</i> be distributed to my local bookstore?!<br />
What do you think of Emilia? Let me know in the comments below!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-52982386439002499172016-09-17T20:41:00.001+08:002016-09-19T15:17:48.699+08:00Eleanor Mysticalia — The Seventh SiblingIt's Saturday! Which I'm not sure why I'm happy about since there are only two more days before I return to school... Anyway, Eleanor is a side character in the first book. BUT! She's one of the two main characters in the prequel novella, so I chose to introduce her, too.<br />
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<u>Details</u><br />
<b>FULL NAME:</b> Eleanor Mysticalia<br />
<b>ALIAS:</b> Eleanor Monica<br />
<b>GENDER:</b> Female<br />
<b>AGE:</b> 38 (14 in <i>Tale of Two Sisters</i> (TOTS) )<br />
<b>BIRTHDAY:</b> Day 30, Month of Appreciating (Month 3)<br />
<b>RACE:</b> Witch<br />
<b>PLACE OF BIRTH:</b> Mysticalia Residence, Vathys Village<br />
<b>HOME:</b> Rosilland Village<br />
<b>FATHER:</b> Cecil Noblese (deceased)<br />
<b>MOTHER:</b> Euphemia Mysticalia (deceased)<br />
<b>RELATIVES:</b> Emilia, Esther, Eunice, Esmeralda, Evelyn, Elisabeth (sisters)<br />
<b>CHILDREN: </b>Cassandra Monica (adoptive daughter)<br />
<b>HAIR:</b> Hazel brown<br />
<b>EYE:</b> Amethyst<br />
<b>HANDEDNESS:</b> Right<br />
<b>WEAPON:</b> None<br />
<b>MAGIC: </b>Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Healing, Love, Gravity, Light (major), Dark<br />
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<u>Description</u><br />
Eleanor is the seventh and last sibling of the Mysticalia familia. She has long hazel brown hair reaching about halfway through her back. She has amethyst upturned eyes, a button nose, and pointed lips. She is usually seen wearing clothes of black and/or white.<br />
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<u>Personality</u><br />
Eleanor is overall friendly and compassionate. Despite being a witch (to which she has to conceal her identity in a human settlement), she has considerable social skills—similarly to her sister, Emilia. She is also aware if she had said something wrong and will try to set things right. She is also highly sympathetic and quite both charitable and hospitable.<br />
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Adoptive mother or no, Eleanor takes her responsibility in caring Cassie as her top priority. She has a balance between strict and lenient—but usually the latter. She understands Cassie's wishes and dreams and will never stand in her way. Instead, she will help her achieve the possibility. However, she is concerned with Cassie's safety, disappointing or hurting her whenever she injures or gets herself in trouble.<br />
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Eleanor also has a sense of humor—particularly with Emilia, in contrast with her seriousness and continuous brooding. She cares for Emilia the most and she used to be chummy with her. She genuinely holds a dislike toward all her sisters, but she does not hold any grudges. In fact, she wishes their best wherever they are. But she hopes that Cassie doesn't cross paths with them.<br />
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----<br />
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That's all about Eleanor Mysticalia, or Monica (whatever). Tomorrow will be the final day of the character introduction week. I will be introducing the second main character of TOTS, Emilia Mysticalia. Tune in for tomorrow!<br />
What do you think of Eleanor? Let me know in the comments below! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-71084698735317510302016-09-16T21:31:00.001+08:002016-09-19T15:17:57.961+08:00Dyven-Mazak — The Stoic Unshakable OgreHappy Friday, guys! I've just recently finished reading <i>New Moon</i> and I'm going to post a review of it soon. One thing's to say, though: the first book is actually better. Anyway, I'll get on with today's character introduction.<br />
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<u>Details</u><br />
<b>FULL NAME:</b> Dyven-Mazak (<i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>daɪvən məzʌkˈ</b></span>; dai-vuhn muh-ZAHK</i>)<br />
<b>GENDER:</b> Male<br />
<b>AGE:</b> 56 (considered young adult for ogres)<br />
<b>BIRTHDAY:</b> Day 29, Month of Honoring (Month 8)<br />
<b>RACE:</b> Ogre<br />
<b>PLACE OF BIRTH:</b> West Forests<br />
<b>HOME:</b> An ogre settlement near the Enchanted Oak Tree<br />
<b>FATHER:</b> Mazak-Swadj (<i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>məzʌkˈ sʊʤ</b></span>; muh-ZAHK sooj</i>)<br />
<b>MOTHER:</b> Knarra-Twask (deceased) (<i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>nɑrɑ tʊsk</b></span>; na-ra toosk</i>)<br />
<b>RELATIVES:</b> Multiple unnamed ogre relatives<br />
<b>HAIR:</b> None (bald)<br />
<b>EYE:</b> Gray<br />
<b>HANDEDNESS:</b> Right<br />
<b>WEAPON:</b> None (brute strength)<br />
<b>MAGIC: </b>None<br />
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<u>Description</u><br />
Dyven is muscular and stands past 10 feet tall. He has gray protruding eyes and a large round nose. His skin is a tad bluish. He is usually seen without a shirt, his pants ripped into shorts, and is barefooted.<br />
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<u>Personality</u><br />
Dyven is extremely silent and prefers not to talk to any of Cassie's friends nor Cassie herself. He also harbors grudges and is above against anything that disrupts peace—which includes the erecting of Jeremiah's Wall. Being a follower of Akinitos, the Earth Celestial, he is conditioned to be stoical. Most insults and snide remarks flow right past him.<br />
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As asocial as he may be, he can be straightforward and blunt with his opinions. He cares not for what his remarks may hurt toward his fellow speaker. However, he has a soft side for people whom he cares about a lot and becomes loyal to them. Even so, his trust is difficult to earn and once damaged, could be fatal.<br />
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Dyven's huge muscles aren't for show and tell—his ogre strength allows him to lift heavy objects such as boulders and trees and hurl them toward his enemies (and, of course, the old punch in the face). He can be arrogant as well; his dignity and pride are very high. <i>Hmm, I wonder why he doesn't use a club... not that the other ogres </i>don't<i> use clubs either...</i><br />
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<i>----</i><br />
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And that's it about Dyven-Mazak. He's actually the last member of Cassie's group. So, tomorrow, I shall be introducing one major side character: Cassie's (adoptive) mom!<i> </i>Look forward to tomorrow's post!<br />
What do you think about Dyven-Mazak? Let me know in the comments below!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-6459136209666817472016-09-15T22:48:00.000+08:002016-09-19T15:18:04.887+08:00Melissa Trixton — The Timid Virtuous RecluseGood Thursday to you! Nothing much to say other than that I have only four more days of holiday. Four more days of massive writing before my finals. Ugh.<br />
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<u>Details</u><br />
<b>FULL NAME:</b> Melissa Trixton<br />
<b>ALIAS: </b>Lissa<br />
<b>GENDER:</b> Female<br />
<b>AGE:</b> 17<br />
<b>BIRTHDAY:</b> Day 6, Month of Thanking (Month 11)<br />
<b>RACE:</b> Impure Human/Seriquan<br />
<b>PLACE OF BIRTH:</b> Rosilland Village<br />
<b>HOME:</b> Rosilland Village<br />
<b>FATHER:</b> Unknown<br />
<b>MOTHER:</b> Margaretta Trixton<br />
<b>RELATIVES:</b> Unknown<br />
<b>HAIR:</b> Black<br />
<b>EYE:</b> Midnight purple<br />
<b>HANDEDNESS:</b> Right<br />
<b>WEAPON:</b> None<br />
<b>MAGIC: </b>None<br />
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<u>Description</u><br />
Melissa is Cassie's closest friend. Average build and height. She has purple downturned eyes, an average oblong nose, and thinner lower lips. Her long black hair flows down her back like waves, curling into spirals at the end. Out of all of Cassie's friends, Melissa is the most fashionable and stylish (mostly because she's the daughter of the village's seamstress).<br />
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<u>Personality</u><br />
Melissa is very shy. The only person she considers her true friend is Cassie. Just like her, she has a heart for adventures, but to a much lesser extent. Her mindset is the complete opposite of Rina's; she looks on the negative side of things (but she doesn't consider herself a pessimist) and keeps her problems to herself. Though, she speaks in a gentle and polite manner and cares for the well-being of her friends.<br />
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Despite all that, Melissa has the most concrete judgment in the group. She has an incredible sense of right and wrong, being able to make a conclusion from all perspectives. Her friends look up to her as the moral compass—the one who settles the disputes between everyone. Her perceptiveness also beckons her ability to empathize and understand people—and herself.<br />
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Unlike the rest of the group, Melissa doesn't know how to use either weapons or magic. Melissa also lacks the courage to fight nor protect herself, forcing her friends to do so for her. This, however, furthers her guilt of being the "useless one" in the group. Nevertheless, she feels she can be useful in some way, allowing her to continue on. <i>Here's to hope that Melissa is actually quite important.</i><br />
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----<br />
<i> </i><br />
That's all about Melissa. Tomorrow will be Dyven-Mazak. That name went through a lot of changes before I could finalize it. u_u Look forward to tomorrow's post!<br />
What do you think about Melissa Trixton? Let me know in the comments below!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-49152597680457118262016-09-14T22:59:00.003+08:002016-09-19T15:18:11.419+08:00Alluriana Hyland — The Cheerful Amnesiac Farm GirlHappy Wednesday to you, guys! Before I start, I'd like to announce that I've <b>submitted</b> my DKLS essay. It's a big thing, mostly because I can't undo my submitting and improving it anymore. One-time-only chance. Hope I win; fingers crossed!<br />
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<u>Details</u><br />
<b>FULL NAME:</b> Alluriana Hyland<br />
<b>ALIAS:</b> Rina<br />
<b>GENDER:</b> Female<br />
<b>AGE:</b> 16<br />
<b>BIRTHDAY:</b> Day 14, Month of Blooming (Month 2)<br />
<b>RACE:</b> Human/Seriquan<br />
<b>PLACE OF BIRTH:</b> Hedera Village<br />
<b>HOME:</b> Hyland Farm, Hedera Village<br />
<b>FATHER:</b> Bartholomew Hyland<br />
<b>MOTHER:</b> Judith Hyland<br />
<b>RELATIVES:</b> Edmund Hyland (younger brother)<br />
<b>PETS:</b> Rex (dog)<br />
<b>HAIR:</b> Ruby red<br />
<b>EYE:</b> Pear green<br />
<b>HANDEDNESS:</b> Left<br />
<b>WEAPON:</b> Nephele (bow) <i>(<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>nəʔfɛˈli</b></span>; nuhf-FEH-lee)</i>, Arrows, Wind Arrows<br />
<b>MAGIC: </b>Wind<br />
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<u>Description</u><br />
Alluriana is usually shortened to Rina. Thin and slender build. She has pear green hooded eyes and a small nose. Her lower lip is thin. She ties her ruby red hair into a long narrow ponytail reaching as far as her thighs. She slings Nephele and her quiver of arrows over her shoulder to her waist diagonally. Her quiver is divided into two sections, one for her normal arrows, the other for her wind-enchanted ones.<br />
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<u>Personality</u><br />
In short, Rina is bubbly, unpredictable, and too optimistic for her own good. She is easily excitable about almost everything and <strike>can</strike> will not stop talking. Her smile almost never leaves her face. She's also flirtatious, most notably toward Salmon. Being an optimist, she looks up to the most positive outcomes of everything. She's like the glowing star in the group that never ceases to wane.<br />
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However, Rina is highly susceptible to occasional mood swings. She can turn from happy to depressed to fearful and back to <i>hakuna matata</i> in seconds. Her past is a mystery to her and her friends as she has amnesia; she doesn't remember anything before she'd received her Wind powers. Anyone who pushes her into remembering her past will turn her furious.<br />
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Being a Wind user, she can direct her Wind arrows into anything—going as far as <i>curving</i> their path. But only her enchanted arrows allow her. (Enchanting them takes quite a while too.) Even so, she is still highly accurate with her normal arrows. On the side note, she almost never takes a battle seriously and is always seen playing around. She's mentoring Cassie on her archery skills and is always amazed by Cassie's transforming Floragne into a bow.<br />
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----<br />
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And that's all about Alluriana. Say, I was just thinking: how about I spare another week (some time in the future) to make posts about each character's major relationships? It may have huge spoilers, though, but the novel's still in works, so... nothing is final. Tomorrow, I shall talk about Melissa, so look forward to it!<br />
Oookay. What do you think about the cheerful Rina? Let me know in the comments below!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655106425434457987.post-5991485171106245992016-09-13T23:01:00.001+08:002016-09-19T15:18:16.096+08:00Salmon Barry — The Not-So-Knightly Knight (in Training)Hey, guys! Good Tuesday to you! Nothing much to say about today other than that I'd spent 2 hours of hitting the books. So, let's get down to it.<br />
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<u>Details</u><br />
<b>FULL NAME:</b> Samuel Barry<br />
<b>ALIAS:</b> Salmon, Sam, Sammy, Rookie<br />
<b>GENDER:</b> Male<br />
<b>AGE:</b> 19<br />
<b>BIRTHDAY:</b> Day 24, Month of Friendship (Month 7)<br />
<b>RACE:</b> Pureblood Human/Seriquan<br />
<b>PLACE OF BIRTH:</b> Terram<br />
<b>HOME:</b> Terram, Evrysa (camp) <br />
<b>FATHER:</b> Alexander Barry<br />
<b>MOTHER:</b> Madeleine Barry<br />
<b>RELATIVES:</b> None <b> </b><br />
<b>HAIR:</b> Ash <b> </b><br />
<b>EYE:</b> Caramel Brown<br />
<b>HANDEDNESS:</b> Right<br />
<b>WEAPON:</b> Divina (rapier)<br />
<b>MAGIC:</b> None<br />
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<u>Description</u><br />
Samuel is bestowed his nickname, "Salmon", by his friends; a name that all his friends call him by and he'd grown quite attached to it. Average build, one head taller than Cassie. He has medium-length wavy ash brown hair and a broad nose. He attaches Divina by its hilt on his buckle, along with several pouches and a flask.<br />
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<u>Personality</u><br />
Despite being a knight-in-training, Salmon is easy-going and takes things lightly. He is usually seen joking around, particularly with Cassie and her "I've-never-been-outside-before" antics. Even so, if things get rough, he'll be extremely cautious. He's also a good planner and has a keen sense of strategies. Despite all that, he can be a bit of a ditz.<br />
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Salmon looks out to Cassie, Rina, and Melissa like a big brother. If they get in trouble, he doesn't hesitate to step in for them. He often hears everyone out before speaking on their behalf. Though, being the laid back man he is, he can be sarcastic. As he likes to hear people's thoughts beforehand, he is very prone to eavesdropping.<br />
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On the field, Salmon has great swordsmanship, which is the main reason why he's accepted to join the royal guards. He mentors Cassie on her sword techniques, though her sword-morphing business can throw him off-guard. He takes his friends' safety more of a priority than his. And most of the time, he jumps in to save poor naïve Cassie. <i>(A knight in shining armor indeed. *disapproving sigh*)</i><br />
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<i>----</i><br />
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And that's about it<i> </i>with Salmon. Next time will be my personal favorite character, Alluriana Hyland. Look forward to the next post tomorrow!<br />
What do you think of Salmon? Let me know in the comments below! (and if you think his nickname is cheesy, 'cause I think it is.)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10856709990701676641noreply@blogger.com2